Economic reports focus on inflation this week

Economic reports from Europe and the United States focus on inflation this week. Key price indexes are set for release every day but Friday. On Monday, Greece and Portugal released consumer price indexes. Greece, with the economy in a prolonged recession, posted an annual rate of minus 1.7 percent and Portugal reported that annual inflation was muted at 0.2 percent. Other reports this week: -- Tuesday: Germany's wholesale price index for December; consumer price index reports from France, Italy and Britain for December; the U.S. Commerce Department's retail data report, also for December. -- Wednesday: Spain's consumer price index for December; the U.S. producer price index and the Federal Reserve's Beige Book report; the Fed's New York State monthly manufacturing survey for January; the Conference Board's leading economic index for Britain. -- Thursday: Eurostat's CPI for the eurozone and the European Union; the CPI for the United States for December, released by the Labor Department; the Fed's manufacturing survey for the mid-Atlantic states; the Labor Department's weekly unemployment benefit claims report. -- Friday: Eurostat's construction spending report for November; Britain's retail sales report for December and, in the United States, the Fed's industrial production report for December and building permit figures for the same month released by the Census Bureau, a division of the Commerce Department.