Week ahead – Fed and ECB minutes eyed as Ukraine war rages on, RBA to stand pat

The minutes of the Federal Reserve’s and European Central Bank’s last policy meetings will likely grab the chunk of investors’ attention next week as the economic agenda quietens down somewhat. The Reserve Bank of Australia is not anticipated to announce any policy shifts at its meeting, but Canadian employment numbers might boost expectations of a 50-basis-points rate hike by the Bank of Canada. However, the evolving geopolitical situation with Ukraine will probably once again be a more important driver for the markets.