Markets are facing a relatively quiet slate of economic news this week. Today, U.S. bond markets are closed for Veteran’s Day, but equity markets will trade. There are no economic releases of significance all week in Canada.

BMO Nesbitt Burns says that there will be a wave of reports for September just prior to the Bank of Canada’s next rate decision on November 27, as well as the October CPI reading. “However, for the week ahead, attention will be focussed on the conclusion of the WTO meetings in Doha, as well as the upcoming meeting of G7 finance ministers in Ottawa next weekend.”

The WTO’s biennial meeting in Doha, Qatar aims to launch another round of global trade talks, the first since the Uruguay Round ended in 1994. BMO says that major obstacles to launching another round include farm subsidies, drug patent laws and anti-dumping rules.

In the U.S., the release slate isn’t much more exciting. The key events may be a couple of speeches from Fed chairman Alan Greenspan. “In the US, Greenspan steps up to the podium twice this week, but of late he’s been steering away from near-term monetary policy when he can. We suspect that the Fed is likely divided at this point on the need for further action, and the Chairman may be reluctant to push the issue until more data are in,” says CIBC World Markets.

U.S. retail trade numbers are out on Wednesday. “Certainly, the retail sales report has the potential for some surprises, since autos alone could drive a consensus-topping figure, even allowing for price cuts. But we all know the source of that surge — zero-rate financing, mostly on 2001 models already in inventory,” says CIBC.

On Friday, the U.S. gets the latest CPI, and industrial production and capacity utilization spending. There’s not much that’s exciting here either, with inflation and production both gone. BMO Nesbitt Burns says to look for October industrial output to drop another 1% as factory utilization plunges below 75%.

The earnings flow also slows next week, with Canadian Hunter Exploration reporting on Monday, along with ATS Automation, North American Palladium and Vincor International Inc.

Tuesday we’ll hear from Intrawest, Shermag Inc. and TVX Gold. CanWest Global Communications reports on Wednesday, joined by Loblaw Cos.

Paramount Energy and Penn West Petroleum are due on Thursday, along with the first bank, TD Bank.