Business events scheduled for the month ahead

MONDAY, April 29

WASHINGTON — Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for March, 8:30 a.m.; National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for March, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY, April 30

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases the first-quarter employment cost index, 8:30 a.m.; Standard & Poor's releases S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for February, 9 a.m.; The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for April, 10 a.m.; Federal Reserve policymakers begin a two-day meeting to set interest rates.

WEDNESDAY, May 1

WASHINGTON — Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for April, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases construction spending for March, 10 a.m.; Federal Reserve policymakers meet to set interest rates; statement due at 2 p.m.

DETROIT — Automakers release vehicle sales for April.

THURSDAY, May 2

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Labor Department releases first-quarter productivity data, 8:30 a.m.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — European Central Bank's governing council meets to set monetary policy for the eurozone.

FRIDAY, May 3

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases employment data for April, 8:30 a.m.; Institute for Supply Management releases its service sector index for April, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases factory orders for March, 10 a.m.; Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.

TUESDAY, May 7

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases job openings and labor turnover survey for March, 10 a.m.; Federal Reserve releases consumer credit data for March, 3 p.m.

BERLIN — Economy Ministry releases March industrial orders figures for Germany, Europe's biggest economy.

WEDNESDAY, May 8

BERLIN — Economy Ministry releases March industrial production figures for Germany, Europe's biggest economy.

THURSDAY, May 9

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases wholesale trade inventories for March, 10 a.m.;

NEW YORK — Selected chain retailers release April sales comparisons.

FRIDAY, May 10

WASHINGTON — Treasury releases federal budget for April, 2 p.m.

BERLIN — Germany releases export and import data for March.

MONDAY, May 13

WASHINGTON — Commerce Department releases retail sales data for April, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases business inventories for March, 10 a.m.

BRUSSELS — Eurozone finance ministers meet in Brussels.

TUESDAY, May 14

BERLIN — Germany's ZEW institute releases its monthly investor confidence index for Europe's biggest economy.

BRUSSELS — Eurogroup finance ministers meet in Brussels.

WEDNESDAY, May 15

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for April, 8:30 a.m.; Treasury releases international money flows data for March, 9 a.m.; Federal Reserve releases industrial production for April, 9:15 a.m.; National Association of Home Builders releases housing market index for May, 10 a.m.

BERLIN — Germany releases preliminary first-quarter gross domestic product figures.

THURSDAY, May 16

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Labor Department releases Consumer Price Index for April, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases housing starts for April, 8:30 a.m.; Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY, May 17

WASHINGTON — Conference Board releases leading indicators for April, 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, May 22

WASHINGTON — National Association of Realtors releases existing home sales for April, 10 a.m.; Federal Reserve releases minutes from April interest-rate meeting.

THURSDAY, May 23

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases new home sales for April, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY, May 24

WASHINGTON — Commerce Department releases durable goods for April, 8:30 a.m.

BERLIN — Germany's Ifo institute releases its monthly index of business confidence, a closely watched indicator for Europe's biggest economy.

MONDAY, May 27

U.S. stock and bond market is closed for Memorial Day.

TUESDAY, May 28

WASHINGTON — Standard & Poor's releases S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for March and the first quarter, 9 a.m.; The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for May, 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, May 29

BERLIN — Germany releases May unemployment figures.

THURSDAY, May 30

WASHINGTON — Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases first-quarter gross domestic product, 8:30 a.m.; Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.; National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for April, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY, May 31

WASHINGTON — Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for April, 8:30 a.m.