Source: New York Times
Here’s what to expect in the week ahead:
TRADE
U.S. and European officials seek a trade pact.
Senior trade officials from the United States and the European Union will meet on Monday in Brussels in an effort to avert an all-out trade war.
Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, and Cecilia Malmström, the European commissioner for trade, are trying to reach an agreement on a plan to cut tariffs on industrial goods to zero and prevent President Trump from carrying out a threat to impose 25 percent levies on car imports. An accord is unlikely on Monday, but businesses on both sides of the Atlantic will be looking for signs that the two sides are making progress.AUTOs
An Investor lawsuit against Volkswagen opens.
A German court will begin hearing evidence on Monday in a lawsuit filed by aggrieved shareholders of the carmaker Volkswagen. The shareholders, who are seeking billions of euros in damages, contend that Volkswagen violated its legal responsibility to them when it deployed illegal software to cheat on emissions tests, then covered it up. The trial may be the first time high-ranking Volkswagen managers testify in open court about the origins of the scandal.
TECHNOLOGY
New Apple devices will be unveiled on Wednesday.
Apple is set to announce another round of iPhones on Wednesday, in its annual bid to get customers to buy devices that are a few centimeters larger with a few more features. Apple is expected to unveil iPhones based on its flagship iPhone X model, with a screen that takes up the entire face of the device, but a bit larger, according to news reports and leaked images. Apple is also expected to update the Apple Watch, the iPad and its Mac computers, according to the reports. Sales of iPhones have leveled off — growth was less than 1 percent in the latest quarter — but Apple has made iPhone revenues continue to surge by charging customers more. Its iPhone revenues rose 20 percent last quarter because customers paid nearly 20 percent more, on average, for the devices. The iPhone X already costs $1,000 so the question on Wednesday will be whether Apple is prepared to charge customers more than $1,000 for some iPhone models.
ECONOMY
Report will give a snapshot of household income.
The income of the median American household rose sharply in 2015 after years of stagnation, and continued to rise in 2016. On Wednesday, the Census Bureau will release an initial estimate…
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