Hello friends and Fortune readers.
First things first, you should probably make sure your taxes are in order before Wednesday. Done? Great! This week also brings an annual spring conference for global financial leaders as well as a string of earnings reports by huge financial companies. Meanwhile, new spending and construction data for March will give a better sense of the U.S. economic picture. And don’t forget a handcrafted initial public offering by Etsy, the online marketplace for handicrafts. Here’s what you need to know to start your week.
1. IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings.
Policy-makers from around the globe will gather in Washington, D.C. this week for the spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund. Speaking about the global economic outlook last week, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warned that world leaders need to spur growth amid stagnant growth and high unemployment rates in some countries that are among the world’s largest economies.
2. Bank earnings.
Corporate earnings season kicks into high gear this week with the highly-anticipated quarterly results streaming in from General Electric (GE), Netflix (NFLX) and others. Wall Street will be well-represented as a number of big banks will report their earnings, including Bank of America (BOA), Citigroup (C), Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Wells Fargo (WFC).
3. Etsy’s handcrafted IPO
The online marketplace for handcrafted wares looks to heat up a tepid IPO market when it makes its expected market debut this week. The e-commerce company, which is looking to raise more than $260 million in an offering that could lead to a $1.8 billion valuation, also said it would limit the amount retail investors can spend on the IPO to $2,500. That should allow more small investors to take part, giving the IPO a nice, communal feel.
4. Retail sales.
Low gasoline prices have yet to provide a boost to retail spending in 2015, as February was the third-straight month in which consumer spending declined. However, the market is expecting to see a bump in March’s retail sales when they are released Tuesday. Another economic indicator will come later in the week, on Thursday, when the government reveals how many new homes started construction last month.
5. Tax Day.
Time to panic. Wednesday marks the official deadline for filing personal income tax returns (well, unless you snagged an extension.) Here’s the good news: the Internal Revenue Service audited only 0.86% of tax returns, the lowest percentage in a decade, though that still meant 1.2 million audits. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of Tax Day being moved to from mid-March to April 15. Time to celebrate?
For more about filing taxes, watch this video:
