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The week ahead · 2–8 Nov 2026

An election and two rate rises

The US votes in midterm elections that decide who controls Congress, and two central banks, in Australia and Britain, are expected to raise rates as the oil shock keeps inflation high. In between, the euro area's October inflation figure shows how far apart its economies have drifted.

Times are local, then Singapore. Expectations are market consensus or economists’ polls, not our forecasts.

Monday 2 Nov

DataUnited States10:00 Washington · 23:00 Singapore

US factory survey (ISM manufacturing, October)

What’s expected. About 54.7 is expected, after 54.5 in September (consensus reported by Newsquawk). Above 50 means activity is growing.

Why it matters. US factories are still growing strongly while Europe's and China's slow. The prices component shows how much the oil shock is reaching costs.

Tuesday 3 Nov

Central bankAsia-Pacific14:30 Sydney · 11:30 Singapore

Reserve Bank of Australia rate decision

What’s expected. Markets price a rise of a quarter point to 4.85%, from 4.60%, with odds of roughly 80–90% (Newsquawk, Yardeni Research).

Why it matters. A rise would make Australia one of several central banks responding to oil-driven inflation by raising rates rather than waiting.

ElectionUnited StatesPolls close from Tuesday evening US time · results from Wednesday morning in Singapore

US midterm elections

What’s expected. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are up. Prediction markets give Democrats about a 91–94% chance of winning the House and 65–69% for the Senate (Kalshi, Polymarket).

Why it matters. Congress controls taxes, spending and the debt limit. Split control usually makes big fiscal changes harder, which bond investors watch closely.

Wednesday 4 Nov

Thursday 5 Nov

Friday 6 Nov

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Earlier weeks

Sources

  • Newsquawk, Week Ahead in Focus 2–6 November 2026 (expectations and consensus)
  • Yardeni Research, Economic week ahead 2–6 November 2026
  • Kalshi News (28 October 2026) and Polymarket odds as reported by Newsquawk
  • Central bank and statistics office calendars (RBA, Bank of England, Eurostat, BLS), times converted after the end of daylight saving in Europe (25 October) and the US (1 November)