Business Lookahead: jobs, prices and AI

STORY: From key U.S. jobs figures, to the AI boom gathering pace, these are the business and finance stories to watch out for in the days ahead.

Investors hope U.S. employment numbers on Friday will come in just right… strong enough to suggest there won’t be a recession, but not so strong that they force the Federal Reserve into another big rate hike.

The forecast is for a gain of 180,000 jobs.

Thursday’s eurozone inflation numbers will stoke a debate over whether the ECB is likely to raise rates again.

Stubborn price rises have led some to think more increases are still to come.

HSBC predicts rates will peak at 4%, up from today’s 3.25%.

Hopes are fading for signs of an upturn in China’s economy.

Closely watched purchasing managers’ indexes aren't expected to change the mood, following a slew of dreary data.

After a slump in sales at Lenovo, hit by the fading of the work-from-home boom, we’ll get more clues about the health of the PC market.

Earnings are due from U.S. rivals Dell and HP during the week.

And the AI bandwagon shows no signs of slowing down.

Forecast-smashing numbers from chipmaker Nvidia have only stoked the excitement.

It said it was benefiting as its chips were used for AI products like ChatGPT.

Traders will be watching to see if the resulting tech rally rolls on.