The next four days could rock uneasy markets

U.S. markets have been floating along in uneasy calm, with low volume, low volatility, and a looming fear that threats could soon rock that complacency. Such a threat may arrive in the coming days.

The markets are gearing up for some high-profile economic data that culminates with the monthly nonfarm payrolls report on Friday. Investors are also expecting potentially ground-shaking monetary policy actions from the European Central Bank when it concludes its meeting on Thursday. And that’s after a U.S. manufacturing report on Monday that already provided a dose of excitement when it was corrected multiple times for calculation errors.

“This is a big week for the global capital markets,” said analysts at Brown Brothers Harriman, who called it the “potentially most significant week of 2014.”
[link to www.marketwatch.com]