The Economic Week Ahead: May 6 - 10

It's slim pickings this week on the US economic front. The news is mostly about credit conditions. Then again, earnings reporting season isn't over. And, we can always count on the members of the Federal Open Mouth Committee to make headlines now that their blackout period is over. Here is what we can expect from this week's credit market indicators:

(1) Q2's Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey (Mon) should show that fewer banks are tightening lending standards (chart). These series all peaked last year and fell sharply during Q1 of this year. Now that the Fed has finished tightening and with the economy still growing, credit conditions should continue to ease.