Week Ahead: The Jobs Bill and Inflation Data

President Obama will continue to sell his $447 billion jobs bill next week in an effort to convince Congress to expedite it into law.

The Obama administration is expected to present the full legislative package to Congress early next week, a White House official told the FOX Business Network on Friday.

Congressional leaders had not yet set a timetable for placing the bill on their legislative calendars.

The financial markets will be watching closely to gauge Republican response.

Also next week several important economic reports are due that should shed additional light on the mood of the battered U.S. consumer. Data targeting inflation and retail sales are also due.

The IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index for September will be released on Tuesday ahead of the more widely watched Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, which is due Friday. Stubbornly high unemployment and fears that the economy is heading into another recession have pushed consumer confidence to its lowest levels since 2009.

On the inflation front, the Consumer Price Index for August is due Thursday. Commodity prices have fallen in recent months on fears of a global slowdown, so prices are not expected to jump markedly.

The Producer Price Index is out Wednesday with the same expectations as consumer prices.

August retail sales figures are due on Wednesday and could get a bump from stronger car sales. Otherwise, with spooked consumers looking to cut down on their spending, the numbers arent expected to be strong.

The Philadelphia Feds Business Outlook for September and the New York Fed Empire State survey, both due Thursday, will shed light on regional economic trends. The reports were horrible last month and dramatic improvement is unlikely.

The Import and Export Price Indexes for August are out on Tuesday and stabilized commodity prices, especially fuel, are expected to keep any increases mild.

Initial jobless claims for the prior week are due on Thursday and the widespread impact of Hurricane Irene, which shuttered businesses up and down the East Coast, is expected to push the numbers a bit higher.