1. Clinical Trial to Start Soon on GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Ebola Vaccine — A clinical trial of an experimental vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus is set to start shortly, according to British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). There is no proven cure or vaccine to prevent infection with Ebola and the scale of the current outbreak has prompted the World Health Organisation to declare it an international health emergency. Glaxo’s (NYSE:GSK) new vaccine will not be ready for widespread deployment before 2015 – even assuming it works as well as hoped.
2. US Retail Sales Flat in July, Stoke Growth Fears — Reuters, the Commerce Department said retail sales, which had increased 0.2 percent in June, were held back by a second straight month of declines in receipts at auto dealers, as well as weak sales of furniture and electronics and appliances. “Core sales”, which strip out automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, and correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of gross domestic product, edged up 0.1 percent in July. That suggested a moderation in consumer spending early in the third quarter.
3. Chinese Home Sales Fall 10.5% As Market Weakens — Home sales in China fell 10.5% in the first seven months of the year to 2.98 trillion yuan ($484 billion), data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. To lure home buyers back to the market, around 30 local governments have loosened property restrictions such as limits on second home purchases. However, there has yet to be any meaningful pickup in sales, as home buyers stay away due to expectations of further price falls and rising inventories. Average home prices in 100 Chinese cities fell for the third straight month in July on a month over month basis, according to data tracker China Real Estate Index System.
4. Euro-Zone GDP Fails to Grow in Second Quarter — Euro-Zone GDP failed to grow in the second quarter following 12 months of weak growth, causing European equity markets to fall and increasing pressure on the ECB to do more to boost growth and inflation. The data released by the European Union’s statistics office translates into 0.2% growth in annualized terms, down from the first quarter’s 0.8% pace.
5. U.S. Energy Dept Finalizes Overhaul of Natural Gas Export Reviews — Reuters, the U.S. Energy Department has finalized a plan to revamp its process for approving liquefied natural gas exports. The biggest winners under the new approach are Cheniere Energy (NYSEMKT:LNG) and Exxon’s (NYSE:XOM) Golden Pass project.
6. Coca-Cola (KO) Acquired a 16.7% Stake in Monster Beverage (MNST) as Part of a Strategic Alliance — Coke (NYSE:KO) will make a $2.15B net cash payment to Monster (NASDAQ:MNST) at the time of the deal’s closing, which is expected in late 2014 or early 2015. As part of the deal, Monster will transfer its non-energy businesses to Coke, and “enter into expanded distribution agreements.” In return, Coke will “transfer ownership of its worldwide energy business” to Monster.

The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com: