Business week ahead, March 15-19 

KEY EVENT: The state Labor Department on Tuesday releases unemployment rates in January for Nassau, Suffolk and Long Island as whole. In December, the Long Island unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, down from the 16.1 percent peak of April but up from 3.6 percent in December 2019.

MONDAY: An update on New York State manufacturing activity: The March Empire State survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

TUESDAY: The Commerce Department releases February retail sales. In January, retail sales surged, buoyed by the second-round of stimulus checks. Also, the National Association of Home Builders releases its March economic optimism survey. Earnings: Identity verification technology provider Melville Intellicheck, Uniondale staffing services supplier Volt Information Services.

WEDNESDAY: The Federal Reserve ends a two-day meeting with a decision on interest rates and an analysis of the economy. After the announcement, Fed chairman Jerome Powell holds a news conference. Also, February housing starts from the Commerce Department.

THURSDAY: Jobless benefits claims for the week ended March 13 from the Labor Department. Earnings: business services provider Accenture, Dollar General, FedEx, Nike.

FRIDAY: The first "quadruple witching" of 2021, the quarterly stock market event when stock futures, stock options, index futures and index options expire at the same time.