Business week ahead, July 15-19

KEY EVENT: The state Labor Department Thursday releases Long Island jobs created in June. In May, local employers added only 3,400 new jobs, lowest total for any May in nine years.

MONDAY: The Federal Reserve Bank of New York releases the July Empire State index, a gauge of state manufacturing. In June, the index suffered its biggest-ever monthly decline and fell into negative territory for the first time in two years. Earnings: Citigroup.

TUESDAY: Two reports from the Commerce Department: retail sales and industrial production, both for June. Also, the July economic optimism survey from the National Association of Home Builders. Earnings: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, United Airlines.

WEDNESDAY: The Federal Reserve releases the July beige book, a collection of very early and still unofficial economic data. Also, June housing starts from the Commerce Department. Earnings: Abbott Laboratories, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, eBay, Netflix.

THURSDAY: Jobless benefits claims for the week ended July 13 from the Labor Department. Also, leading economic indicators for June from the Conference Board. Earnings: Capital One Financial, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, People's United Financial, UnitedHealth.

FRIDAY: Consumer sentiment in early July from the University of Michigan. Earnings: American Express, BlackRock.