Economic calendar: German IFO data, speeches from Fed and ECB members

• European indices open lower
• Speeches from ECB and Fed members
• German IFO data for March, Canadian retail sales for January

Major European indices launched today's trading lower, following a mixed trading during the Asia-Pacific session earlier today. Energy commodities as well as precious metals pull back today, pressured by the stronger US dollar. Cryptocurrencies gain and recover part of recent losses, with Bitcoin climbing back above $66,000 mark. USD and JPY are the best performing major currencies, while AUD and NZD lag the most.

Economic calendar for today is very light. German IFO index reading for March is a key release scheduled for the European morning, while Canadian retail sales print is the only noteworthy macro release scheduled for the afternoon. However, there is a number of speeches from Fed and ECB central bankers scheduled for today, what may help ensure volatility on EUR and USD. Fed Chair Powell is among today's speakers, but he will only deliver opening remarks at 'Fed Listens' event, so he may not touch on the topic of monetary policy too deep or at all.

9:00 am GMT - Germany, IFO index for March. Expected: 86.0. Previous: 85.5

12:30 pm GMT - Canada, retail sales for January.

• Headline. Expected: -0.4% MoM. Previous: +0.9% MoM
• Ex-autos. Expected: -0.5% MoM. Previous: +0.6% MoM

Central bankers' speeches

• 9:00 am GMT - ECB Nagel
• 10:00 am GMT - ECB Holzmann
• 11:00 am GMT - ECB Centeno
• 1:00 pm GMT - ECB Nagel
• 1:00 pm GMT - Fed Chair Powell
• 4:15 pm GMT - Fed Barr
• 5:00 pm GMT - ECB Lane
• 5:30 pm GMT - ECB Centeno
• 8:00 pm GMT - Fed Bostic