@ The White House
In the morning, the President and the Vice President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office.
Later in the morning, the President will meet with senior advisors in the Oval Office.
Later, the President will host an event at the White House to discuss the importance of the agreement passed by Congress to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance and to urge Congress to build on the success of the agreement by taking additional steps to create jobs, grow the economy and help the middle class. The President will be joined by Americans who have shared their stories on WhiteHouse.gov and Twitter about what $40 a paycheck means to them. Because of this bipartisan action, the typical American family will still see an extra $40 in every paycheck, keeping nearly $1,000 of their hard-earned money this year. Additionally, millions of Americans who are looking for work will still be able to depend on the vital lifeline of unemployment insurance. The President will sign the bill into law when it reaches his desk later in the week. The Vice President will also attend this event in the South Court Auditorium.
In the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will meet for lunch in the Private Dining Room. Later in the afternoon, the President and the Vice President will meet with Secretary of Defense Panetta in the Oval Office.
In the evening, the President and First Lady will join music legends and contemporary major artists at the White House for a celebration of Blues music and in recognition of Black History Month as part of their "In Performance at the White House" series.
@ Wall Street
The latest economic reports were mostly in line with expectations and mostly positive. Retail sales in January grew at their strongest pace since October. Homebuilder sentiment continued to improve in February, and housing starts in January climbed to their second highest level in more than three years.
The initial claims four-week average fell to its lowest point since April 26, 2008. Manufacturing production had another solid month in January. Finally, both producer and consumer prices rose slightly in January.
Home sales and consumer sentiment are on the docket in the upcoming week.
Good weather and momentum should propel both new and existing home sales higher in January. Consumer sentiment in February should be slightly lower than in January, but probably a little better then the preliminary February reading.
