Draghi Sifts Data on Slack as Inflation Cements Rate Vow

Mario Draghi can study an array of data this week to help him track his latest policy metric: economic slack.

Inflation figures today showed prices rising at the slowest pace in more than four years. Unemployment tomorrow should also help illustrate the spare capacity left in the euro area by its debt crisis and double-dip recession. As the European Central Bank president meets policy makers to set interest rates on April 3, manufacturing and services surveys might hint at how fast the so-called output gap is closing.