What to Watch in the Week Ahead and on Monday, May 18

A speech on Friday by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen headlines a week in which a handful of U.S. central bankers will dissect the latest string of weak economic data and offer views on when to raise rates. Speaking in Providence, RI, Yellen will address the economic outlook at 1300 ET (1700 GMT), when investors will be listening for any hint of a downgrade that could signal a later policy tightening. Minutes of the Fed's April meeting are published Wednesday, followed on Thursday by a New Yo