Friday preview: UK retail sales, US consumer confidence in focus

The market spotlight at the end of the week will be on UK retail sales volumes for February, which are expected to bounce back after crashing during the previous month.

Consensus is for a month-on-month increase of 2.1%, following an 8.2% drop in January, although economists at Barclays are anticipating a much larger 4.2% bounce.

Should Barclays' forecast prove correct, that would see the year-on-year rate of decline in retail sales volumes improve from -5.9% to -1.5%.

Across the Channel meanwhile, Germany's IFO institute is due to release its closely-followed business confidence gauge for March.

Stateside, investors will be trying to take stock of the ongoing rebound in activity as the Department of Commerce releases personal income and spending data for February.

Also due out is a final reading on the University of Michigan's consumer confidence index for March.

Friday 26 March

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Draper Esprit VCT, Mattioli Woods

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BP, Diversified Gas & Oil, Honeycomb Investment Trust, Real Estate Credit Investments Ltd, RM Secured Direct Lending

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

IFO Business Climate (GER) (09:00)

IFO Current Assessment (GER) (09:00)

IFO Expectations (GER) (09:00)

Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (12:30)

Personal Income (US) (12:30)

Personal Spending (US) (12:30)

U. of Michigan Confidence (US) (14:00)

GMS

Kape Technologies

FINALS

C&C Group (CDI)

EGMS

Datang International Power Generation Co Ltd.

AGMS

Beazley, CC Japan Income & Growth Trust, Joint Stock Company Kaspi.Kz GDR (Reg S) , PCF Group, Sigma Capital Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Retail Sales (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Henderson Opportunities Trust, Impax Asset Management Group