Friday preview: US and Euro area inflation in the spotlight

Inflation will continue to top the economic agenda at the end of the week with readings on price pressures and economic agents' expectations for them due out on either side of the Pond.

Stateside the key report to watch for will be the University of Michigan's survey of consumer confidence, including its gauges for inflation expectations one and five years out.

It will come out shortly after the US Department of Labor published import price data for April.

Economists at Barclays Research anticipate that the annual rate of import prices increases in the US will be unchanged at 12.5% with both fuel and non-fuel prices recording increases - despite recent gains for the Greenback.

Across the Channel meanwhile, investors will be perusing final readings for consumer prices in Finland, France, Norway and Spain, alongside data for euro area industrial production in March.

No major economic reports are scheduled for release either in the UK nor in Asia.

Friday 13 May

INTERIMS

Sage Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Smiths Group, Softcat

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

City of London Inv Trust, JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income, Marsh & Mclennan Cos Inc., Scottish Inv Trust

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Import and Export Price Indices (US) (13:30)

Industrial Production (EU) (10:00)

U. of Michigan Confidence (Prelim) (US) (15:00)

GMS

Gresham House Energy Storage Fund

AGMS

Derwent London, Joint Stock Company National Atomic Company Kazatomprom GDR (Reg S) , Metro Bank, TT Electronics, TT Electronics

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Contour Global

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

AIB Group (CDI), Alpha Fx Group , Antofagasta, Drax Group, Dunedin Enterprise Investment Trust, HGCapital Trust, Hunting, Ibstock , IMI, Photo-Me International, Taylor Wimpey, Travis Perkins, Uniphar (CDI)