Tuesday preview: Fedspeak, ECB vice-President in focus

Investors' focus on Tuesday will be on a raft of Fed speakers who are due to take to the podium, given some market watchers' concern that the US central bank is not moving fast enough on tightening monetary policy.

Worth noting, a reading on consumer prices for the month of April is scheduled for the day afterwards and the consensus is for the headline rate of annual inflation to ease a tad.

Should the contrary occur, then at least in the near-term pressure on the Fed and government bonds markets might continue to build.

Across the Channel, a speech from European Central Bank vice-president, Luis de Guindos, at 1720 GMT, will also merit keeping tabs on following some calls for euro area officials to also be more proactive.

The prestigious ZEW institute will publish its closely-followed economic sentiment index for Germany in May at 1000 GMT.

No major economic reports are scheduled for release in the UK.

On the company side of things, US cryptocurrency outfit Coinbase is set to release its first quarter results against the backdrop of a sharp move lower in the price of Bitcoin.

Worth noting, the same risk aversion that was driving Bitcoin lower had also sent the company's share price to record lows.

Concerns over the outfit's valuation had also played a hand in the year-to-date rout in the shares, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

The drag on trading volumes as a result of weakness in crypto prices together with uncertainty over new regulations were two other factors weighing on the shares, Hewson said.

Tuesday 10 May

INTERIMS

Treatt

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

ZEW Survey (EU) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Current Situation (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

FINALS

FD Technologies Public Limited Company, Shanta Gold Ltd., Skillcast Group, Trellus Health

ANNUAL REPORT

Shanta Gold Ltd.

EGMS

Doric Nimrod Air One Ltd

AGMS

Albion Development VCT, Centamin (DI), Direct Line Insurance Group, Fidelity European Trust, Gresham Technologies, HGCapital Trust, IWG , Just Group, Just Group, Macfarlane Group, Sancus Lending Group Limited NPV, Sancus Lending Group Limited NPV, Temple Bar Inv Trust

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Capital Limited (DI), Domino's Pizza Group, F&C Investment Trust, Hammerson, Rathbone Group, Scotgems, Spirent Communications