Wednesday preview: Euro area CPI, Japan GDP in the spotlight

Investors' focus in the middle of the week would be on the inflation picture in the euro area.

At 1000 BST, Eurostat was to release a final reading for euro area consumer prices in April.

Consensus was for a one tenth of a percentage point rise in the annual rate of increase from the month before to 7.0%.

At the core level meanwhile, CPI was seen up by 5.6% year-on-year.

Later in the day, at 1615 BST, ECB vice-president, Luis de Guindos, would deliver a speech on "banking navigating the wave of inflation".

Overnight, investors would be digesting Japanese gross domestic product growth data for the three months to March that were expected to reveal a 0.2% gain.

In the US, the spotlight would be on housing starts figures for April which were due out at 1330 BST.

Wednesday 17 May

INTERIMS

Auction Technology Group , Mitchells & Butlers, Redx Pharma, Sage Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Smiths Group

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Seplat Energy (DI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (EU) (10:00)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

GMS

Nexus Infrastructure

FINALS

Aurrigo International, Experian, Ninety One

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

NB Global Monthly Income Fund Limited Red Ord Shs NPV £

AGMS

Alpha Group International, Aptitude Software Group , Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings, Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon, Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI), Computacenter, Conduit Holdings Limited Com Shs (DI), Deltex Medical Group, EKF Diagnostics Holdings , Gamma Communications, Georgia Capital , Greggs, HGCapital Trust, Highcroft Investment, Impact Healthcare Reit , Just Eat Takeaway.Com N.V. (CDI), Keller Group, LMS Capital, Proteome Sciences, Sampo OYJ, Savills, Tortilla Mexican Grill, TP Icap Group

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Conduit Holdings Limited Com Shs (DI), Watches of Switzerland Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Eurocell , Just Group, OSB Group , Rentokil Initial, Smith & Nephew

Q1

Bank of Georgia Group