Wednesday preview: Fed minutes, Compass Group in the spotlight

The market spotlight will shift back towards the US on Wednesday as investors wait on the release of the minutes of the US Federal Reserve's last policy meeting on 28-29 April.

Against that backdrop, at 0930 GMT the Office for National Statistics will publish harmonised consumer price data for the month of April.

Consensus is calling for a slowdown in the year-on-year rate of inflation from 1.5% for March to 0.9% in April.

A final reading on euro area CPI for the same month is also due out thirty minutes afterwards.

On the other side of the world meanwhile, rate-setters in the People's Republic of China and Thailand are due to meet to decide on policy.

And in Japan markets will be waiting on core machinery orders data for the month of March.

Wednesday 20 May

INTERIMS

Compass Group, Ixico

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Price Index (EU) (09:00)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Current Account (EU) (09:00)

ECB Interest Rate (EU) (12:45)

GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)

FINALS

Bloomsbury Publishing, Experian, Great Portland Estates, HICL Infrastructure , Marks & Spencer Group, Severn Trent, Wincanton

AGMS

888 Holdings, Access Intelligence, Antofagasta, BioPharma Credit , BMO Private Equity Trust, Cairn Homes , Capital & Regional, Cello Health, Chaarat Gold Holdings Ltd. (DI), Chaarat Gold Holdings Ltd. (DI), Funding Circle Holdings , Judges Scientific, Medica Group , Nucleus Financial Group , Path Investments, Pharos Energy , Playtech, Tyman, Vistry Group , Vivo Energy

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Coats Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

CBI Industrial Trends Surveys (11:00)

Consumer Price Index (07:00)

Producer Price Index (07:00)

Retail Price Index (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Sanne Group