Wednesday preview: Stock market volatility, Coronavirus in focus

The focus on Wednesday will continue to be on financial markets and whether they manage to stabilise, even as investors digest the latest stimulus packages unveiled on either side of the Atlantic.

Regarding White House proposals for a $1.25trn spending package to prop up economic activity, in a Bloomberg opinion piece, former Minneapolis Fed chief, Narayana Kocherlakota, wrote that the US would need a bigger stimulus package, worth $2.5trn.

That's because the drag on growth would extend until a coronavirus vaccine was ready, something which he said experts believed might take until late 2021.

Potentially key in that regard, although most experts appear to be dismissive, over the past few days a handful of firms in Germany and US (Moderna, CureVac and BioNTech) have announced that they will soon begin clinical trials for a vaccine, with one of them reportedly of the belief that might be achievable by autumn 2020.

Investors will also be keeping close tabs on Italy to see if the coronavirus caseload continues to point to an imminent peak, possibly in under seven days according to JP Morgan.

Against that backdrop, US housing starts data for February is due out at 1230 GMT.

No major economic releases are scheduled in the UK.

FINALS

Science In Sport, Centaur Media, Pendragon, Cello Health, Empresaria Group, Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets, Judges Scientific, Empiric Student Property, Anpario, Ferrexpo, Strix Group, Curtis Banks Group, EMIS Group, Tribal Group.

INTERIMS

MJ Hudson Group NPV

AGMs

LPA Group, Sureserve Group, Safestore Holdings, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (ATT) GDR (Reg S)

ANNUAL REPORT

Polymetal International

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Shoe Zone

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Ideagen

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Unilever

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Wholesale Price Index (GER) (07:00)

Consumer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (11:00)

Building Permits (US) (12:30)

Housing Starts (US) (12:30)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (14:30)