Week ahead: Bank of England, euro area services PMIs in focus

Investors' focus over the coming week would shift back to the UK as rate-setters met to decide on monetary policy.

The Bank of England was widely expected to hold Bank Rate steady at its meeting on Thursday.

Not lost on investors however was the fact that the previous Friday's softer-than-expected non-farm payrolls numbers out of the US gave the Old Lady on Threadneedle Street more latitude to cut short-term interest rates if it so desired.

GDP data for March due out on the following day would provide further information as to the outlook for an expected recovery in the back half of 2022.

Euro area services sector purchasing managers survey results for April would do much the same but for the single currency area.

Chinese foreign trade numbers for April and the University of Michigan's preliminary consumer confidence survey results for May were also keenly awaited.

Those data points were due out on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Central bankers Down Under were also due to meet to decide on policy, come Tuesday.

Monday 06 May

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

PMI Composite (EU) (09:00)

PMI Composite (GER) (08:55)

PMI Services (EU) (09:00)

PMI Services (GER) (08:55)

Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

AGMS

Fair Oaks Income Limited 2021 Shs NPV

Tuesday 07 May

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Begbies Traynor Group, Manchester & London Investment Trust, Volution Group

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Consumer Credit (US) (20:00)

Factory Orders (GER) (07:00)

Retail Sales (EU) (10:00)

FINALS

Arecor Therapeutics , Arecor Therapeutics , Ebiquity

ANNUAL REPORT

Pebble Beach Systems Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Pinewood Technologies Group

AGMS

Caledonia Mining Corporation (DI), CPP Group, Foxtons Group , Just Group, Macfarlane Group, Temple Bar Inv Trust

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

IWG

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRC Sales Monitor (00:01)

Halifax House Price Index (07:00)

PMI Construction (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Mobius Investment Trust , Nexus Infrastructure , The Pebble Group, Thungela Resources Limited NPV (DI)

Q1

BP, Jyske Bank A/S , Maxcyte (DI)

Wednesday 08 May

INTERIMS

Virgin Money UK

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Industrial Production (GER) (07:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

FINALS

Alliance Pharma, Boohoo Group, Brighton Pier Group (The), Cornerstone FS

AGMS

Abrdn Asian Income Fund Limited NPV, AIREA, Antofagasta, Bradda Head Lithium Limited NPV (DI), Deltex Medical Group, DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Sing.Reg), Direct Line Insurance Group, GSK, Haleon , Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Mandarin Oriental International (Singapore), Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV, Rentokil Initial, WPP, X5 Retail Group NV GDR (Reg S)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

OSB Group , Renishaw

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Melrose Industries, Personal Group Holdings

Q1

Nova Ljubljanska Banka D.D., Ljubljana GDR (Reg S)

Thursday 09 May

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (DI), Fidelity Special Values, Focusrite, Gresham Technologies, Tracsis

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Chenavari Toro Income Fund Limited NPV, Custodian Property Income Reit, Picton Property Income Ltd

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

GMS

Catenai, Corcel

FINALS

Airtel Africa

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Admiral Group, Custodian Property Income Reit, HSBC Holdings, Sylvania Platinum Ltd (DI)

AGMS

BAE Systems, Balfour Beatty, Barclays, Barclays, CAB Payments Holdings, Clarkson, FBD Holdings (CDI), Genel Energy, Harbour Energy , Inchcape, Indivior, Irish Continental Group Units (Comp) (CDI), Jupiter Fund Management , Logistics Development Group, Man Group, Morgan Advanced Materials , OSB Group , Public Policy Holding Company, Inc.(DI), Rathbones Group, RM, Robinson, Spire Healthcare Group, Synthomer, The Gym Group, Uniphar (CDI), Wood Group (John)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balfour Beatty, Wood Group (John)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Domino's Pizza Group, F&C Investment Trust, Grafton Group Ut (CDI), Travis Perkins

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Admiral Group, Aurora Investment Trust, Bank of Ireland Group (CDI), Barr (A.G.), Bellevue Healthcare Trust (Red), Centaur Media, Clarkson, CVC Income & Growth Limited NPV Euro, CVC Income & Growth Limited NPV GBP, Epwin Group, Headlam Group, Ibstock , Invesco Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Inv Trust, Lancashire Holdings Limited, LSL Property Services, M&C Saatchi, Macfarlane Group, Midwich Group, One Media IP Group, Petershill Partners , Reach, SThree

Q1

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.NPV (CDI)

Friday 10 May

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Tufton Oceanic Assets Limited NPV

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

ANNUAL REPORT

Clean Power Hydrogen, Maintel Holdings

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI)

AGMS

Cairn Homes (CDI), Derwent London, Diversified Energy Company , HUTCHMED (China) Limited, IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES REIT P IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES ORD SHS, Kenmare Resources (CDI), Rightmove, Serinus Energy NPV, Standard Chartered, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.NPV (CDI)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

S4 Capital

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (07:00)

GDP (Preliminary) (07:00)

Gross Domestic Product (07:00)

Index of Services (07:00)

Industrial Production (07:00)

Manufacturing Production (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

AIB Group (CDI), Alpha Group International, Antofagasta, Hammerson, Hunting, International Personal Finance, Johnson Service Group, Kerry Group 'A' Shares (CDI), Moneysupermarket.com Group, Schroder Asian Total Return Investment Company , Serco Group, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI), Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI), Taylor Wimpey

Q1

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI)