Week ahead: Bank of England, Federal Reserve and US non-farm payrolls in focus

Investors' focus over the coming week will be on central bank meetings at home as well as across the Atlantic in the US.

On Thursday, the Monetary Policy Commitee is expected to announce a further 25 basis point hike in Bank Rate to 1.0%.

Interestingly, economists at Barclays Research are forecasting a split vote, reflecting the "uncertainty" around the policy outlook, with one MPC member seen voting for no change and another for a faster rate of increase.

"We expect the rhetoric to shift away from ‘normalisation’ to an increased focus on inflation expectations and the risk that they may de-anchor given the succession of temporary inflationary shocks, which may eventually create the optics of a more permanent regime shift," they said in a research note sent to clients.

"This would ultimately lay the ground for further hikes, but whether or not they are delivered would depend on incoming data."

The day before, the US Federal Reserve is also expected to hike rates but by 50 basis points and with an additional three such hikes already factored-in for over the subsequent three meetings.

Also due out are a slew of factory and services sector Purchasing Managers' Indices from across all the main economic blocks.

Chinese manufacturing PMI results are due out on 30 April, followed by factory PMIs in the UK, US and euro area on Monday.

Euro area services PMIs will be released on Wednesday and those for the UK and US on Thursday.

The week's data releases will be capped off by the US non-farm payrolls report on Friday.

Hiring in the States is expected to have continued at an elevated 390,000 in April with the annual rate of increase in average hourly earnings off by just one tenth of a percentage point to 5.5%.

Monday 02 May

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Tetragon Financial Group Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Construction Spending (US) (15:00)

ISM Manufacturing (US) (15:00)

ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)

AGMS

Legal & General Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Banco Santander S.A.

Tuesday 03 May

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

NWF Group, Smith (DS), Volution Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Mercantile Investment Trust (The)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Factory Orders (US) (15:00)

Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Retail Sales (GER) (07:00)

Unemployment Rate (GER) (08:55)

FINALS

Card Factory, Intelligent Ultrasound Group

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Tate & Lyle

AGMS

AVI Japan Opportunity Trust , CPP Group, F&C Investment Trust, IOG, Plus500 Ltd (DI)

Q1

BP

Wednesday 04 May

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Manchester & London Investment Trust

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

British American Tobacco

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Current Account (GER) (07:00)

ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)

ISM Services (US) (15:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

FINALS

Dianomi , e-Therapeutics, Inspiration Healthcare Group

AGMS

Barclays, GlaxoSmithKline, Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (CDI), Just Eat Takeaway.Com N.V. (CDI), MPAC Group, Ocado Group, Standard Chartered, Ten Entertainment Group , Tribal Group, Tritax Big Box Reit , Tritax Big Box Reit , Tritax Big Box Reit , Unilever

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Direct Line Insurance Group, Flutter Entertainment (CDI)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRC Shop Price Index (00:01)

Consumer Credit (09:30)

Consumer Credit (09:30)

M4 Money Supply (09:30)

M4 Money Supply (09:30)

Mortgage Approvals (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

CareTech Holding, Maven Income and Growth VCT 5, NATWEST GROUP PLC ORD 100P, SEGRO

Thursday 05 May

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

AB Dynamics, James Halstead, Lok'n Store Group, One Media IP Group, Royal Bank of Scotland 11% Cum. Prf, Royal Bank of Scotland 5.5% Cum. Prf., Seneca Growth Capital Vct B, Smart (J) & Co.

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Chenavari Toro Income Fund Limited NPV, JPMorgan Claverhouse Inv Trust, Tufton Oceanic Assets Limited NPV

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Factory Orders (GER) (07:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Retail Sales (EU) (10:00)

Unemployment Rate (EU) (10:00)

GMS

React Group

FINALS

Arix Bioscience , Nostrum Oil & Gas

ANNUAL REPORT

Arix Bioscience

IMSS

IMI, Rathbone Group

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Admiral Group, Alfa Financial Software Holdings , Sportech

AGMS

abrdn Smaller Companies Income Trust, AIB Group (CDI), Alpha Fx Group , Apax Global Alpha Limited , Ceres Power Holdings, Ceres Power Holdings, Costain Group, Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), Domino's Pizza Group, EMIS Group, Fisher (James) & Sons, Getbusy, Glanbia (CDI), Griffin Mining Ltd., Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), IMI, Indivior, Indivior, Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), KRM22, Made.com Group , Melrose Industries, Mincon Group (CDI), Mondi, Moneysupermarket.com Group, Morgan Advanced Materials , Morgan Advanced Materials , Morgan Sindall Group, Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV, Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (USD), Personal Group Holdings, Phoenix Group Holdings , Quixant, Rathbone Group, Reach, Scotgems, Witan Inv Trust, Witan Inv Trust, Witan Inv Trust

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Derwent London, Mondi, Next

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

CRH (CDI), Grafton Group Ut (CDI), Nichols, Schroders, Schroders (Non-Voting)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Admiral Group, Central Asia Metals, Croda International, Curtis Banks Group, Dunedin Income Growth Inv Trust, EP Global Opportunities Trust, Harworth Group, Headlam Group, Henry Boot, Hiscox Limited (DI), Hochschild Mining, Investec Investment Trust 3 1/2% Cumulative Preference Stock, LLoyds Banking Group 9.25% Non-Cum Irredeemable Pref Shares, LLoyds Banking Group 9.75% Non-Cum Irredeemable Pref Shares, Midwich Group, North American Income Trust (The), Octopus AIM VCT 2, SThree, Thungela Resources Limited NPV (DI), Zotefoams

Q1

Helios Towers , Shell , Shell 'A', Shell 'B'

Friday 06 May

INTERIMS

Numis Corporation

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Begbies Traynor Group, Edge Performance VCT 'H' Shares, Ferguson, Tracsis

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BMO UK High Income Trust , BMO UK High Income Trust B Shares, TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Credit (US) (20:00)

Industrial Production (07:00)

Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (13:30)

Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)

FINALS

CMO Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Gemfields Group Limited, Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI)

AGMS

BlackRock World Mining Trust, InterContinental Hotels Group, Man Group, Rightmove, Spirent Communications

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Beazley, Ted Baker

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Halifax House Price Index (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Glanbia (CDI), International Personal Finance, Kerry Group 'A' Shares (CDI), Kingspan Group (CDI), Pearson, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI), Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI), Synectics