Week ahead: China, US CPI in focus
The market spotlight is set to shift towards China over the coming week, although over the coming weekend investors might do well to keep an eye out for any remarks from Washington as well.
On Tuesday, Chinese president Xi Jinping is set to deliver a speech at the Boao Forum for Asia, which some have dubbed the region's Davos.
Naturally, traders will be closely attuned to any remarks regarding recent tensions with Washington, although the US has been joined in its WTO consultations over Beijing's 'protection' of intellectual property rights and the transfer of technologies to local joint-ventures by the EU and Japan.
Ahead of that speech, on Saturday, 7 April China is due to release data on its foreign reserve holdings as of the end of March, with figures on money supply and loan growth for that same month expected from Tuesday onwards.
Data on consumer and factory gate prices are also scheduled to be published, on Wednesday, followed by readings on the country's trade balance, two days later.
In the UK, the key session for market-watchers will be Wednesday, with data on foreign trade, industrial production and construction output all due out.
Across the Channel, expectations are for a quiet week on the data front, although a speech from European Central Bank president Mario Draghi may be of interest, together with the minutes of the Governing Council's deliberations that will be published on Friday.
Coming full circle, in the States Tuesday will bring with it a reading on factory gate prices with CPI figures for March due the next day.
Regarding the latter, the consensus forecast is for the rate of gain in headline prices to accelerate from a year-on-year rate of 2.2% in February to 2.3% for March.
Core CPI meanwhile is seen rising from 1.8% to 2.1%.
Against that backdrop, the Federal Reserve will publish the minutes of the FOMC's rate-setting meeting on 20-21 March, which was new chair Jerome Powell's first.
Monday April 09
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
AdEPT Telecom, Colefax Group, Croma Security Solutions Group, Renishaw
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Total SA
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Marsh & Mclennan Cos Inc.
GMS
TT Electronics
FINALS
Cathay International Holdings Ltd., Etalon Group GDR (Reg S), Frenkel Topping Group, Northbridge Industrial Services
ANNUAL REPORT
Bovis Homes Group
AGMS
African Battery Metals , Belimo Holding AG , Starcom
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Halifax House Price Index (08:30)
Tuesday April 10
INTERIMS
Nanoco Group
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Hansard Global, Joules Group
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Producer Price Index (US) (13:30)
Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)
GMS
Gulfsands Petroleum
FINALS
Belvoir Lettings, Boku, Inc (DI) Reg S, Card Factory, Eddie Stobart Logistics , Hostelworld Group , Hydrogen Group, LiDCO Group, M. P. Evans Group, Mission Marketing Group, Property Franchise Group, Serica Energy
IMSS
Robert Walters
EGMS
Plus500 Ltd (DI)
AGMS
Bank Audi S.A.L. GDR (Repr 1'Com'Shr Lbp1650)(Reg S), GETECH Group
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dialight, Robert Walters
Wednesday April 11
INTERIMS
ASOS, McCarthy & Stone
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Haynes Publishing Group
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Price Index (US) (13:30)
Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)
MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)
GMS
Aggregated Micro Power Holdings , Hansteen Holdings
FINALS
Epwin Group, Ergomed , Shield Therapeutics, Tesco
AGMS
Carnival, Heavitree Brewery, Law Debenture Corp., Maven Income & Growth 3 VCT, Rio Tinto
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Liontrust Asset Management, Pagegroup, Vedanta Resources
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Balance of Trade (09:30)
Industrial Production (09:30)
Manufacturing Production (09:30)
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Oakley Capital Investments Ltd. (DI)
Thursday April 12
INTERIMS
WH Smith
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Abcam, Clinigen Group, ECO Animal Health Group, Hays, Revolution Bars Group, Thorpe (F.W.), Trifast, Tristel
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Begbies Traynor Group, Foresight Solar & Infrastructure VCT, Foresight Solar & Infrastructure VCT 'C', Henderson EuroTrust, Manchester & London Investment Trust, Tracsis
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Duke Royalty Limited, GlaxoSmithKline, Regional REIT Limited
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
JPMorgan Asian Investment Trust, Mercantile Investment Trust (The), Middlefield Canadian Income PCC, Scottish Inv Trust
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Industrial Production (EU) (09:00)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)
Q3
Hays
FINALS
Central Asia Metals, Destiny Pharma , PureTech Health , Saga
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AIREA, Artemis VCT, Savills, SSP Group
AGMS
Aberdeen Emerging Markets Investment Company, Leeds Building Society 13 3/8% Bearing Shares, McColl's Retail Group , Smith & Nephew
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dunelm Group, Greene King, Hays, Man Group, Mothercare, Scapa Group
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
RICS Housing Market Survey (00:01)
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Rio Tinto
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Alpha Fx Group , BBA Aviation, Chesnara, Costain Group, Ebiquity, Equiniti Group , esure Group, Gresham Technologies, International Personal Finance, ITV, Johnson Service Group, JPMorgan American Inv Trust, JPMorgan US Smaller Co. Inv Tst, Merlin Entertainments , Octopus Titan VCT , Paddy Power Betfair, PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Rentokil Initial, Savills, Smurfit Kappa Group, SpaceandPeople, STV Group, Unite Group, Vesuvius
Friday April 13
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Dunelm Group, Maven Income & Growth 3 VCT, Maven Income & Growth 4 VCT, Maven Income & Growth VCT, Maven Income and Growth VCT 5, TR European Growth Trust
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Blackrock North American Income Trust , Schlumberger Ltd.
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00)
Consumer Price Index (US) (07:00)
Import and Export Price Indices (US) (13:30)
U. of Michigan Confidence (Prelim) (US) (15:00)
ANNUAL REPORT
Ferrexpo, Forterra
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VinaLand Ltd
EGMS
RM2 International S.A. (DI)
AGMS
Low & Bonar, ROS Agro GDR REG S
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RM