Week ahead: US Fed meeting, GOP primaries in focus

The coming week will be brimming with risk events, with the latest US central bank policy meeting, US political primaries, the Budget and the meeting of the Bank of England's rate-setters set to figure prominently.

Janet Yellen and Co. are not expected to change their policy settings when they next meet on 16 March, however there is keen interest in what the latest set of macroeconomic and interest rate projections from Fed policymakers.

Likewise, her press conference after the meeting will be extremely important to gauge how the Federal Reserve’s reaction function might, or might not, be adapting to the heightened volatility seen in global capital markets at the start of the year.

Nonetheless, and as the Fed itself has always been keen to point out, it is ‘reactive’ or data-dependent to use their own words.

The Budget announcement on Wednesday will be another key event, with economists at Credit Suisse expecting it will deliver more “aggressive” fiscal consolidation in coming years than in the Autumn statement, which at the margin will likely be negative for growth in Britain.

Among other considerations, the Budget may well factor into the Monetary Policy Committee’s deliberations and policy announcement scheduled for the next day.

Stateside, investors will be watching if GOP front-runner Donald Trump succeeds in making off with his party’s nomination for the Presidency.

A raft of US data is also set for release throughout the week, with the latest retail sales and consumer price figures, on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, possibly among those that might provoke the largest move in market prices.

Eurozone consumer price data referencing the month of February, on Thursday, are expected to show the price level in the single currency area slipped at a 0.2% year-on-year pace.

Monday 14 March

FINALS
Applegreen, Ascential, Fevertree Drinks, Frenkel Topping Group, Goals Soccer Centres

ANNUAL REPORT
NMC Health

AGMS
BlackRock Commodities Income Inv Trust, eServGlobal Limited (DI)

Tuesday 15 March

INTERIMS
Kalibrate Technologies

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Blue Capital Global Reinsurance Fund Ltd (DI)

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Canadian General Investments Ltd.

FINALS
Antofagasta, Charlemagne Capital Ltd., Crossrider , Evraz, Gem Diamonds Ltd. (DI), Hansteen Holdings, Hastings Group Holdings , Huntsworth, Inchcape, Legal & General Group, Legal & General Group, Mears Group, PJSC MNC Norilsk Nickel ADR, SDL, The Gym Group, Zotefoams

ANNUAL REPORT
Vitec Group

AGMS
Brunner Inv Trust

Wednesday 16 March

INTERIMS
Finsbury Food Group, Produce Investments, Smiths Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
WYG

FINALS
Accesso Technology Group, Advanced Medical Solutions Group, Cape, EMIS Group, Eurocell , Hikma Pharmaceuticals, MirLand Development Corporation, Paysafe Group , PJSC Cherkizovo Group GDR (Reg S), Surgical Innovations Group, Taptica International (DI), WANdisco, Xaar

ANNUAL REPORT
Intu Properties, New Europe Property Investments

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
32Red, Shoe Zone

AGMS
Savannah Resources

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Shoe Zone, SSP Group , ULS Technology

Thursday 17 March

INTERIMS
Brooks Macdonald Group, Kier Group, Vernalis plc

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Penna Consulting

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
AdEPT Telecom, Clinigen Group, Close Brothers Group, Craneware, Digital Globe Services Ltd (DI), Foresight Solar & Infrastructure VCT, Foresight Solar & Infrastructure VCT , Haynes Publishing Group, London Finance & Investment Group, Ricardo, Trifast, Tristel, Waterman Group, Wilmington

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
M Winkworth

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Alpha Real Trust Ltd., Assura

Q4
PJSC Megafon GDR (Reg S)

FINALS
Arbuthnot Banking Group, Capital Drilling Ltd. (DI), Federal Grid Company Of Unified Energy System, Public Joint-Stock Company GDR (Reg S), Frutarom Industries Ltd GDR (Reg S), Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd.(DI), PJSC Megafon GDR (Reg S), Premier Farnell, PV Crystalox Solar, Quarto Group Inc., Safestyle UK , Soco International, Spire Healthcare Group

ANNUAL REPORT
CRH, Secure Trust Bank, Ted Baker

AGMS
Banco Santander S.A., Crest Nicholson Holdings, Henderson Opportunities Trust, MySquar Limited (DI), Octopus Eclipse VCT 1, Tern

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
32Red, Apax Global Alpha Limited , Athelney Trust, British American Tobacco, Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), Essentra, Glanbia, Hammerson, Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), Law Debenture Corp., LondonMetric Property, Low & Bonar, Mandarin Oriental International (Singapore), Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Randgold Resources Ltd., Regional REIT Limited, Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI)

Friday 18 March

INTERIMS
Volution Group (WI)

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Best of the Best, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 E Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 F Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 G Shs, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 H Shs, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 E Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 F Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 G Shs, Ingenious Entertainment Vct 2 H Shs, Mobeus Income & Growth 2 Vct, SSE

FINALS
M&C Saatchi, Robinson

ANNUAL REPORT
Norsk Hydro ASA

EGMS
Altin AG (Reg S)

AGMS
Octopus Titan VCT , Toro Limited