Thursday preview: ECB, US retail sales in focus

Against that backdrop, a barrage of economic indicators will be released in the US, including for retail sales in March and consumer confidence in April.

Those two reports, particularly the gauges for inflation expectations contained in the latter will provide more data around the ongoing cost-of-living squeeze in the States.

Also due out are reports for import prices in March and weekly unemployment claims.

On home shores, overnight the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors will publish its house price balance for March.

Further afield, rate-setters in Seoul are due to meet to decide on monetary policy and Singapore's central bank will release its policy meeting statement.

Thursday 14 April

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Brooks Macdonald Group, Colefax Group, Craneware, Trifast

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Edge Performance VCT 'H' Shares, Manchester & London Investment Trust, Tracsis

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Contour Global , Yamana Gold Inc. NPV (CDI)

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust, JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income, JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income, Middlefield Canadian Income PCC, Scottish Inv Trust, TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Business Inventories (US) (13:30)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

ECB Interest Rate (EU) (12:45)

Import and Export Price Indices (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Retail Sales (US) (13:30)

Wholesale Price Index (GER) (07:00)

AGMS

AIQ Limited (DI), XP Power Ltd. (DI)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ashmore Group, Dunelm Group, Hays

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Law Debenture Corp., Oakley Capital Investments Ltd. (DI)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alpha Fx Group , Belvoir Group, CPP Group, Genel Energy, Ibstock , ITV, JPMorgan US Smaller Co. Inv Tst, Merchants Trust, Old Mutual Limited NPV (DI), Photo-Me International, STV Group, Unite Group, Vesuvius