Tuesday preview: UK employment, EasyJet in the spotlight

At 0700 GMT, the Office for National Statistics was to release its employment report for the month of February.

And overnight, China's National Bureau of Statistics was scheduled to publish first quarter gross domestic product data, alongside readings on fixed asset investment, industrial production and retail sales covering the month of March.

Also due out were the minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia's last policy meeting.

In the euro area meanwhile, at 1000 GMT, the ZEW institute's closely followed gauge of economic confidence in Germany for April would be in focus.

Housing starts and permits figures for the US in March would follow at 1330 GMT.

In the company space, Easyjet would publish its second quarter earnings.

The low-cost carrier had previously said that the 2023 outlook was much more encouraging and its first quarter trading update supported that view, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

Hewson noted how the company's load factor had improved by ten percentage points versus a year ago during the first quarter reaching 87%.

Yet that remained below the 91.5% that it was running at pre-pandemic.

Furthermore, the carrier had kept its guidance for a loss in the first half, the same as its forecast for 38m seats flown over the same stretch, with the latter seen improving to 56m in the back half of the year.

He also highlighted optimism in the market around easyJet's holidays unit with the hope being that it would add strength to the company's bottom line.

Stateside, investors would be pouring over the latest quarterly updates from Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, followed by those from Tesla after the close of trading in New York.

Tuesday 18 April

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

ZEW Survey (EU) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Current Situation (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

FINALS

Billington Holdings, Property Franchise Group, THG , Xeros Technology Group

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

SLF Realisation Fund Limited C Shs NPV, SLF Realisation Fund Limited NPV

AGMS

AIQ Limited (DI), Franchise Brands, Herald Investment Trust, Porvair, XP Power Ltd. (DI)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

IntegraFin Holding, Liontrust Asset Management

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Claimant Count Rate (07:00)

Unemployment Rate (07:00)