Week ahead: US inflation, BoJ meeting, US tech results in focus
Investors' focus on a backend loaded week was likely to continue to be on the US inflation picture, not least as Federal Reserve policymakers were due to meet just a few days afterwards on 2-3 May.
On the activity side of the equation, on Thursday the US Department of Commerce was expected to unveil a preliminary estimate showing that gross domestic product expanded at an annualised pace of 2.0% over the three months to March amid a modest increase in price pressures.
Price deflator for personal consumption expenditures due out the next day for the month of March however were expected to show a large drop at the headline level, but only a slight dip in core prices.
Later on Friday, the University of Michigan would release a final reading for consumer confidence in April.
But investors were likely to be especially interested in the subindex for infation expectations one-year head contained in the same, which had apparently surged higher at the start of the month.
Readings for French, German and Spanish quarterly GDP were also due out on Friday, alongside preliminary reports for consumer prices in those same three economies.
Another key event during the week would be the Bank of Japan's policy decision, on Friday as well, which would be the first under its Governor, Kazuo Ueda.
Other data points to watch out for during the week included the German IFO institute's business confidence inddex, on Monday, and UK public sector net borrowing figures and US house price surveys, both on Tuesday.
The US corporate results season would also be in full swing in the background with investors expectant ahead of the latest updates from several big-cap technology names.
Included among those were Alphabet and Microsoft, on Tuesday, Meta Platforms, on Wednesday, and Amazon come Thursday.
All of them had the potential to impact investor sentiment, particularly given the sector's leadership year-to-date.
Monday 24 April
INTERIMS
Lok'n Store Group
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
IFO Business Climate (GER) (09:00)
IFO Current Assessment (GER) (09:00)
IFO Expectations (GER) (09:00)
FINALS
Frenkel Topping Group
ANNUAL REPORT
Arbuthnot Banking Group
EGMS
Ground Rents Income Fund
AGMS
Centralnic Group
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Centralnic Group
Q1
Joint Stock Company Kaspi.Kz GDR (Reg S)
Tuesday 25 April
INTERIMS
AB Dynamics, Associated British Foods, Focusrite
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
JPMorgan Emerging Markets Inv Trust, JPMorgan Mid Cap Inv Trust, Northamber
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
General Electric Co (CDI)
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Confidence (US) (15:00)
House Price Index (US) (14:00)
New Homes Sales (US) (15:00)
GMS
Coro Energy
FINALS
Avacta Group, Card Factory, Corero Network Security, Dillistone Group, Hvivo, Jadestone Energy, Keystone Law Group , Next 15 Group, Northcoders Group , Oxford Biomedica, Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited NPV, Whitbread
IMSS
Lloyds Banking Group
AGMS
Aquis Exchange , Beazley, CLS Holdings, Entain, Globaldata, NATWEST GROUP, Sigmaroc , VH Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
IWG , Jupiter Fund Management , Loungers , Travis Perkins, W.A.G Payment Solutions
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Public Sector Net Borrowing (07:00)
Wednesday 26 April
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Close Brothers Group
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)
Durable Goods Orders (US) (13:30)
GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)
MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)
GMS
OMV Petrom S.A. GDR (REG S)
FINALS
1Spatial, Biome Technologies, Sanderson Design Group, Skillcast Group, Warpaint London
ANNUAL REPORT
OMV Petrom S.A. GDR (REG S)
EGMS
Trian Investors 1 Limited NPV
AGMS
Alfa Financial Software Holdings , Allianz Technology Trust, Anglo American, Breedon Group , Bunzl, Croda International, Drax Group, Elementis, Global Invacom Group Limited (DI), Global Opportunities Trust, Lancashire Holdings Limited, MD Medical Group Investments GDR (Reg S), Metro Bank, Mobius Investment Trust , Nichols, Octopus AIM VCT 2, One Media IP Group, Persimmon, RIT Capital Partners, Trian Investors 1 Limited NPV
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Fresnillo, Glencore , Reckitt Benckiser Group, Smith & Nephew
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
BlackRock World Mining Trust, Maven Income & Growth 3 VCT
Q1
Gem Diamonds Ltd. (DI)
Thursday 27 April
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Hansard Global
INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Pembroke Vct B
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
City of London Inv Trust, Tufton Oceanic Assets Limited NPV
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Business Climate Indicator (EU) (10:00)
Consumer Confidence (EU) (10:00)
Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Economic Sentiment Indicator (EU) (10:00)
Industrial Confidence (EU) (10:00)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)
Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)
Services Sentiment (EU) (10:00)
FINALS
Novacyt S.A. (CDI), Sainsbury (J), Shield Therapeutics, Synairgen
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Essentra
SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Me Group International
AGMS
Admiral Group, AFC Energy, AstraZeneca, BP, CRH (CDI), Dalata Hotel Group (CDI), Develop North, Dial Square Investments, F&C Investment Trust, Flutter Entertainment (CDI), Helios Towers , Ibstock , International Personal Finance, Kerry Group 'A' Shares (CDI), London Stock Exchange Group, Quixant, Robert Walters, Robert Walters, Schroders, Serco Group, Smithson Investment Trust, Societatea Energetica Electrica SA GDR (Reg S), STV Group, Synectics, Taylor Wimpey, Tissue Regenix Group, Weir Group
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Currys , Howden Joinery Group, Inchcape, London Stock Exchange Group, PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, Taylor Wimpey, Unilever, WPP
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Entain, Haleon , XP Power Ltd. (DI)
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
AVI Japan Opportunity Trust , Bakkavor Group , Banco Santander S.A., Bridgepoint Group (Reg S) , Central Asia Metals, Coats Group, Croda International, Derwent London, Fresnillo, Gemfields Group Limited, Greggs, Gresham Technologies, Legal & General Group, LSL Property Services, M. P. Evans Group, Morgan Sindall Group, Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings) , PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, Relx plc, Rightmove, Robert Walters, Secure Trust Bank, Senior, Stelrad Group , The Pebble Group, TT Electronics, Tyman
Q1
AstraZeneca, Barclays, St James's Place
Friday 28 April
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Beazley, Henderson EuroTrust, New Star Investment Trust, The European Smaller Companies Trust
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
BlackRock Sustainable American Income Trust, CT Private Equity Trust, Ediston Property Investment Company, Middlefield Canadian Income PCC, Real Estate Investors, Value and Indexed Property Income Trust
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chicago PMI (US) (14:45)
Employment Cost Index (US) (13:30)
Import Price Index (GER) (07:00)
M3 Money Supply (EU) (09:00)
Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30)
Personal Income (US) (13:30)
Personal Spending (US) (13:30)
U. of Michigan Confidence (Final) (US) (15:00)
Unemployment Rate (GER) (08:55)
FINALS
Argo Blockchain, Fisher (James) & Sons, Morgan Advanced Materials , PureTech Health
ANNUAL REPORT
Epwin Group
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
BioPharma Credit , BioPharma Credit , Quartix Technologies, SLF Realisation Fund Limited C Shs NPV, SLF Realisation Fund Limited NPV
EGMS
ROS Agro GDR REG S
AGMS
Audioboom Group, BBGI Global Infrastructure S.A. NPV (DI), Bellevue Healthcare Trust (Red), Everest Global, Getbusy, Greencoat Renewables (CDI), Greencoat UK Wind, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, JPMorgan Claverhouse Inv Trust, Kingspan Group (CDI), Minoan Group, Pearson, Rotork, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI), Symphony International Holdings Ltd., Woodside Energy Group Ltd NPV (DI)
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Computacenter, Industrials Reit Limited, Rotork, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Anglo American, Globaldata, Kitwave Group, Quartix Technologies, Wynnstay Group
Q1
NATWEST GROUP, OMV Petrom S.A. GDR (REG S)