Week ahead: April PMIs and US jobs report in focus
Was the 'Big Freeze', as some have termed it, that weighed down on economic activity in Britain during the first quarter just that, or was there something more to it?
Surveys on manufacturing and service sector conditions due out in the coming week and referencing a sunnier April may help to shed some light on that question ahead of the 10 May meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee.
Quite important as well, against recent talk in markets about possible easing measures by authorities in Beijing, Monday will see the release of the 'official' factory sector Purchasing Managers Index in China, followed by the private-sector Caixin survey two days afterwards.
Not enough? Not to worry.
For Friday, and likely looming over markets throughout the entire week's trading, investors will be waiting on the latest monthly non-farm payrolls report in the States.
And the day before, the US Federal Open Market Committee will meet to decide on interest rates. Typically, one would not expect to see any shift in policy signalled then, given that their is no regularly-scheduled press conference on that date.
Nevertheless, traders will keep very likely keep one eye out for the language rate-setters in the Potomac choose to use in their policy statement to describe the current situation.
Another key data release in the States will come on Monday, in the form of personal income and spending data for March, including the most up-to-date reading on the US central bank's preferred inflation gauge, the 'core' personal consumption expenditures price index.
In the euro area meanwhile, Thursday sees the release of consumer price data for April, with the 'core' rate of CPI seen dipping from a year-on-year pace of 1.0% to 0.9%.
Monday April 30
INTERIMS
Image Scan Holdings, Up Global Sourcing Holdings
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Abbey
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Ediston Property Investment Company, F&C Private Equity Trust, Funding Circle SME Income Fund, Middlefield Canadian Income PCC, Schroder Income Growth Fund, TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Tetragon Financial Group Limited
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chicago PMI (US) (14:45)
Import Price Index (GER) (07:00)
M3 Money Supply (EU) (09:00)
Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)
Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30)
Personal Income (US) (13:30)
Personal Spending (US) (13:30)
Retail Sales (GER) (07:00)
GMS
Carpetright
FINALS
Diversified Gas & Oil, Interserve, Luceco , Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings (DI), Tanfield Group, Weiss Korea Opportunity Fund Ltd
ANNUAL REPORT
Weiss Korea Opportunity Fund Ltd
AGMS
BBGI SICAV S.A. (DI), BGEO Group, Forbidden Technologies, Georgia Healthcare Group, Greencoat UK Wind, Independent Oil & Gas , Minoan Group, Old Mutual, Symphony International Holdings Ltd.
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
WPP
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Marble Point Loan Financing Limited NPV, Old Mutual, Wynnstay Group
Tuesday May 01
INTERIMS
Connect Group
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
NWF Group, Smith (DS)
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Auto Sales (US) (10:30)
Construction Spending (US) (15:00)
ISM Manufacturing (US) (15:00)
ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)
PMI Manufacturing (US) (14:45)
FINALS
Nasstar, Pelatro
IMSS
Virgin Money Holdings (UK)
AGMS
Apax Global Alpha Limited , Barclays, EMIS Group, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, M Winkworth, RPS Group
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, Plus500 Ltd (DI), Smith (DS)
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
BRC Shop Price Index (01:00)
Consumer Credit (09:30)
M4 Money Supply (09:30)
Mortgage Approvals (09:30)
PMI Manufacturing (09:30)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Essentra, Foreign and Colonial Inv Trust
Q1
BP, Dunedin Enterprise Investment Trust, Just Eat
Wednesday May 02
INTERIMS
Avon Rubber, Sage Group
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)
GDP (Preliminary) (EU) (10:00)
MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)
PMI Manufacturing (GER) (08:55)
PMI Manufacturing (EU) (09:00)
Unemployment Rate (EU) (09:00)
GMS
Banco Santander S.A., Banco Santander S.A.
FINALS
Sainsbury (J)
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Stadium Group
AGMS
Empresaria Group, Glencore , Howden Joinery Group, Inmarsat, JPMorgan American Inv Trust, Lancashire Holdings Limited, Ocado Group, Pendragon, Pendragon, Phoenix Group Holdings (DI), Rio Tinto, Spirent Communications, Unilever, Verona Pharma, Witan Inv Trust, Zegona Communications
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Accsys Technologies, Convatec Group , Direct Line Insurance Group, Howden Joinery Group, IWG , Next, Paddy Power Betfair, PPHE Hotel Group Ltd
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
PMI Construction (09:30)
Q1
Convatec Group , Direct Line Insurance Group, Indivior, Inmarsat, Standard Chartered
Thursday May 03
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Volution Group (WI)
INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
AB Dynamics, BlackRock Greater Europe Inv Trust, Fenner, Focusrite, Greencoat Renewables, James Halstead, Lok'n Store Group, McCarthy & Stone, Swallowfield, Wetherspoon (J.D.)
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Chenavari Toro Income Fund Limited NPV, SQN Secured Income Fund , Unilever
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Balance of Trade (EU) (13:30)
Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Factory Orders (US) (15:00)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)
ISM Non-Manufacturing (US) (15:00)
PMI Composite (US) (14:45)
PMI Services (US) (14:45)
FINALS
Elektron Technology
ANNUAL REPORT
Triple Point Social Housing Reit
DRILLING REPORT
Glencore
SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Derwent London, Mondi
AGMS
Centaur Media, Dalata Hotel Group, Equiniti Group , Everyman Media Group , GKN, GlaxoSmithKline, H&T Group, IMI, Johnson Service Group, Kaz Minerals , Kaz Minerals , Kaz Minerals , Kerry Group 'A' Shares, Lighthouse Group, Moneysupermarket.com Group, Octopus AIM VCT 2, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Sanne Group, Savannah Petroleum , Trinity Mirror
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Equiniti Group , Fisher (James) & Sons, Glencore , IMI, Smith & Nephew, Trinity Mirror
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
GVC Holdings, Schroders, Schroders (Non-Voting), SEGRO, Ultra Electronics Holdings
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
AA , Aurora Investment Trust, Card Factory, Cello Health, Cenkos Securities, Coats Group, Contour Global , Derwent London, Dunedin Income Growth Inv Trust, Elementis, Empresaria Group, EP Global Opportunities Trust, G4S, GYG, H&T Group, Harworth Group, Hastings Group Holdings , Holders Technology, Just Group, Kingfisher, London Stock Exchange Group, Lookers, Microgen, Mondi, Morgan Advanced Materials , Playtech, Rightmove, SafeCharge International Group Limited (DI), Senior, Stock Spirits Group , Strix Group , Total Produce, Tribal Group
Q1
Apax Global Alpha Limited , Centamin (DI), esure Group, Lancashire Holdings Limited, OMV Petrom S.A. GDR (REG S)
Friday May 04
INTERIMS
Numis Corporation
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Redrow, St Ives
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
British Land Company, F & C UK High Income Trust
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (13:30)
PMI Composite (EU) (10:00)
PMI Composite (GER) (09:55)
PMI Services (EU) (10:00)
PMI Services (GER) (09:55)
Retail Sales (GER) (10:00)
Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
F & C UK High Income Trust B Shares, Quartix Holdings , Spirent Communications
AGMS
Capital & Counties Properties , FBD Holdings, InterContinental Hotels Group, International Personal Finance, Microsaic Systems, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Morgan Sindall Group, Pearson, Rightmove
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
AFH Financial Group , AIB Group, CRH, EMIS Group, Meggitt, Mithras Inv Trust, Nichols, Phoenix Group Holdings (DI), Quartix Holdings , Spirent Communications, Synectics
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Croda International
Q1
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI), Mail.ru Group Ltd GDR (Reg S), Smurfit Kappa Group