Wednesday preview: US-EU trade, Ashmore in the spotlight
The focus on Wednesday will be on global trade as the European Union's trade commissioner, Phil Hogan, sits down to talk trade with his American counterpart in Washington.
Ashmore Group
183.60p
15:30 19/04/24
Financial Services
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15:34 19/04/24
FTSE 250
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15:35 19/04/24
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Against that backdrop, and amid recent heightened especulation that the next move from the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street might be a cut in Bank Rate, at 0930 GMT the Office for National Statistics will publish consumer price data for December.
Consensus is for the headline rate of inflation to be unchanged year-on-year at up by 1.5%, even as on a harmonised basis CPI edges up from 1.5% to 1.6% and the Retail Price Index rises from 2.2% to 2.5%.
At the core level however, CPI is seen slipping from 1.7% to 1.6%.
CPI releases are also due out across the Channel, in France and Spain.
Stateside meanwhile, the focus will be on the release of producer price data at 1330 GMT, followed by the latest Federal Reserve Beige Book at 1900 GMT.
Fund manager Ashmore will be front and centre on investors' radar on Wednesday as the fund manager posts its latest interims.
UBS analysts' forecast is for a 3.2% rise in US dollar denominated assets under management during the firm's second quarter to reach $94.9bn, marking a 23.7% jump year-on-year.
Inflows are seen $1.9bn higher, with market performance adding $1.1bn.
Nonetheless, the Swiss broker expects Ashmore's underperformance of the September quarter to have extended into the December quarter.
And due to strength in cable during the quarter, which jumped by 7.9%, in sterling AuM were pegged at down by 4.2%.
Monday January 20
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Petrotal Corporation NPV (DI)
AGMS
Catalyst Media Group, JPMorgan Elect Managed Growth Shares, Troy Income & Growth Trust
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Audioboom Group, Henry Boot
Tuesday January 21
INTERIMS
IG Group Holdings, Joules Group, Sensyne Health
AGMS
John Lewis of Hungerford, Mitchells & Butlers, Polo Resources Ltd. (DI)
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dixons Carphone
Wednesday January 22
INTERIMS
Van Elle Holdings
SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Prime People
AGMS
AJ Bell, Edinburgh Worldwide Inv Trust, Topps Tiles, Tracsis
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Close Brothers Group, Sage Group
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Diploma
Thursday January 23
INTERIMS
CPL Resources, Ilika, NCC Group
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Hibernia Reit
INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Livermore Investments Group Ltd., Pennon Group, Solid State, Stagecoach Group, Stenprop Limited
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
City of London Inv Trust
FINALS
Blue Prism Group
AGMS
Aberdeen Standard Equity Income Trust , Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust , Baring Emerging Europe, Countryside Properties, Equatorial Palm Oil, Hyve Group, RDI Reit
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Computacenter, Gear4music (Holdings)
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Cardiff Property, Gooch & Housego, Manchester & London Investment Trust, Puma Vct 11, RWS Holdings, Watkin Jones
Friday January 24
INTERIMS
Hansard Global
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Auto Trader Group , Carribbean Investment Holdings Limited (DI), Cranswick, Dixons Carphone , FIH Group , Latham (James), Northern 2 VCT, Northern 3 VCT, Northgate, Superdry, Triad Group
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Aberdeen Diversified Income and Growth Trust , Real Estate Investors, Standard Life Private Equity Trust
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
EIH Plc, Electra Private Equity
AGMS
Marston's, Nu-Oil and Gas
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
JPMorgan Japanese Inv Trust