Tuesday preview: UK claimant count, ABF in focus

The focus on Tuesday will be again be on the jobs market, but in the UK this time around.

Jobless claimant count figures in the February employment report will in fact be referencing the month of March and Barclays Research anticipated that they will reveal a 400,000 person jump versus the 17,200 rise seen in the month before.

By the end of lockdown, Barclays anticipates that the total number of unemployed will have exploded to 1.75m.

Across the Channel meanwhile, the ZEW institute will publish its April economic expectations index for the euro area.

So too in the States, the flow of hard data will begin to cover the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with existing home sales for March due out at 1330 GMT.

Further afield, export data out of South Korea, which often serve as a lead indicator for China, referencing the month of April are also scheduled for release.

For Associated British Food's half-year numbers due out tomorrow, analysts at JP Morgan cautioned that "incremental positive news tomorrow is unlikely".

Nevertheless, helpful guidance on potential working capital outflows for 2020, which its analysts said might be material, could be provided.

JP Morgan said that it had ABF on its 'overweight watchlist', highlighting to clients the company's "strong" balance sheet, management team and the diversified nature of its business.

Tuesday, 21 April

FINALS

Filta Group Holdings, LiDCO Group, Sumo Group, Card Factory, Calisen, Flowtech Fluidpower

INTERIMS

Associated British Foods, Egdon Resources

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

SEGRO, Flowtech Fluidpower

AGMs

SEGRO, London Stock Exchange Group, Globaldata, Porvair, Aberdeen Emerging Markets Investment Company

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Thorpe (F.W.), Hansard Global

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Urban Logistics Reit

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Unemployment Rate (07:00)

CBI Industrial Trends Surveys (12:00)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wholesale Price Index (GER) (07:00)

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

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

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)