Wednesday preview: China CPI, Prudential in focus

Financial markets' attention will with no doubt continue to be fixated on the war in Ukraine.

Against that backdrop, overnight, China's National Bureau of Statistics will publish consumer and factory gate price data for February.

Consensus is for the annual rate of CPI to have held at 0.9%, while producer prices are seen slowing from 9.1% to 8.6%.

No major economic reports are scheduled in the UK.

Stateside, at 1500 GMT, the US Department of Labor will publish the results of its JOLTS labour market survey for January.

Across the Channel, INSEE will release French non-farm payroll data for the fourth quarter, followed by Italian industrial production figures for January from ISTAT at 0900 GMT.

Investors' focus during Prudential's full-year results presentation would be on the firm's outlook for new business premiums and profits, said UBS analyst Will Hardcastle.

That was because of the possibility that mobility restrictions might be lifted, depending on vaccine roll out.

The land border between Hong Kong and China remained closed and continued to drag on new business sold to mainland Chinese customers, with such sales having accounted for about 70.0% of the pre-pandemic business from Hong Kong.

"Positive updates on the reopening will improve sentiment and outlook for new business flows. We expect the authorities to consider reopening the border towards the end of 2022."

Wednesday 9 March

FINALS

Foresight Solar Fund Limited, Quilter, 888 Holdings, Legal & General Group, Network International Holdings, Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI), Prudential, Ibstock, Breedon Group, Alfa Financial Software Holdings, Headlam Group

INTERIMS

Ashtead Group

AGMs

MTI Wireless Edge Ltd.

EGMs

MTI Wireless Edge Ltd.

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Hansard Global

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Retail sales

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Industrial Production (GER) (07:00)

Gross Domestic Product (EU) (10:00)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)