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.

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