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