Friday preview: US consumer confidence, Easyjet in focus
easyJet
533.00p
17:15 25/04/24
The spotlight at the end of the week, barring surprises on the international trade or Brexit fronts, will be on US consumer confidence data for May.
FTSE 100
8,078.86
17:14 25/04/24
FTSE 350
4,434.34
17:09 25/04/24
FTSE All-Share
4,387.94
16:49 25/04/24
Travel & Leisure
7,552.90
17:09 25/04/24
At 1500 BST, the University of Michigan will release a preliminary reading on consumer sentiment for May, followed by speeches from three top US central bank officials.
Further afield, an index of services sector activity in Japan for the month of March and Russian first quarter GDP figures are due out.
Among the corporates due to update markets is Easyjet, with the focus most likely to be on the airline's current trading and outlook, said Numis's Kathryn Leonard.
In part, that is because on 1 April the company already guided towards six-month sales of roughly £2.34bn and an approximately 18.8% rise in operating costs, although it did not issue guidance for profits before tax.
Leonard is anticipating a 0.7% year-on-year drop in the company's third quarter yields, with a rise of 1.5% foreseen for the last three months of the financial year thanks in part on the assumption of a "more certain Brexit".
But the most recent online traffic data and figures from Barclaycard pointed to a fall in consumer spend on airline tickets, she said.
A one percentage point drop (or increase) in yields - revenue per seat at constant exchange rates - over the backhalf of 2019 would lower the company's profits before tax by about 9%, the analyst explained.
But on 11.2 times' her estimates for Easyjet's profits in the 2020 financial year, the shares appeared to already be anticipating that weakness in demand.
FRIDAY MAY 17
INTERIMS
easyJet, Future, Ossiam Lux Ossiam World Min Var Nr Etf USD, Sage Group
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
AB Dynamics, Kier Group
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust, Tufton Oceanic Assets Limited NPV
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Price Index (EU) (10:00)
U. of Michigan Confidence (Prelim) (US) (15:00)
Wholesale Price Index (GER) (07:00)
FINALS
Royal Mail
IMSS
Jersey Electricity 'A' Shares
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
John Laing Group
EGMS
Mortice Ltd. (DI)
AGMS
Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon, Bango, Bank of Georgia Group, Braime (T.F.& J.H.) Holdings, Cairn Energy, Centaur Media, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Hunters Property , Irish Continental Group Units, Menzies(John), Ossiam Lux Ossiam Stoxx Europe 600 Ew Nr Etf, Ossiam Risk Wght Commo Exg ETF-USD (GBP), Real Estate Investors, Restaurant Group, Robert Walters
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hikma Pharmaceuticals
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Arbuthnot Banking Group, Costain Group, FBD Holdings, Fidelity European Values, Hansteen Holdings, IMI, John Laing Group , Kaz Minerals , Man Group, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Mobeus Income & Growth Vct, Prudential, RPS Group, RSA Insurance Group, Sagicor Financial Corporation Limited (DI), Science Group , Taylor Wimpey, Travis Perkins, TT Electronics, Unite Group
Q1
Afarak Group (DI)