Tuesday preview: UK employment, China activity data in the spotlight

Investors' focus on Tuesday will be on the UK February employment report.

"Wage data, released on Tuesday, is expected to fall below the BOE's forecast rate and there is expected to be more evidence that interest rates are working, and the jobs market is cooling," said Kathleen Brooks at XTB.

"The unemployment rate is expected to pick up to 4% from 3.9%, however, analysts are expecting a 74k increase in employment for the last three months."

At 0600 BST, the Office for National Statistics is expected to announce that the rate of growth in average earnings including bonuses slowed by a tenth of a percentage point to a quarterly year-on-year rate of 5.5%.

But first overnight China's National Bureau of Statistics was scheduled to publish a raft of activity indicators for the month of March.

In Germany, at 0900 BST the ZEW institute was due to release its closely-followed economic confidence survey for Germany.

Figures for housing starts and industrial production in March would follow at 1230 BST and 1315 BST, respectively.

Fed chair Jerome Powell was also expected to participate in a moderated discussion with the head of the Bank of Canada starting from 1315 BST.

Tuesday 16 April

INTERIMS

Gattaca

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Brooks Macdonald Group, National Westminster 9%pf

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00)

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Capacity Utilisation (US) (14:15)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

Industrial Production (US) (14:15)

Wholesale Price Index (GER) (07:00)

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

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

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

Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI)

GMS

Live Company Group, Nexteq, Zinnwald Lithium

FINALS

Accesso Technology Group, Ashtead Technology Holdings, Billington Holdings, Equals Group , Gresham Technologies, Learning Technologies Group , Next 15 Group, Team17 Group

AGMS

M&G, Nexteq, Porvair

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

IntegraFin Holding, QinetiQ Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Claimant Count Rate (07:00)

Unemployment Rate (07:00)