The Week Ahead
Read about upcoming market-moving events and plan your trading week
Week commencing 20 March
Chris Beauchamp's insight
While UK watchers will be keeping an eye on consumer price index (CPI) and the Bank of England (BoE) rate decision, there really is only one game in town this week, namely the Federal Reserve (Fed) rate decision. Expectations around this have been on an epic rollercoaster ride over the last two weeks, as first a hawkish Powell and then the US banking crisis caught markets on the hop. We have seen expectations go to a 50 basis points (bp) hike, and then to a ‘no change’ (and some even calling for a cut), and now, as things settle down, a 25bps hike is once again the forecast. Much will depend on the outlook issued at the meeting too, and so investors should be prepared for volatility this week, though perhaps not as much volatility as this past week.
Economic reports
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Weekly view
None
12.30am – RBA meeting minutes: these will look at the recent rate decision. Markets to watch: AUD crosses
10am – German ZEW index (March): index to fall to 28 from 28.1. Markets to watch: EUR crosses
1.30pm – Canada CPI (February): prices to rise 5.2% YoY from 5.9%, and 0.3% MoM from 0.5%. Markets to watch: CAD crosses
3pm – US existing home sales (February): forecast to rise 0.5% MoM. Markets to watch: USD crosses
7am – UK CPI (February): prices to rise 9.6% YoY and 0.5% MoM from last month’s 10.1% and -0.6%. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
2.30pm – US EIA crude oil inventories (w/e 17 March). Markets to watch: Brent, WTI
6pm – FOMC rate decision: after a see-saw couple of weeks, US rates are expected to rise by 25bps, to 5%. Markets to watch: US indices, USD crosses
12pm – BoE rate decision: rates to rise to 4.25% from 4%. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
12.30pm – US initial jobless claims (w/e 18 March): claims to fall to 190K. Markets to watch: US indices, USD crosses
2pm – US new home sales (February): expected to fall 4.5% MoM. Markets to watch: USD crosses
11.30pm – Japan CPI (February): expected to rise 3.3% YoY from 4.3%. Markets to watch: JPY crosses
7am – UK retail sales (February): sales to rise 1.2% MoM. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
9am – eurozone PMIs (March, flash): mfg index to rise to 49 and services to fall to 52.5. Markets to watch: EUR crosses
9.30am – UK PMIs (March, flash): mfg PMI to fall to 48.3 and services to fall to 50.7. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
1.30pm – US durable goods orders (February): orders to rise 0.5% MoM and 0.4% excluding transportation. Markets to watch: USD crosses
1.45pm – US PMIs (March, flash): mfg to fall to 47 and services to fall to 50.1. Markets to watch: US indices, USD crosses
Monday
None
Tuesday
12.30am – RBA meeting minutes: these will look at the recent rate decision. Markets to watch: AUD crosses
10am – German ZEW index (March): index to fall to 28 from 28.1. Markets to watch: EUR crosses
1.30pm – Canada CPI (February): prices to rise 5.2% YoY from 5.9%, and 0.3% MoM from 0.5%. Markets to watch: CAD crosses
3pm – US existing home sales (February): forecast to rise 0.5% MoM. Markets to watch: USD crosses
Wednesday
7am – UK CPI (February): prices to rise 9.6% YoY and 0.5% MoM from last month’s 10.1% and -0.6%. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
2.30pm – US EIA crude oil inventories (w/e 17 March). Markets to watch: Brent, WTI
6pm – FOMC rate decision: after a see-saw couple of weeks, US rates are expected to rise by 25bps, to 5%. Markets to watch: US indices, USD crosses
Thursday
12pm – BoE rate decision: rates to rise to 4.25% from 4%. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
12.30pm – US initial jobless claims (w/e 18 March): claims to fall to 190K. Markets to watch: US indices, USD crosses
2pm – US new home sales (February): expected to fall 4.5% MoM. Markets to watch: USD crosses
11.30pm – Japan CPI (February): expected to rise 3.3% YoY from 4.3%. Markets to watch: JPY crosses
Friday
7am – UK retail sales (February): sales to rise 1.2% MoM. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
9am – eurozone PMIs (March, flash): mfg index to rise to 49 and services to fall to 52.5. Markets to watch: EUR crosses
9.30am – UK PMIs (March, flash): mfg PMI to fall to 48.3 and services to fall to 50.7. Markets to watch: GBP crosses
1.30pm – US durable goods orders (February): orders to rise 0.5% MoM and 0.4% excluding transportation. Markets to watch: USD crosses
1.45pm – US PMIs (March, flash): mfg to fall to 47 and services to fall to 50.1. Markets to watch: US indices, USD crosses
Company announcements
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Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Full-year earnings |
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Half/ Quarterly earnings |
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Trading update* |
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Dividends
FTSE 100: British American Tobacco, Schroders, Pearson, Prudential
FTSE 250: Chemring, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, CLS, Volution, Close Brothers, OSB, Hipgnosis
Dividends are applied after the close of the previous day’s session for each market. So, for example, the FTSE 100 goes ex-dividend on a Thursday, but the adjustment is applied at the close of the previous day, e.g. Wednesday. The table below shows the days in which the adjustment is applied, not the ex-dividend days.
Index adjustments
|
Monday 20 March |
Tuesday 21 March |
Wednesday 22 March |
Thursday 23 March |
Friday 24 March |
Monday 27 March |
FTSE 100 | 7.04 | |||||
Australia 200 | 0.5 | 0.3 | ||||
Wall Street | ||||||
US 500 | 0.28 | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.03 | 0.10 | |
Nasdaq | 1.87 | |||||
Netherlands 25 | ||||||
EU Stocks 50 | 2.5 | 4.1 | ||||
China H-Shares | ||||||
Singapore Blue Chip | ||||||
Hong Kong HS50 | ||||||
South Africa 40 | 117.0 | |||||
Italy 40 | ||||||
Japan 225 |
* Please note these can change without notice
* Dividend adjustments due to be posted on a bank holiday will usually be posted on the previous working day
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