LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - The focus on Wednesday will be on a raft of data out of China, alongside another raft of quarterly earnings reports in the States.
Overnight, China's National Bureau of Statistics is scheduled to published readings on first quarter gross domestic product, as well as on fixed asset investment, retail sales and industrial production for March.

China's economy is thought to have slowed from the 6.4% clip observed over the three months to December to 6.3%, but investors will be carefully examining the latest data for evidence that the pace of growth might be bottoming.

Against that backdrop, at 0930 BST the Office for National Statistics will publish its consumer price report for the UK in March, which is expected to reveal a pick up in consumer prices from February's rise of 1.9% year-on-year to 2.0%.

Stateside, the main release due out will be a reading on the US trade deficit in February, together with the latest quarterly updates from Bank of New York Mellon and Morgan Stanley.

To take note of, investors will also be digesting results from IBM and Netflix which were due after the close of Wall Street on Tuesday.

In the corporate space, and for Segro's first quarter trading update, analysts at Numis were expecting the market spotlight to be on the property developer's investment and delivery on its "substantial" development pipeline.

Numis's Robert Duncan thought it likely that the company would be able to match the record level of pre-letting, of 73%, that it reached in fiscal year 2018.

Prospects for rental growth and capital values in urban logistics were strong, but its visibility on the big box market was "lower" due to the rise in speculative development and overall supply.

"Overall, we continue to believe that the scale and quality of SGRO pipeline is underpinned by robust structural themes of e-commerce and urbanisation, as retailers race to optimise supply chains despite short-term economic and political volatility," he said.

Wednesday April 17

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Haynes Publishing Group, Hotel Chocolat Group , JPMorgan Mid Cap Inv Trust

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Assura , Duke Royalty Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00)

Balance of Trade (US) (13:30)

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Consumer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (00:00)

Current Account (EU) (10:00)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

FINALS

AFI Development, Amryt Pharma, Serica Energy

ANNUAL REPORT

Chesnara, K3 Business Technology Group, K3 Business Technology Group, Robinson

AGMS

Bunzl, Dialight, Diversified Gas & Oil, Drax Group, Harwood Wealth Management Group, Hunting

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

SEGRO

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Price Index (09:30)

Producer Price Index (09:30)

Retail Price Index (09:30)

Q1

Etalon Group GDR (Reg S)

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