Wednesday preview: Fed meeting minutes, HSBC in the spotlight

(Sharecast News) - Investors' focus in the middle of the week will be on the release of the minutes of the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting, in January.

The minutes will be published after the London close at 1900 GMT.

An auction for 20-year U.S. Treasury notes scheduled for an hour earlier may also draw attention.

On home shores, at 0700 GMT the Office for National Statistics will release public sector net borrowing data for the month of January.

At 1500 GMT, Eurostat will release a preliminary reading for euro area consumer confidence covering the month of February.

In the company arena, HSBC will post its full-year results.

Jason Napier at UBS was anticipating a 2% decline in fourth quarter net interest income to roughly £9.05bn, while adjusted profit before tax was seen falling by 7% to £7.46bn.

Consensus was for £33.4bn in full-year 2023 adjusted profit before tax and a decline to £30.49bn in 2024 followed by £30.3bn in 2025.

The quarterly dividend payout was seen at 34p, alongside a £2.0bn share buyback announcement.

Napier highlighted HSBC's sensitivity to interest rates in the U.S., so that investors' focus would be on the outlook for those implicit in the lender's guidance for net interest income - should any be forthcoming.

Indeed, the analyst said his estimates for HSBC's 2025 net interest income were 7% below consensus and 8% beneath when it came to its adjusted profit before tax.

Wednesday 21 February

INTERIMS

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INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

FINALS

BAE Systems, Conduit Holdings Limited Com Shs (DI), Glencore , HSBC Holdings, Rio Tinto, Riverstone Credit Opportunities Income

AGMS

Gooch & Housego, Tharisa (DI)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Sector Net Borrowing (07:00)