Wednesday preview: US CPI, Legal & General in focus

(Sharecast News) - The market spotlight in the middle of the week will be on the US Consumer Price Index for the month of February. Consensus is that the annual rate of increase in headline CPI ticked lower by a tenth of a percentage point to 2.9%.

Core CPI meanwhile is forecast to have dipped from 3.3% to 3.2%.

In Canada meanwhile, rate-setters in Ontario will meet to decide on monetary policy.

Expectations are that official short-term rates will be cut by 25 basis points to 2.75%.

At noon, the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries will release its Monthly Oil Market Report.

On the corporate side of things, Legal&General will release its full-year numbers.

UBS analyst Nasib Ahmed said that he will be focusing on an expected £500m share buyback announcement (consensus: £370m).

Ahmed was also anticipating solvency of 235%, versus the consensus on 221%.

Total operating profit was seen coming in at £774m, for a final dividend per share of 15.36p.

Wednesday 12 March

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Budget Statement (US) (18:00)

Consumer Price Index (US) (12:30)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (14:30)

Current Account (GER) (13:30)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (11:00)

FINALS

4Imprint Group, Balfour Beatty, Forterra, Hill and Smith, Hochschild Mining, Legal & General Group, PensionBee Group , Public Policy Holding Company, Inc.(DI), The Gym Group

EGMS

Phoenix Spree Deutschland Limited Shs NPV

AGMS

Chrysalis Investments Limited NPV, Cloudbreak Discovery, Nexus Infrastructure , River UK Micro Cap Limited

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Tharisa (DI)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Safestore Holdings