Friday preview: China PMI, Barclays in the spotlight

(Sharecast News) - Financial markets' focus at the end of April will shift towards a raft of economic data from across all the major geographies.
First out will be a reading on the 'official' Chinese manufacturing sector Purchasing Managers' Index for April.

Stateside, investors will be waiting on personal and income spending data for March, together with readings on consumer confidence and manufacturing in the Chicago area referencing April.

Across the Channel, preliminary readings on first quarter GDP in Austria, France, Germany and Spain are due out.

On home shores, mortgage lender Nationwide will publish its house price index for April.

For Barclays's first quarter update, investors will be keen to see if its more diversified business model relative to UK peers has seen it continue to outperform.

As one of the few UK lenders with an investment banking division, Barclays has reaped gains that are out of the reach of others which had already boosted its share price back to its levels of late-2019, Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK pointed out.

Indeed, Barclays chief executive officer, Jess Staley, had already sounded a 'bullish' note on the outlook for 2021 in anticipation of the expected reopening of the US economy.

So, added Hewson: "barring a setback, in the form of a new variant or another lockdown the outlook looks much brighter now than it did at the beginning of the year."

Friday 30 April

INTERIMS

Infrastrata, Up Global Sourcing Holdings

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Heavitree Brewery 11 1/2% Cum Prf , Origin Enterprises (CDI), Tristel

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BMO Commercial Property Trust Limited, BMO Private Equity Trust, Ediston Property Investment Company, Marble Point Loan Financing Limited NPV, Mercantile Investment Trust (The), Middlefield Canadian Income PCC, Real Estate Investors, TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited , Value and Indexed Property Income Trust

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

GDP (Preliminary) (EU) (10:00)

Import Price Index (GER) (08:00)

Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30)

Personal Income (US) (13:30)

Personal Spending (US) (13:30)

Retail Sales (GER) (07:00)

GMS

Elixirr International

FINALS

Westminster Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Quartix Holdings , Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI), Spirent Communications

EGMS

Tremor International LTD (DI)

AGMS

Admiral Group, BBGI Global Infrastructure S.A. NPV (DI), Grupo Clarin SA GDR (Reg S), Kingspan Group (CDI), Minoan Group, Pearson, Rotork, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI), Supply@Me Capital , Symphony International Holdings Ltd.

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

BB Healthcare Trust (Red), Nippon Active Value Fund , Quartix Holdings , RM, Shanta Gold Ltd., Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI), Spirent Communications, Sureserve Group, Wynnstay Group

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Seplat Petroleum Development Company (DI)

Q1

AstraZeneca, Barclays