London pre-open: Modest gains expected ahead of data release

City sources predict the FTSE 100 will open around eight points higher than yesterday's close of 6,746.84, tracking modest gains seen on some US benchmarks on Tuesday and ahead of key data due out on both sides of the Atlantic later today. Speculation about the Federal Reserve continued to be in focus on Tuesday after Goldman Sachs's Chief Economist Jan Hatzius predicted the central bank will reduce its requirements for a potential interest rate hike and may even bring its tapering of quantitative easing (QE) forward. In today's macro-economic news, Eurozone composite purchasing managers' index (PMI), retail sales and German factory orders will be unveiled.The Eurozone composite PMI for October is expected to come in at 51.5, in line with the previous month. Retail sales in the bloc are forecast to have risen 0.6% in September, compared to a 0.3% fall in August.German factory orders will increase 5.6% in September from a jump of 3.1% a month earlier, according to consensus. The data will come a day before the European Central Bank's policy meeting. Economists are speculating over a possible interest rate cut and monetary easing following a batch of weak economic reports and a drop in inflation.In the UK, a report on industrial production is anticipated to show a rise of 1.8% in September from a decline of 1.5% a month earlier. Gross domestic product estimates for October from National Institute of Economic and Social Research will also be unveiled and is expected to come in at 0.5%, down from 0.8% the prior month.Later in the US, will be the release of Mortgage Bankers Association figures on mortgage applications. Mondi suffers slowdown in Q3 sales volumes after shutdowns at larger sites Packaging and paper group Mondi said that sales volumes in the third quarter were held back by planned maintenance shutdowns at some of its larger sites, though expectations for the full year remain unchanged. However, the company gave a cautious outlook, citing the "current low-growth environment" and rising competition in some markets.easyJet this morning posted a 5.4% rise in October passenger numbers, along with a 0.7 percentage point (pp) increase in its load factor for the four-week period. On a 12-month rolling basis, numbers were up 4%, with the load factor 0.8pp higher. The group said a jump in the number of flight cancellations in the period was largely the result of air traffic control strikes at French and Italian airports. Information services company Experian has announced the acquisition of Passport Health Communications as it reported a rise in half-year profits and revenues. The group has agreed to buy Passport Health, a provider of data, analytics and software in the US healthcare payments market, for $850m. Housebuilder Persimmon has seen sales and profits improve in the third quarter but said the impact of the Help to Buy scheme had been 'muted' since October due to slow reactions from mortgage lenders. The FTSE 100 company said it expected mortgage providers to lower their interest rates as Help to Buy attracted more lenders into the market over coming weeks and months and that sales supported by these guaranteed mortgages would consequently improve.Insurance firm Old Mutual lifted gross sales and fund under management, as strong momentum continued in the third quarter of its financial year, and said it is well positioned for future growth. The FTSE 100-listed financial services group reported gross sales of £6.5bn for the three months ended September 30th, up 11% from the same time last year. Funds under management increased 14% to £287.5bn year to date. NR