UK economy starts 2015 in good health as rate setters meet – London Report
CONSTRUCTION, manufacturing and services figures for January, due out this week, are expected to show a healthy economic start for the UK in 2015.
Analysts expect all the numbers, based on purchasing managers’ surveys, to be up on December’s.
The Bank of England is due to meet this week to set interest rates, with no change expected.
The UK’s trade deficit will be announced on Friday. It is expected to have widened to £1.6bn in December after narrowing to a 17-month low of £1.4bn in November.
The corporate calendar, which is heavy with pharmaceutical business news this week, begins today with news from RM Group. Tomorrow BP, BG Group, Modwen Properties, Ocado, Rosneft and Santander will give updates.
Wednesday’s reports are due from BSkyB, DMGT, GW Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Hargreaves Lansdown and Victrex.
On Thursday AstraZeneca, Avanti, Beazley, Compass, Dairy Crest, Enterprise Inns, McBride, Smith & Nephew, Vodafone and Wincanton will all give figures.