Tuesday 15 April 2014 2:48 am

What you need to know before the open

European markets are expected flat to mixed this morning, following yesterday’s turnaround on the back of a strong retail sales reading from the US, which quelled fears over the situation in Ukraine.

The concern is, though, that investors have over-valued the retail sector.

And meanwhile, there are worries that the EU’s somewhat muddled response to events in Ukraine could give Putin a chance to take risks and spur a more severe crisis.

Asian stocks inched higher on yesterday’s US data in Tuesday trading.

It’s a busy day on the data front, and corporate, with something of a slew of results out this morning.

Today, inflation in the UK and US is expected softer, with producer prices here also staying temperate.

Corporate news

High street store Debenhams has announced a 24.5 per cent plummet in pre-tax profit to £85.2m. The figure’s in line with expectations, it says, but it’s been struggling in a competitive UK market.

Nestle’s revealed a slowdown in first quarter sales but says it anticipates outperforming in the second half of 2014.

Brewer SABMiller has issued a trading statement this morning, showing it’s still growing revenues, despite a tough climate.

Recruiter Michael Page says its French and German businesses have returned to growth in the last quarter, with gross profit up seven per cent.

Struggling pub group Punch Taverns saw a net loss of £119.7m in the first half of the financial year, but says it’s still on track to hit full-year profit targets.

And JD Sports has increased its pre-tax profit by 27 per cent to £77m, ahead of analysts’ expectations of £74m. While sportswear continues to drive growth, though, its fashion division saw losses.

Power generator hire specialist Aggreko’s reported revenue growth in the first three months of the year of five per cent, although it highlighted the impact of currency movements on reported revenues.

Specialist engineering group GKN has reported a robust quarter, with global light vehicle production up almost five per cent and growth across worldwide markets.

And miner Rio Tinto has said the first quarter’s been a good one for production, with year-on-year gains across all its operations.

Data in focus