Wednesday preview: Service sector health check

Wednesday looks like being another quiet day for corporate announcements, so the focus will once again be on the economy.

The British Retail Consortium will release its Shop Price Index for March which is expected to show 1.5% increase, after advancing 1.2% in February.

The next instalment of Purchasing Managers' Index readings covers the Services sector, and is tipped to have dipped to 53.4 in March from 53.8 in February, although it is worth noting that any value above 50 indicates growth.

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The first Wednesday of the month will see the European Central Bank (ECB) announce its interest rate decision and, more importantly, the ECB President Mario Draghi will give the rune readers some exercise in his afternoon press conference.

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Ashmore Group, Waterman Group

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Animalcare Group, Begbies Traynor Group, GETECH Group, Octopus Eclipse VCT 1, Octopus Eclipse VCT 3, Octopus Eclipse VCT 4, Plexus Holdings, St Ives, Wolseley

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

XP Power Ltd. (DI)

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Marsh & Mclennan Cos Inc., Mercantile Investment Trust (The), Schroder Income Growth Fund

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

ISM Non-Manufacturing (US) (15:00)

ISM Services (US) (15:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

PMI Composite (GER) (08:55)

PMI Services (EU) (09:00)

PMI Services (GER) (08:55)

GMS

Rock Solid Images

FINALS

Burford Capital Ltd.

ANNUAL REPORT

St James's Place

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

DP World Limited, Octopus Eclipse VCT 1, Octopus Eclipse VCT 3, Octopus Eclipse VCT 4, Savills

AGMS

Manroy, RCM Technology Trust, Telecity Group, Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri AS GDR (Reg S)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Printing.com

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRC Shop Price Index (00:00)

PMI Composite (EU) (09:00)

PMI Services (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

St. Modwen Properties

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

4Imprint Group, Acencia Debt Strategies Ltd., All Leisure Group, Amino Technologies, Amlin, Bodycote, Dialight, DP World Limited, Herald Inv Trust, HGCapital Trust, Interserve, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, JPMorgan American Inv Trust, Mam Funds, Motivcom, Pearson, Phoenix Group Holdings (DI), Promethean World, Rentokil Initial, Savills, Stanley Gibbons Group