Good morning and welcome to The Week Ahead - the first to kick off the brand new tax year.
The heat of financial reporting season is well and truly over in the UK. But in the US (where companies report their numbers quarterly and tend to be able to get their figures in line far quicker than here in the UK), the first quarter corporate earnings season starts on Friday when results from three of the big banks are due.
We’ll also see the latest inflation figures from the US on Wednesday, with investors, economists and consumers all watching to see whether the bump in inflation reported in the first couple of months of the year is becoming a trend. Friday’s data from the US showed continued resilience, sparking optimism for the corporate earnings season which promoted more than a 1% increase in both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100.
Back on domestic soil, it’s the first week of the new tax year, which means our national insurance contributions have all declined and the state pension is 8.5% higher. But don’t expect to feel much better off. Inflation in the UK is still proving hard to shift, while a freeze on tax bands means much of the population will have slipped into a higher tax bracket.
The new tax year also means your new ISA allowance has arrived, bringing with it opportunities. Last week, we rolled out a feature upgrade which gives all subscribers access to 25 Folios - you might want to consider using your new Folios to monitor new interesting investment ideas. We’ve put a guide together in the Academy to help you do this - read it here.
In the UK, the biggest corporate earnings story of the week will come from the supermarket sector when Tesco publishes its numbers (on Wednesday). I’m currently taking a closer look at the Tesco investment case, especially in comparison to its US peer Walmart. Check back in later to read the full analysis. And do get in touch to let me know any other stories you’re looking out for in the coming week.
| UK company announcements | UK economics | International announcements | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Bango final results | BRC shop price index | US treasury secretary Janet Yellen meeting with governor of the Chinese central bank |
| Tuesday | Final results including 88 Energy, Alliance… |
