Week ahead: City braces for Russia-Ukraine hit to economic activity

The City will be combing through a week of closely watched economic data for signs of the Russia-Ukraine war weighing on growth.

London’s premier FTSE 100 index rose 0.73 per cent last week to close at 7,537.90 points. The domestically-focused FTSE 250 index fared better, climbing 1.25 per cent.

Fresh services purchasing managers’ indexes (PMI) for the services and the construction industries released tomorrow and Wednesday respectively are likely to show that Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine is beginning to hit activity in the UK.

Last week, a separate PMI showed output at Britain’s factories cooled this month, driven by the conflict engineering shortages of key components used by manufacturers.

Concerns over the security of supplies if the war rumbles on has lit a rocket under oil and gas prices.

Construction firms are likely to be harder hit than services companies due to the sector relying more heavily for raw materials to maintain production.

On the corporate side, bus operator National Express releases its annual report to markets tomorrow Tuesday. 

Last month, the firm was outbid by German fund manager DWS for rival bus operator Stagecoach.

City press favourite and online broker CMC Markets posts a trading update on Friday.

Across the pond, the US Federal Reserve publishes minutes from its last meeting in which it will provide more information on why it hiked rates for the first time since 2018.

Most investors now think Fed chair Jerome Powell and co will lift rates 50 basis points at its next meeting in May, double the normal rise.

Top billing in central bank speak this week is Governor Andrew Bailey giving a talk at the Stop Scams Conference. Chief economist Huw Pill also speaks at Threadneedle Street’s conference on the sovereign bond market.