Investment accounts
Adult accounts
Child accounts
Choosing Fidelity
Choosing Fidelity
Why invest with us Current offers Fees and charges Open an account Transfer investments
Financial advice & support
Fidelity’s Services
Fidelity’s Services
Financial advice Retirement Wealth Management Investor Centre (London) Bereavement
Guidance and tools
Guidance and tools
Choosing investments Choosing accounts ISA calculator Retirement calculators
Share dealing
Choose your shares
Tools and information
Tools and information
Share prices and markets Chart and compare shares Stock market news Shareholder perks
Pensions & retirement
Pensions, tax & tools
Saving for retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Approaching / In retirement
Speak to a specialist Creating a retirement plan Taking tax-free cash Pension drawdown Annuities Investing in retirement Investment Pathways
Wednesday preview: Fed decision, China factory PMI in focus
(Sharecast News) - Investors' focus on Wednesday would be squarely on the U.S. central bank's most recent policy decision. At 1900 GMT, the Federal Reserve was expected to announce that it was keeping the target range for the Fed funds rate at 5.25-5.50%.
But were markets right in anticipating five interest rates cuts over the course of 2024?
There was also interest in whether - and when - the Fed would slow the pace of its so-called quantitative tightening.
The quarterly U.S. Employment Cost Index at 1330 GMT was also likely to draw the markets' attention.
Overnight, China's National Bureau of Statistics would release its purchasing managers' index for the country's factory sector covering the month of January.
Across the Channel, monthly unemployment and retail sales figures were due out in Germany.
On the corporate side of things meanwhile, Alphabet and Microsoft were both due to release their quarterly earnings reports on Tuesday night, after the New York close.
Shares of both companies were trading at record highs, helped by the recent excitement - when not frenzy - around the promise of artificial intelligence.
The former was seen raking in fourth quarter revenues of $85.3bn for earnings per share of $1.59.
In the case of Microsoft, consensus was for first quarter revenues of $61.1bn for EPS of $2.77.
Wednesday 31 January
INTERIMS
ITM Power
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Amedeo Air Four Plus Limited Red Ord NPV, Mitie Group, Smith (DS), Triad Group
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Balanced Commercial Property Trust Limited , CT Private Equity Trust, Middlefield Canadian Income PCC
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chicago PMI (US) (14:45)
Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)
Employment Cost Index (US) (13:30)
Import Price Index (GER) (07:00)
MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)
Retail Sales (GER) (07:00)
Unemployment Rate (GER) (08:55)
Q4
GSK
FINALS
Abrdn Private Equity Opportunities Trust, Banco Santander S.A., GSK
AGMS
Imperial Brands , Mobile Streams, Oxford Metrics, Schroder Asia Pacific Fund
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
SSE
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
BP 8% Cum 1st Prf, BP 9% 2nd Prf, DotDigital Group, Focusrite, Leeds Building Society 13 3/8% Bearing Shares, Lowland Investment Co, S and U 31.5% Prf. Cum. Prf 12.5P
Share this article
Related Sharecast Articles
Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.
Award-winning online share dealing
Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.
Expert insights into investing your money
Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.
Policies and important information
Accessibility | Conflicts of interest statement | Consumer Duty Target Market | Consumer Duty Value Assessment Statement | Cookie policy | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Doing Business with Fidelity | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Reports | Investing in Fidelity funds | Legal information | Modern slavery | Mutual respect policy | Privacy statement | Remuneration policy | Security | Statutory and Regulatory disclosures | Whistleblowing policy
Please remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance, the performance of investments is not guaranteed, and the value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. When investments have particular tax features, these will depend on your personal circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. This website does not contain any personal recommendations for a particular course of action, service or product. You should regularly review your investment objectives and choices and, if you are unsure whether an investment is suitable for you, you should contact an authorised financial adviser. Before opening an account, please read the ‘Doing Business with Fidelity’ document which incorporates our client terms. Prior to investing into a fund, please read the relevant key information document which contains important information about the fund.
This website is issued by Financial Administration Services Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (FCA Register number 122169) and registered in England and Wales under company number 1629709 whose registered address is Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP.
