Tuesday's spotlight is likely to be fixed on Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:VOD) as it rings in with full-year results on the back of the telecoms group making several headlines in recent weeks.
Just days after reports that the FTSE 100-listed group and Three owner CK Hutchison have rekindled talks about combining their UK businesses, at the weekend it emerged that a UAE-based Emirates Telecommunications Group (e&) has become its new largest investor, with a US$4.4bn purchase of a 9.8% stake.
While e& says it is just making an investment and not looking to force any changes, analysts at JP Morgan said they "struggle to rationalize the strategic merit in them being a purely passive minority investor".
Other items to watch in the results include energy costs, wages, capital investment and an explanation of why it's struggling to complete deals, according to our Vodafone results preview.
We will also hear from cigarette maker Imperial Brands PLC (LSE:IMB), where big investor issues will be the growth of next-generation products, as well as cigarette sales and pricing.
“The market may also still be considering whether chief executive Stefan Bomhard’s five-year plan, launched in January 2021 after a string of profit warnings, managerial upheaval and a dividend cut, is attainable or not,” said analysts at AJ Bell.
Elsewhere, there will also be half-year results and further debate on the home-versus-office trend as property giant Land Securities Group PLC (LSE:LAND) reports.
In macro matters, wage growth will be the big number to look for as the ONS gives an update on the labour market.
The last set showed February was pretty rosy, overall, with unemployment at 3.8%, below where we were before the pandemic, employment unchanged at 75.5% and weekly wages up 5.4% year-on-year, including bonuses.
But with consumer price inflation at around 7% and retail prices inflation at 9%, real wages are negative and that is hitting people and companies hard.
Significant announcements expected on Tuesday 17 May
Finals: C&C Group PLC (LSE:CCR), DCC PLC (LSE:DCC), Imperial Brands PLC (LSE:IMB), Land Securities PLC, Vodafone Group PLC (LSE:VOD)
Interims: Britvic PLC (LSE:BVIC), Tritax Eurobox PLC (LSE:EBOX)
Trading update: TI Fluid Systems PLC (LSE:TIFS)
Economic announcements: UK unemployment and wage growth, US retail sales, US industrial production, US NAHB housebuilding, EU GDP growth