Friday preview: Munich Security Conference, US retail sales in focus

(Sharecast News) - All eyes at the end of the week will be on the Munich Security Conference, at which the US is expected to unveil further details regarding the agreed start of talks between Washington, Ukraine and Moscow. Worth noting, on Thursday Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, appeared to moderate his enthusiasm from the day before, having reportedly said that Kyiv would not accept a deal that had been agreed upon with it.

Some European leaders and top officials had shown great dismay at what they said had already been concessions to Russia by the White House, as reported by the BBC, among others.

But as Harvard political scientist Graham Allison told Der Spiegel on 4 February, Donald Trump was the kind of person who thought to himself "Why should someone like Zelenskyy decide on my interests?"

On 12 February, Tuesday, US vice-president JD Vance told the Wall Street Journal that the option of sending American troops to Ukraine "remained on the table" if Moscow would not agree to a deal with Kyiv that guaranteed Ukraine's long-term independence.

The interview was not published until two days afterwards, coinciding with the start of the Munich Security Conference.

"Ithink there is a deal that is going to come out of this that's going to shock a lot of people," Vance said, according to the Journal.

"[...]There are any number of formulations, of configurations, but we do care about Ukraine having sovereign independence."

Against that backdrop, investors will be digesting a raft of economic reports, including the latest readings for monthly import prices and retail sales in the US.

No major economic data releases are scheduled in the UK.

In the euro area meanwhile, at 1000 BST Eurostat will publish fourth quarter GDP and employment data for the euro area.

Earlier, at 0700 BST, wholesale price data for January are due out from Germany's Destatis.

Friday 14 February

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

FIH Group , Solid State

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income, Tufton Assets Limited Npv

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Capacity Utilisation (US) (14:15)

Import and Export Price Indices (US) (13:30)

Industrial Production (US) (14:15)

Producer Price Index (US) (13:30)

FINALS

NATWEST GROUP, SEGRO

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI), Hargreave Hale AIM VCT

AGMS

Carr's Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust , Blackrock Frontiers Investment Trust, Hargreave Hale AIM VCT , Origin Enterprises (CDI), Premier Miton Group, RWS Holdings