Some of the US and British companies due to unveil their results this week include Microsoft, Alphabet, Visa, PepsiCo, McDonald's, Standard Chartered, GSK, Astrazeneca, Barclays, or J Sainsbury. Quite a programme !

And today, investors are already able to check out the results of Associated British Foods and Whitbread.

The latter added 4.5% after posting annual profit above pre-pandemic levels. However, Associated British Foods fell 5% as it unveiled a 3% fall in first-half profit and issued a disappointing guidance.

The FTSE 100 opened 0.4% lower this morning, hampered by lenders, as well as industrial miners as copper prices fell over demand concerns from China.

Meanwhile, data showed the UK recorded a bigger-than-expected budget deficit in March.

 

Things to read today:

BofA, JPMorgan Say Time to Sell as Europe Stocks Face Risks (Bloomberg)

Jeremy Hunt gets £13bn tax cut boost ahead of general election (Daily Telegraph)