Friday preview: UK retail sales data in the spotlight

26th Mar 2026 07:04

(Sharecast News) - The main highlight on Friday will be the release of UK retail sales data for February at 0700 GMT.

TD Securities said it expects the data to show a 0.6% month-on-month decline last month, "undoing some of the gains from the previous two months as idiosyncratic factors lose some of their influence".

"Adverse weather likely reduced foot traffic in physical stores, also leading to lower sales throughout the month," it said.

"However, while monthly figures would indicate some mean reversion, consumer momentum should stay positive now that uncertainty related to the November Budget has diminished."

There are no FTSE 350 corporate releases of note due.

Across the pond, the Michigan consumer sentiment index for March is due at 1400 GMT, while cruise operator Carnival is slated to report first-quarter earnings.

Bloomberg consensus is for Carnival to report adjusted earnings per share of 18 cents for Q1 and revenue of $6.13bn. Adjusted net income is estimated at $251.7m and adjusted EBITDA at $1.26bn.