London stocks were set to fall at the open on Tuesday as investors mulled the latest results from easyJet and a trading update from Kingfisher, with all eyes on US data releases later in the day and on Wednesday's Budget.
The FTSE 100 was called to open down around 20 points.
Danske Bank said: "Several key indicators for the US economy are set to be released in the afternoon. This includes the PPI, retail sales and the consumer confidence indicator. Note that the PPI and retail sales are part of the delayed September releases.
"With few other data prints are on the agenda, the market reaction could be larger than usual and may very well affect sentiment surrounding the FOMC December meeting."
The PPI and retail sales data for September are due at 1330 GMT.
In corporate news, B&Q owner Kingfisher upgraded its full-year outlook despite market conditions softening in the UK and Poland.
Updating on third-quarter trading, the FTSE 250 retailer said underlying sales rose by 0.9% in the three months to 31 October, driven by growth in both volumes and transactions.
Kingfisher, which also owns Screwfix, Castorama and Brico Depot, among others, acknowledged that conditions remained difficult in some of its core markets.
But despite that, it boosted full-year profit guidance to between £540m to £570m, compared to £480m to £540m.
Insurer Beazley warned that premium growth had slowed and renewal rates had fallen in the nine months ended 30 September, with weakness in cyber risks and softer conditions across several specialty lines weighing on performance.
Beazley said investment income had also come in lower year‑on‑year, reflecting tougher market conditions, even as underwriting discipline continued to underpin profitability.
Gross written premiums rose just 1% during the period, while net premiums were up 4%. Renewal rates fell 4%, compared with flat pricing a year earlier, highlighting competitive pressures.
Low cost airline easyJet upgraded forecasts for its holiday division after posting a 9% rise in full-year pre-tax earnings to a better-than-expected £655m.
The company said holidays delivered profits of £250m, hitting its medium-term target early resulting in a new target of £450m by 2030. It added that forward bookings for the first quarter of the current year were 81% sold.
Catering firm Compass reported strong underlying sales growth in the fiscal year to 30 September, driven by a solid performance in North America and good client retention.
Revenues totalled $46.1bn, up 8.7% on an organic basis, with North American sales up 9.1% and international sales up 7.7%. Strong top-line growth, along with a slight improvement in margins, helped underlying operating profit rise 11.7% to $3.34bn.