• Today's economic calendar kicks off with the release of UK industrial production for March (0830 GMT). Industrial output rose by 0.1% m/m in February following monthly falls of 0.2% and 0.1% in December and January respectively. The rise in February was driven by gains in manufacturing (0.4%), utilities (1.2%) and water supply & sewerage (1.4%). However, these were nearly  offset by a 3.8% contraction in oil and natural gas output, which may have reflected a fall in investment in North Sea production on the back of the sharp fall in oil prices since last June. The weaker-than-expected 0.3% q/q preliminary estimate of Q1 GDP implied that industrial production stalled in March.  
  
  
• US data for today is relatively second tier with the NFIB small business optimism survey and JOLTS job openings report both due. The latter has been highlighted by Fed Chair Yellen as a key barometer on the health of the US labour market. In February, job openings rose to a 14-year high, while dismissals dropped to their lowest level since November 2013 suggesting that firms remain optimistic of a bounce back in economic activity following the slowdown in Q1. "The pace of job openings is expected to have picked up to 5.14mn in March which would mark its highest level since January 2001", says Lloyds Bank.