Business Lookahead: sell in May and go away?

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STORY: From clues to whether U.S. rates have really peaked, to why stock traders may stick around for the summer, these are the top business and finance stories to watch out for in the coming days.

The Federal Reserve has signaled it’s set to hit pause on rate hikes.

Now any cooling in Wednesday’s inflation figures could reassure investors that the Fed really means it.

A sharper-than-expected slowdown will add to bets that rate cuts could come this year.

A raft of Chinese data will offer a reality check on March’s surprisingly robust figures.

April trade numbers due Tuesday are forecast to show an export surge cooling off, with data on prices and credit expected to be mixed.

That could leave investors and policymakers struggling to determine if China needs more stimulus, or less.

King Charles’ coronation could give a boost to UK food and drink sales.

But GDP figures are expected to show the economy stagnating ahead of the big event.

The week should also see the Bank of England raise rates once again, as it battles the highest inflation in Western Europe.

The next few weeks will test the old saying that advises investors to “sell in May and go away.”

That’s based on evidence that stock gains are generally leaner over the summer.

But the past 10 years have seen that reversed, with stocks outperforming over mid-year.

And bulging debt burdens in emerging markets will be high on the agenda when G7 countries meet in Japan from Thursday.

The group has invited policymakers from countries including India, Indonesia and Brazil to attend an outreach meeting.

Ministers will also address spillover effects from the conflict in Ukraine.

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