Tuesday preview: October public borrowing figures in focus

(ShareCast News) - The economic agenda for Tuesday was exceedingly light although the corporate news-flow was set to pick-up noticeably.Thus, the focus was expected to be on October´s official public finance figures from ONS, particularly as they would be the last set of data ahead of the Chancellor´s Autumn statement on the next day.Economists at Barclays forecast the public sector´s net borrowing requirement (excluding bank interventions) would decline from £10.6bn in September to £6.7bn.Nonetheless, Hammond´s room-to-manoeuvre on fiscal stimulus was expected to be rather limited given lower projections for economic growth going forward.A reading on the state of manufacturing courtesy of the Confederation of British Industry´s Industrial Trends survey was also due to be published.Acting as a backdrop, the House of Lords was set to debate on two reports from the European Union Select Committee, entitled 'The Invoking of Article 50' and 'Brexit: Parliamentary Scrutiny'.Among the firms which were scheduled to update shareholders and the markets was DIY retailer Kingfisher.Analaysts at Numis believed the market/weather backdrop in the UK had remained supportive in the third quarter, although recent figures from the French central bank had pointed to a "surprisingly tough month" in September.Numis also pointed out how over the past twelve months the shares had outperformed the sector by 24%, especially since the Brexit vote, while consensus forecasts for profits before tax for the company in fiscal year 2018 had in fact reduced slightly since end-June.That had pushed the stock´s 2017 price-to-earnings multiple to 15.4, for a 33% premium to its peer group.INTERIMSAO World, Assura , Big Yellow Group, CML Microsystems, De La Rue, Halma, Homeserve, Scapa Group, Solid State, Telecom Plus, ULS Technology , VictoriaINTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEIntu PropertiesINTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSConsumer Confidence (EU) (15:00)Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)Q3Frutarom Industries Ltd GDR (Reg S)FINALSCambria Automobiles, Compass Group, CYBG , Focusrite, Mitchells & Butlers, Renew HoldingsAGMSBerkeley Energia Limited (DI), Dunelm GroupTRADING ANNOUNCEMENTSHomeserve, Intertek Group, Kingfisher, Rotork, Spectris, Spirax-Sarco Engineering, SVG CapitalUK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSPublic Sector Net Borrowing (09:30)FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEClose Brothers Group