Week ahead: Brexit, ECB in the spotlight

(Sharecast News) - Financial markets' focus over the coming days will be squarely on Brexit.


European Union leaders are due to meet on Thursday and analysts are hoping that a deal - confident even - that a last minute deal is achievable.

But if they are wrong, then the implications are all negative and sizeable.

Against that backdrop, and also on Thursday, policymakers at the European Central Bank are due to meet and they are expected to boost the size of their asset purchase programme.

However, those members on the governing council who are pushing for an open-ended policy response are likely to run into opposition from some of their colleagues, analysts at Barclays Research believe.

Foreign trade data out in China on Monday for November will also be closely scrutinised, as will figures for consumer prices referencing that same month.

On home shores meanwhile, gross domestic product and activity data for October are all due out on Friday.

Stateside, the key economic release will also land at the end of the week, with a preliminary reading on US consumer confidence, courtesy of the University of Michigan.

Monday 07 December

INTERIMS

IMImobile , Ted Baker, VP

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Seplat Petroleum Development Company (DI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Credit (US) (20:00)

Industrial Production (GER) (07:00)

GMS

Inspects Group

FINALS

Hardide

AGMS

Amedeo Air Four Plus Limited Red Ord NPV, Renalytix Ai (Reg S), UK Mortgages Limited

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Halifax House Price Index (08:30)

Retail Sales (23:01)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

JPMorgan Smaller Companies Inv Trust

Tuesday 08 December

INTERIMS

Begbies Traynor Group, GB Group, SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust, Solid State, ULS Technology , Vianet Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Morgan Sindall Group, Tribal Group

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Gross Domestic Product (EU) (10:00)

ZEW Survey (EU) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Current Situation (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

Q2

Ashtead Group

FINALS

Numis Corporation, Renew Holdings, Zytronic

EGMS

Orascom Investment Holding SAE (REG S)

AGMS

Allergy Therapeutics, Fidelity Asian Values, Greatland Gold, Haydale Graphene Industries, Henderson International Income Trust, UIL Limited (DI), Volta Finance Limited NPV (GBP), Worsley Investors Limited NPV

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

NWF Group

Wednesday 09 December

INTERIMS

Creightons, Duke Royalty Limited, SDI Group , Stagecoach Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

DCC, Inspired Energy

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Meikles Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Current Account (GER) (07:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

GMS

MetalNRG

FINALS

PCF Group, Victrex plc

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus , Thinksmart Limited (DI)

AGMS

CQS Natural Resources Growth and Income , Orchard Funding Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus , BlackRock Greater Europe Inv Trust

Thursday 10 December

INTERIMS

Cohort, DWF Group , Smith (DS)

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

British American Inv Trust

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting, Aquila Services Group, Charles Stanley Group, Clipper Logistics , D4T4 Solutions, Gresham House Strategic , Homeserve, Intermediate Capital Group, Investec, Investec Non-Red Non-Cum Non-Part Prf Shs, Mercia Technologies , Ninety One , Puma Vct 11, Severfield, TR Property Inv Trust, Walker Crips Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Brunner Inv Trust, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION COM STK USD0.20 (CDI), Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.NPV (CDI)

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alpha Real Trust Ltd., Assura , Real Estate Credit Investments Ltd, Tritax Eurobox (EUR), Tritax Eurobox (GBP), XP Power Ltd. (DI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Price Index (US) (13:30)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

GMS

EKF Diagnostics Holdings

FINALS

Character Group, Marston's, On The Beach Group , RWS Holdings

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Braveheart Investment Group

AGMS

7Digital Group , Aberdeen Latin American Income Fund Ltd , Amur Minerals Corporation NPV, Asia Dragon Trust , Bioventix, Ceres Power Holdings, Chelverton Growth Trust, Doric Nimrod Air One Ltd, Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited Red Ord Pref Shs Npv, Doric Nimrod Air Two Ltd Pref Shs Npv, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd., Lok'n Store Group, MJ Hudson Group NPV, Petro Matad Ltd., PRS Reit (The) , Softcat, Upland Resources Limited NPV, Windar Photonics, YouGov

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ocado Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (07:00)

Gross Domestic Product (07:00)

Index of Services (07:00)

Industrial Production (07:00)

Manufacturing Production (07:00)

RICS Housing Market Survey (00:01)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Fidelity Asian Values, Springfield Properties

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Aeci 5 1/2% Prf, Gresham House Renewable Energy VCT 1 , Gresham House Renewable Energy VCT 1 A Shares, Gresham House Renewable Energy VCT 2, Gresham House Renewable Energy VCT 2 A Shares, Orchard Funding Group , Oxford Metrics, Witan Investment Trust Plc

Friday 11 December

INTERIMS

Polar Capital Technology Trust

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Airtel Africa , Central Asia Metals, Genel Energy, Morgan Advanced Materials , Ocean Wilsons Holdings Ltd., Octopus Titan VCT , Telecom Plus

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

Producer Price Index (US) (13:30)

U. of Michigan Confidence (Prelim) (US) (15:00)

GMS

KEFI Gold and Copper , ReNeuron Group

FINALS

Nexus Infrastructure

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Softcat

AGMS

Bellway, Star Phoenix Group Ltd NPV (DI), Up Global Sourcing Holdings , Volution Group, Westmount Energy Ltd.

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bellway, Rolls-Royce Holdings

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Ashmore Group, Baillie Gifford Japan Trust, Ferguson, Genesis Emerging Markets Fund Ltd Ptg NPV, Genus, James Halstead, Softcat