Friday preview: LSE shuts early, Catalan election results due
Friday's session on the London Stock Exchange will end at 1230 GMT, though there's little let-off elsewhere, with UK national accounts, European and US stock markets trading normal hours and elections in Catalonia to provide a seasonal dollop of risk.
UK accounts will be released at 0930 GMT, including a third and final calculation of gross domestic product, balance of payments data and October's index of services.
GDP is expected to show no change in the third quarter growth of 0.4% compared to the preceding quarter. Neither estimate of industrial production nor construction output has been revised since the second estimate of GDP, while survey evidence backs up the growth in services .
For the balance of payments, the consensus forecast points to the current account deficit narrowing to £21.4bn in the third quarter from £23.2bn in the second.
Economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics predicted a deficit of £21bn, with the deficit narrowing to 4.1% of GDP, from 4.6%. "This would underline that sterling's depreciation has not materially healed the UK's eternal imbalance."
For the index of services the market it looking for a 0.2-0.3% month-to-month rise in services output, down from the previous 0.4%.
Pantheon even suggested it could be as low as 0.1%, given the recent weakness of the purchasing managers index surveys.
CATALANS VOTE
The euro may becalmed or could start to wobble due to Spanish political risk, with provisional data due overnight, according to Bolsamania.
Meanwhile, traders will also be looking at US personal income and spending data and core PCE inflation. Also due out in the US is the flash durable and capital goods orders data, new home sales and the final University of Michigan consumer sentiment reading. In Europe, France also has GDP data while in Germany it's a consumer confidence report.
Friday December 22
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Durable Goods Orders (US) (13:30)
GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)
New Homes Sales (US) (15:00)
Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30)
Personal Income (US) (13:30)
U. of Michigan Confidence (US) (14:00)
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Current Account (09:30)
Gross Domestic Product (09:30)
Index of Services (09:30)
GMS
People's Operator (The)
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Keystone Inv Trust
AGMS
BOS Global Holdings Limited (DI), KCR Residential Reit, Mobile Streams, Progility, Red Rock Resources
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Downing Three VCT D Share , Downing Three VCT E Share, Finsbury Food Group, GBGI Limited, Hotel Chocolat Group , JPMorgan Japanese Inv Trust, Northern Venture Trust, OPG Power Ventures, Orchard Funding Group
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Alpha Financial Markets Consulting, Aquila Services Group, B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI), CMC Markets, Downing Two VCT D Share , Downing Two VCT E Share , Establishment Inv Trust, Helical, Majestic Wine, Martin Currie Asia Unconstrained Trust , Record, ULS Technology , Walker Crips Group
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
BlackRock World Mining Trust, Regional REIT Limited