Thursday preview: Cabinet talks, Fedspeak in focus
The spotlight on Thursday will be on the Cabinet's decision regarding the Prime Minister's proposed Brexit deal, even as investors attempt to calculate the chances that it will pass muster in Parliament.
Against that backdrop, and the gyrations in Sterling in one direction or another, at 0930 GMT the Office for National Statistics will publish figures covering UK retail sales for the month of October.
Retail sales data for that same month are also set for release on the other side of the Pond, in the US, together with the results of regional manufacturing sector surveys from the Federal Reserve banks of Philadelphia and New York covering the month of November.
Markets wil also be keeping an eye out for a speech from US Fed chief, Jerome Powell, at 1630 GMT.
Oil explorer Premier Oil will get a chance on Thursday to steady shareholders' nerves, although analysts said the outfit's trading update is likely to take the form of a pre-recorded presentation by its chief.
UBS analyst Amy Wong was also anticipating an update on progress towards achieving fiscal year production guidance for between 80-85,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, together with updates on the appraisal drilling programme at Zama, offshore Mexico, and on the Sea Lion project in the Falklands.
Wong was also interested in seeing to what extent Premier was successfully deleveraging its balance sheet, forecasting a drop in leverage from 82% at the end of fiscal year 2017 to 74% at year-end FY 2018.
Also due out are interims from Royal Mail, with UBS penciling-in first half sales of £4.9bn, for adjusted operating profits in EBIT terms of £92m andan interim divi of 8.0p per share.
Among other aspects, the Swiss broker was interested in knowing more about the impact that GDPR was having on advertising mail volumes.
Wednesday November 14
INTERIMS
British Land Company, Flybe Group, Renold, Speedy Hire, SSE, Workspace Group
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Price Index (US) (13:30)
Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)
GDP (Preliminary) (EU) (10:00)
GDP (Preliminary) (GER) (07:00)
Industrial Production (EU) (10:00)
MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)
GMS
Fondul Proprietatea S.A. GDR (Reg S)
FINALS
AB Dynamics, Avon Rubber, Grainger
EGMS
Fondul Proprietatea S.A. GDR (Reg S)
AGMS
Aura Energy Limited NPV (DI), Diurnal Group, Hays, Henderson EuroTrust, JPMorgan Global Convertibles Income Fund Ltd, Jupiter UK Growth Investment Trust, Smiths Group, Thinksmart Limited (DI)
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Cobham
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Price Index (09:30)
Producer Price Index (09:30)
Retail Price Index (09:30)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Strategic Equity Capital
Q1
Solgold