Investors’ focus on Thursday would be on the Bank of England.
Bank was scheduled to announce its latest policy decision at noon, but analysts were divided on whether it would hike rates by 25 or 50 basis points.
Against that backdrop, at 1330 BST financial markets’ attention would turn towards the latest weekly unemployment figures in the U.S., followed by the Institute for Supply Management‘s July services sector Purchasing Managers’ Index at 1500 BST.
Final readings for S&P Global‘s services PMIs for the euro area and the UK covering that same month were also scheduled for release, at 0900 BST and 0930 BST, respectively.
On the corporate side of things, it was Rolls Royce that would be in the spotlight, as the engineer published its second quarter earnings.
During the previous week, the company had raised its full-year guidance.
Underlying profits were seen coming in at £1.2-1.4bn and free cash flow at £0.9-1.1bn.
For the half, underlying profit was pegged at £600-680m thanks to the civil aviation and defence markets, which had bolstered its underlying profits.
“With the shares now back at pre-Covid levels, further progress is now likely to be predicated on progress on some its new business areas, like Small Modular reactor technology, which is currently operating at a loss, and is still in its infancy,” said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.
Stateside, all eyes would be on Amazon and Apple, which were due to report their latest quarterly earnings after the close of trading in New York.
Thursday 03 August
INTERIMS
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (DI), Helios Towers, Hellenic Telecom Industries SA ADS, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES REIT P IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES ORD SHS, London Stock Exchange Group, Mears Group, Morgan Sindall Group, Quilter, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Serco Group, Shaftesbury Capital, Smith & Nephew, Tritax Big Box Reit
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
WH Smith
INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, Aptitude Software Group , Blackrock Throgmorton Trust, Foxtons Group , Inchcape, Jupiter Fund Management , Lloyds Banking Group, Mobico Group, Moneysupermarket.com Group, Nichols, Rathbones Group, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Relx plc, Rentokil Initial, RTC Group, Tyman, Vesuvius
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Brunner Inv Trust, Picton Property Income Ltd, Unilever
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Factory Orders (US) (15:00)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)
ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)
ISM Services (US) (15:00)
PMI Composite (EU) (09:00)
PMI Composite (GER) (08:55)
PMI Composite (US) (14:45)
PMI Services (EU) (09:00)
PMI Services (GER) (08:55)
PMI Services (US) (14:45)
Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)
Q2
Hellenic Telecom Industries SA ADS, Smith & Nephew
FINALS
Omega Diagnostics Group
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust
SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Foresight VCT, Jupiter Fund Management , Latham (James)
EGMS
Landore Resources Limited NPV
AGMS
Caffyns, Distil, Edenville Energy , Investec, Ukrproduct Group Ltd
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Next, Smith & Nephew
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)
PMI Composite (09:30)
PMI Services (09:30)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Caledonia Investments, GB Group
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
BT Group, CML Microsystems, Heath (Samuel) & Sons, Latham (James), Oxford Instruments, Triple Point Venture Vct
Q1
Wizz Air Holdings
