Friday preview: China foreign trade data, Spirax Sarco in the spotlight

Markets' focus at the end of the week will be squarely on the latest foreign trade data out of the People's Republic of China.

October data from the Asian giant's customs bureau are expected to show a modest improvement in the rate of import demand to -7.6% year-on-year from -8.5% in the month before.

The rate of increase in the country's exports on the other hand is expected to worsen -3.2% to -3.8%.

Against that backdrop, and of greatest importance, investors will be carefully scanning the headlines for further news on the state of US-China trade talks.

Stateside, the University of Michigan is due to publish the preliminary results of its consumer confidence survey for November.

Back on home turf, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation is scheduled to publish its Permanent Staff Placements and Salaries indices for October.

Spirax Sarco will be in the spotlight at the end of the week, as the steam and electrical process heating solutions specialist posts its third quarter earnings.

Going into the results, UBS analyst Guillermo Peigneux had penciled-in a slowdown in organic growth in its Steam Specialities unit from the rate in the high single digits observed over the first half to low single digits for the backhalf, due to declining levels of global industrial production and US-China trade tensions.

Its Watson-Marlow business on the other hand was expected to register high single digit growth and the Chromalox unit mid single digit growth.

Group margins on the other hand were expected to be similar to 2018's, despite the higher margin Hygromatik business and the boost to the company's profits in Argentina last year.

Friday November 08

INTERIMS

Castings

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

AA , Andrews Sykes Group, Bodycote, Charles Taylor, Cobham, Downing Three VCT F Shs, Downing Three VCT H Shs, Downing Three VCT J Shs, Downing Two VCT F Shs , Downing Two VCT G Shs, Harwood Wealth Management Group, Hastings Group Holdings , Kingfisher, Learning Technologies Group , M&C Saatchi, SIG, Spectris, Spirax-Sarco Engineering, Taylor Wimpey, TP ICAP, Travis Perkins, US Solar Fund

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust, British Land Company

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Current Account (GER) (07:00)

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

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

AGMS

Gulf Investment Fund, Gulf Investment Fund, Red Emperor Resources NL (DI), VietNam Holding Ltd, VietNam Holding Ltd

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Brooks Macdonald Group, Murgitroyd Group, Photo-Me International