Friday preview: Ecofin meeting, Chinese inflation data in focus

Investors' attention at the end of the week will likely to be trained on a meeting of European Union finance ministers in Prague, Czech Republic.

Among the issues that will be examined are the various proposals for setting a price cap for imports of natural gas from Russia.

Industrial production figures for France and Spain covering the month of July are due out before the market open in London.

Against that backdrop, overnight China's National Bureau of Statistics will publish its consumer and producer price reports for August.

Across the Pond, Chicago Fed boss Charles Evans is due to deliver a speech at 1500 BST, followed by Fed governor, Chris Waller, at 1700 BST.

No major economic reports are scheduled for release in the UK.

Friday 02 September

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Avon Protection, Bellevue Healthcare Trust (Red), Inchcape, Just Group, Lancashire Holdings Limited, Moneysupermarket.com Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Honeywell International Inc., I3 Energy

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Factory Orders (US) (15:00)

Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (13:30)

Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)

FINALS

Ashmore Group, Time Finance

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Cranswick, Heath (Samuel) & Sons, Iomart Group, Latham (James), New Century AIM VCT, NewRiver REIT

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Base Resources Ltd