Friday preview: European Parliament elections, Spectris

The focus at the end of the week on both sides of the Channel will be on the results of the elections to the European parliament, with investors keen for any hint of what the results might be, although the official tally will not be known until Sunday.

In terms of economic data meanwhile, at 0930 BST the Office for National Statistics will publish retail sales data for the month of April, with the consensus anticipating a 0.1% dip month-on-month following March's outsized jump of 1.1%.

A reading on the Confederation of British Industry's distributive trades index for the month of May is also set for release, at 1100 BST.

Stateside meanwhile, the only significant report due to be published is that from the Department of Commerce covering durable goods orders in April.

No major reports are scheduled in the euro area.

Among the few corporates set to update markets at the end of the week is Spectris, although investors will also be keeping a close eye on AGMs at Bodycote, Fever-Tree and Informa.

For the former, analysts at Numis are "keen" to see if the instrumentation and controls manufacturer's disappointing working capital outflow seen at the end of 2018 reversed over the first four months of the year.

An update on end markets would also be appreciated they said, given the roughly 32% exposure of the company's sales to Europe and of 13% to semiconductors, telecommunications and electronics as well as to the German industrial market.

More detail on its cost savings plan was also sought.

Typically, at this stage in the year, the company's trading update was "light on numbers" aside from a like-for-like sales growth number and sometimes a figure for its level of net debt, said analyst Richard Paige.

For the full-year, Paige had penciled in LFL sales growth of just over 3% and 35%/65% EBITDA split for between the first and second halves.

Friday 24 May

Finals

Urban Logistics Reit, Westminster Group, Tiger Resource, Volvere

AGMs

Bodycote, Spectris, Informa, Global Ports Holdings, Luceco, Pagegroup, FEVERTREE DRINKS, Old Mutual Limited NPV (DI), Yew Grove Reit, OJSC Phosagro GDR (Regs), Headlam Group, Bezant Resources

Annual reports

Tiger Resource

Final dividend payment date

St James's Place, SafeCharge International Group Limited (DI), Centaur Media, Fresnillo, IWG, Antofagasta, NMCN, Chesnara, Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings), Rosenblatt Group, Aggreko, Bovis Homes Group, Cello Health, Polymetal International, Marshall Motor Holdings, BBA Aviation, Churchill China, Petrofac Ltd., Secure Trust Bank, Vesuvius, Clarke (T.), Vitec Group, Toyota Motor Corp., Morgan Advanced Materials, Charles Taylor, Tyman, Spirax-Sarco Engineering, Gresham House, EP Global Opportunities Trust, Octopus AIM VCT 2,

Interim dividend payment date

Investment Company, SQN Asset Finance Income Fund Limited 'C Shares', CQS Natural Resources Growth and Income, Montanaro UK Smaller Companies Inv Trust, SQN Asset Finance Income Fund Limited, NewRiver REIT, Swallowfield, Drum Income Plus Reit, Starwood European Real Estate Finance Ltd, SQN Secured Income Fund, Aberdeen Asian Income Fund Ltd., Greencoat UK Wind, Foresight Solar Fund Limited, Axiom European Financial Debt Fund Limited, Special Ex-Dividend Date

Special dividend payment date

EP Global Opportunities Trust, EIH Plc

Quarterly payment date

Primary Health Properties

Funding Circle SME Income Fund

UK Economic Announcements

BBA Mortgage Lending Figures (09:30)

CBI Distributive Trades Surveys (11:00)

International economic announcements

Durable Goods Orders (US) (1330)