Friday preview: Global PMIs, IMI in focus

The market spotlight at the end of the week will be on the release of a raft of global manufacturing and services sector surveys referencing the month of July.

IHS Markit will publish UK Purchasing Managers Indices for the UK at 0930 BST, with both expected to have edged higher and past the critical 50.0 point mark threshhold that denotes growth in each sector.

Also due out is GfK's consumer confidence gauge for July and retail sales data for June, the latter also at 0930 BST.

Similar PMI results are also expected across the Channel and may help to gauge to what extent or not activity was continuing to recover in early July.

Stateside, June new home sales data are due out.

Further afield, interest rate decisions are scheduled in Angola and Russia.

For IMI's half-year numbers, Morgan Stanley analyst Robert Davies is calling for sales of £855m for earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation of £97m and earnings per share of 245.4p.

Overall, his estimates pointed to a mixed qauarter, with late cycle pressures on capital expenditures and after-markets, but alongside help from the firm's backlog and with the LNG expected to be a bright spot in late cycle.

The Precision segment was also expected to have performed relatively well with strong growth in Life Sciences on the back of demand for Covid-19 related supplies.

Sales in Hydronic on the other hand were seen sharply lower.

Friday 24 July

INTERIMS

Centrica, IMI, Informa

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

CC Japan Income & Growth Trust, Hargreave Hale AIM VCT

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Real Estate Investors

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

AGMS

Aberdeen Japan Investment Trust , Arkle Resources , Ascent Resources, Bahamas Petroleum Co, Great Portland Estates, Kingfisher, Nostra Terra Oil & Gas Co, PayPoint, Petrel Resources, Remote Monitored Systems , Renold, Surface Transforms, TR Property Inv Trust, United Utilities Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Retail Sales (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Airtel Africa , ICG Enterprise Trust, Serica Energy

Q1

Airtel Africa