Friday preview: US consumer confidence, UK retail sales in focus

Financial markets' focus at the end of the week will be on the US consumer, as the University of Michigan publishes its preliminary reading for consumer confidence for September at 1500 BST.

It will be a similar situation in the UK, with the Office for National Statistics due to release retail sales figures for August at 0700 BST.

Consensus is for a slowdown in the pace of outlays from the 3.6% month-on-month jump seen in July to 0.5%.

Barclays Research however is expecting a bit more, forecasting a 1.1% rise, which would put spending 4% above their February levels.

Across the Channel, in the wake of the recent policy announcements out of the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, investors will likely be keeping an eye on speeches from ECB vice-president, Luis de Guindos, and his fellow Governing Council member, Isabel Schnabel.

Rate-setters in Moscow are also due to meet to decide on policy.

Friday 18 September

INTERIMS

Applegreen

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Domino's Pizza Group, Ultra Electronics Holdings

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Base Resources Ltd

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV, Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (USD)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Current Account (EU) (09:00)

Current Account (US) (13:30)

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

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

GMS

Kore Potash

EGMS

ROS Agro GDR REG S

AGMS

Accsys Technologies, B&M European Value Retail S.A. (DI), Eurasia Mining, Surgical Innovations Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Retail Sales (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Cohort, Downing One VCT , SSE