Friday preview: US jobs data, Presidential elections in focus

All eyes at the end of the week will be on the US non-farm payrolls report for October, with investors looking for signs that even modest job growth can be sustained, or not, until new fiscal stimulus is approved by Congress.

The consensus forecast is for the economy to have added 610,000 jobs last month, a gain similar to the 661,000 rise reported for September.

Unemployment as a proportion of those not working but actively seeking to do so meanwhile is seen falling from 7.9% to 7.7%.

Average hourly earnings meanwhile are expected to slow, but only a tad, with the year-on-year rate of increase dipping from 4.7% to 4.6%.

In the background, financial markets will be closely watching the US presidential election results in Nevada and Arizona, especially the former, which would nearly seal the electoral college vote for Joe Biden if it goes his way.

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

Across the Channel, the spotlight will be on industrial production data for the month of September due out in Germany and Spain.

Friday 06 November

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Fisher (James) & Sons, Hastings Group Holdings , Highcroft Investment, Judges Scientific, M. P. Evans Group, Robert Walters, Spirax-Sarco Engineering, TP ICAP, Trans-Siberian Gold, WPP

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BMO UK High Income Trust , Marble Point Loan Financing Limited NPV

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Industrial Production (GER) (07:00)

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

Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Alfa Financial Software Holdings , BMO UK High Income Trust B Shares

AGMS

Adriatic Metals , Redrow

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Brooks Macdonald Group, Circle Property , Manchester & London Investment Trust, NCC Group