Friday preview: US non-farm payrolls, consumer confidence in focus

All eyes at the end of the week will be on the US non-farm payrolls report for the month of December.

The consensus forecast is for a 160,000 person increase in hiring following a gain of 227.000 during the month before.

Average hourly earnings meanwhile are seen rising at a month-on-month pace of 0.3%, whilst the unemployment rate is expected to have remained at 4.2%.

The report from the Department of Labor will be published at 133 BST.

Also due out, at 1500 BST, are the preliminary findings for the University of Michigan's consumer confidence survey covering January.

No major economic releases are scheduled in the UK.

Further afield, in China, investors will be waiting on money supply growth figures for December.

Friday 10 January

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

3i Group, Caffyns, DSW Capital, Intermediate Capital Group, Marks & Spencer Group, Octopus AIM VCT, Oxford Instruments, Pets at Home Group , Severn Trent, Supreme , TR Property Inv Trust, Zigup

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Regional REIT Limited NPV

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Sentiment (US) (15:00)

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

Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)

GMS

Martin Currie Global Portfolio Trust

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Associated British Foods

AGMS

ALT Resources, Sealand Capital Galaxy Limited (DI)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sainsbury (J)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Associated British Foods, Fidelity Special Values