Thursday preview: BoE, Close Brothers Group in focus

The market spotlight on Thursday will be firmly on the Bank of England as rate-setters meet to decide on policy.

Bank Rate is expected to remain unchanged, but this time only two of the Monetary Policy Committee's nine members are expected to have voted for a cut, as opposed to four last time.

The policy announcement is scheduled for 1100 BST.

Later in the day, at 1230 BST, investors will be waiting on the latest US weekly jobless claims figures.

In parallel, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia will release the results of its closely followed regional factory survey.

In company news, merchant banker Close Brothers Group will release its full-year results.

UBS's Sanjena Dadawala anticipates that it will post a 22% decline in second half underlying profits to reach £73m, as higher costs and impairment charges more than offset income growth.

The analyst cited loan pricing and fee trends, cost growth, asset quality, and the fiscal year 2025 outlook for net interest margins in banking among some of the items that investors were expected to focus on.

Thursday 19 September

FINALS

Galliford Try

INTERIMS

Engage XR Holdings (CDI), Next, Maintel Holdings, S4 Capital, Crism Therapeutics Corporation Ord Npv, Portmeirion Group, Judges Scientific, Downing Renewables & Infrastructure Trust

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ocado Group

AGMs

Liontrust Asset Management, JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income, Trakm8 Holdings, Augmentum Fintech, Supreme, Northern Bear

GMs

Ferrexpo

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Jet2, IG Group Holdings, Artemis Alpha Trust, Cavendish Financial, PHSC, South32 Limited (DI), Walker Crips Group, Brooks Macdonald Group, Rank Group, Eckoh

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

SSE

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Unite Group, Crest Nicholson Holdings, Luceco, Lords Group Trading, Elecosoft Public Limited Company, Essentra, Property Franchise Group, Triple Point Social Housing Reit, Bridgepoint Group (Reg S), Fidelity European Trust, Robinson, Diales, TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited, Keystone Law Group, Kenmare Resources (CDI), Chesnara, Drax Group, EPWIN GROUP, Restore, Somero Enterprises Inc. (DI), Gamma Communications, PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, Oakley Capital Investments Ltd. (DI), Maven Income & Growth 4 VCT, Income & Growth VCT, Forterra, Thungela Resources Limited NPV (DI)

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Atalaya Mining, Haleon, Scottish American Inv Company

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Triple Point Energy Transition

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Patria Private Equity Trust, Energean, Regional REIT Limited NPV

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Current Account (EU) (09:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Philadelphia Fed Index (US) (13:30)

Current Account (US) (13:30)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)