Thursday preview: ECB minutes, Electrocomponents in focus

The focus in financial markets on Thursday will be split between the European Central Bank and the US jobs market.

For the former, investors will be watching for any insights into the monetary authority 's thinking when it comes to potential tweaks to its policy framework.

Regarding the jobs picture in America, they will be closely tracking the latest weekly initial and secondary unemployment claims data for signs of any further slowdown in hiring.

In the UK meanwhile, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation is scheduled to release its Staff Placements, Staff Salaries and indices for September one minute after midnight.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors will do the same with its house price balance referencing that same month alongside the REC.

Electrocomponent's second quarter trading update will come as the Industrial and electronic products distributor's shares are sitting near their best levels for two years.

The last time around, the firm which serves over 1m customers spread across 80 countries, posted falling sales across all its key markets, with Northern Europe being the weakest of those geographies but Australia and China riding out the Covid-19 wave.

Now, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK: "the economic re-openings seen in Q2 are likely to see a much-improved performance in Q2, with June likely to see the strongest rebound.

"The company’s RS Pro brand saw a return to growth in June, with management taking steps to maintain and its gross margins. In terms of the current fiscal year management did warn that revenues would probably be £3m lower due to fewer trading days than the previous year."

Thursday 8 October

FINALS

Volution Group

INTERIMS

Phoenix Global Resources, Atlas Mara Limited (DI)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Motorpoint Group, CMC Markets, Electrocomponents, Unite Group

AGMs

Artemis Alpha Trust, Pacific Horizon Inv Trust

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

JPMorgan Emerging Markets Inv Trust, Circle Property, Begbies Traynor Group

NCC Group, K3 Capital Group

Creightons, PZ Cussons, JPMorgan Mid Cap Inv Trust, Pacific Horizon Inv Trust

City of London Investment Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

South32 Limited (DI), Diageo

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Spirax-Sarco Engineering, Aberdeen Smaller Companies Income Trust, Chesnara

Aquila European Renewables Income Fund (GBP), Andrews Sykes Group, Finsbury Growth & Income Trust, Tandem Group, EMIS Group, Troy Income & Growth Trust, QinetiQ Group, Aberdeen Latin American Income Fund Ltd, Securities Trust of Scotland, Learning Technologies Group, Strix Group, Anglo Asian Mining, ICG-Longbow Senior Secured UK Property Debt Investments Ltd, Life Settlement Assets, WPP, European Assets Trust

Judges Scientific, 888 Holdings, Pembroke Vct B, Gore Street Energy Storage Fund, F&C Investment Trust, Trans-Siberian Gold, Curtis Banks Group, Witan Pacific Inv Trust, Schroder Income Growth Fund, Schroder European Real Estate Investment Trust

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Macfarlane Group, Intertek Group

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

888 Holdings, Cake Box Holdings, Urban Logistics Reit, Camellia, Albion Technology & General VCT, Crown Place VCT

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Ferrexpo

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust, Primary Health Properties, Yew Grove Reit, Merchants Trust, Marsh & Mclennan Cos Inc., JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

GlaxoSmithKline

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

RICS Housing Market Survey (00:01)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Current Account (GER) (07:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30