Wednesday preview: Fedspeak, Bank of India in focus

America's central bank would continue to be the centre of attention in the middle of the week with several of its top officials set to take to the podium.

Investors would be carefully parsing their remarks to see how their views on the outlook for interest rates might have changed.

First off would Federal Reserve Bank of New York chief, John Williams, at 1415 GMT, who was to be interviewed at a Wall Street Journal Live event.

He would be followed a quarter of an hour later by Fed Governor Lisa Cook, at 1730 GMT by Minneapolis Fed boss Neel Kashkari and at 1845 GMT by Governor Christoper Waller.

Across the Channel meanwhile, investors would be keeping an eye on Italian retail sales figures for the month of December and on survey results for French business sentiment in January.

On home shores, overnight the Recruitment and Employment Confederation will publish its permanent staff and salaries indices.

Further afield, in India, rate-setters will meet to decide on interest rates.

Wednesday 08 February

FINALS

Hardide, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI)

INTERIMS

Barratt Developments, CAP-XX Limited, Ashmore Group

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Severn Trent

AGMs

Keystone Positive Change Investment Trust, AJ Bell, Grainger

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Britvic

Cerillion

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Britvic, Cerillion

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust

International Economic Announcements

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)