Wednesday preview: Spending Review, Virgin Money UK in the spotlight

Investors' attention will be squarely on the UK Spending Review on Wednesday and updated economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Economists at Barclays Research are also hoping for further details from the government around their plans for investment and infrastructure spending over the parliament, although they deemed them unlikely at the present stage.

Also due out are a barrage of economic data in the US, including readings on weekly US jobless claims, preliminary trade on goods, durable goods orders and personal income and spending all for the month of October.

Later in the session, the University of Michigan will publish a final reading for US consumer confidence in November and the minutes of the Federal Reserve's last rate-setting meeting.

For Virgin Money UK, UBS's Jason Napier has penciled-in an underlying profit before tax of £96m for the year ending in September after £24m of red ink incurred during the second half.

Its net interest margin was pegged at 1.54% for the year just ended and at 1.46% for the half.

The lender's common equity tier one capital ratio meanwhile was pegged to come in at 13%.

Napier was also anticipating a cost of risk of 70 basis points for the year, above the nine-month run rate of 55bp last reported by Virgin.

Wednesday 25 November

INTERIMS

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting, D4T4 Solutions, De La Rue, Helical, HICL Infrastructure , Liontrust Asset Management, Shearwater Group , United Utilities Group

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Durable Goods Orders (US) (13:30)

Gross Domestic Product (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

New Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30)

Personal Income (US) (13:30)

Personal Spending (US) (13:30)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (13:30)

FINALS

Brewin Dolphin Holdings, Cambria Automobiles

EGMS

China Yangtze Power Co., Ltd GDR (Reg S)

AGMS

Berkeley Energia Limited (DI), Brand Architekts Group, Croma Security Solutions Group, Genus, JPEL Private Equity USD Equity Shares , London Finance & Investment Group, Red Emperor Resources NL (DI), SCS Group , The Fulham Shore, Thor Mining

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Henderson EuroTrust, Ideagen