Wednesday preview: US FOMC, British American Tobacco in the spotlight

All eyes on Wednesday will be on the results of the US Federal Open Market Committee's two-day meeting.

Fed funds futures had fully priced-in a 75 basis point hike in the target range for the Fed funds rate to 2.25-2.50% but were discounting a slower pace of hikes thereafter.

Across the Channel, readings are due out on consumer confidence in France and Italy covering the month of July as well for Germany in August.

An index for the latter, from consultancy GfK, is expected to have dipped from -27.4 points in the month before to -28.0.

Euro area M3 money supply data for June are also scheduled to be published with consensus being for a small decline in the annual rate of change from 5.6% for May to 5.4%.

No major economic releases are scheduled in the UK.

On the company side of things, British American Tobacco will update investors on its performance for the first six months of 2022.

UBS analyst Nik Oliver has penciled-in adjusted earnings before interest and tax of £5.57bn on £1.36bn of revenues from the outfit's new categories with the latter 17.0% ahead of the analyst consensus.

He also pointed out that the company was expected to provide new disclosures on New Category profitability, net debt-to-earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation and further commentary around its exit from Russia.

Wednesday 27 July

INTERIMS

Breedon Group , Conduit Holdings Limited Com Shs (DI), Ibstock , Lancashire Holdings Limited, Lloyds Banking Group, MusicMagpie, Nichols, Primary Health Properties, Quartix Technologies, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Rio Tinto, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI), Unite Group

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Marsh & Mclennan Cos Inc.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Durable Goods Orders (US) (13:30)

GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)

M3 Money Supply (EU) (09:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

Q2

GSK, Lancashire Holdings Limited

FINALS

Hargreaves Services, Yourgene Health

AGMS

Allied Minds , Aquila Services Group, Caledonia Investments, Cropper (James), De La Rue, JPMorgan Japan Small Cap Growth & Income, Mode Global Holdings , Montanaro UK Smaller Companies Inv Trust, Motorpoint Group, Peel Hunt Limited NPV, Shield Therapeutics, Tatton Asset Management

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fresnillo

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BRC Shop Price Index (00:01)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust , Fidelity China Special Situations , Fuller Smith & Turner, Wynnstay Properties

Q1

Wizz Air Holdings