Week ahead: Mortgage data, Oilfield services in the spotlight

The coming week is expected to be a calm one, on both the economic and corporate fronts, geopolitics permitting.

Nevertheless, consumer credit and mortgage lending figures for July, on Thursday, may provide some 'food for thought' heading into a raft of updates from homebuilders at the start of September.

In the States, the flow of potentially market-moving data will be back-end loaded, with readings on personal consumption and earnings for July also set for release on Thursday, alongside others on consumer confidence and the Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index, both for August, due out on Friday.

Meanwhile, across the Channel, Monday will see the release of the German IFO business confidence index referencing the month of August, followed by money supply and consumer price data for the euro area on Tuesday and Friday, respectively.

ECB chief economist Peter Praet is due to deliver a speech on Tuesday, followed by the central bank's vice-president, Luis de Guindos, on Friday.

Petrofac and Hunting are among the firms set to update markets over the next week.

For the former, which is due to publish its interims on Wednesday, analysts at UBS said the key aspects to focus on would be: order intake, margins, liquidity and the ongoing investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.

At the time of its last trading update, in June, the company had said that net debt was expected to decline over the back half the year.

On Hunting, analyst James Hubbard at Numis had penciled-in a 443% jump for the company's EBITDA over the first six months of 2018 to $64.0m, on the back of a 41.0% jump in revenues to $449.0m.

Nevertheless, Hubbard expressed concern around the company's narrow base for growth, which was centred on the Permian basin.

"On that issue concerns are rising (e.g. as cited by HAL and SLB on recent results conference calls) that Permian basin pipeline export constraints will cause a real fall off in drilling and fracking activity at least temporarily (but lasting several months, until new trunk lines come on-stream), and that such a pull-back would remove the main pillar supporting HTG’s EBITDA recovery."

Monday 27 August

INTERIMS

Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company, Starcom

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

IFO Business Climate (GER) (09:00)

IFO Current Assessment (GER) (09:00)

IFO Expectations (GER) (09:00)

Tuesday 28 August

INTERIMS

BATM Advanced Communications Ltd., Bunzl, Jadestone Energy Inc NPV (DI), PJSC RusHydro ADR

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

M3 Money Supply (EU) (09:00)

Q2

PJSC RusHydro ADR

GMS

Countrywide

FINALS

Sylvania Platinum Ltd (DI)

AGMS

Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company, Blue Planet Investment Trust, Cadence Minerals, Georgian Mining Corporation NPV (DI), Gordon Dadds Group , Iomart Group, Path Investments

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Air Partner

Wednesday 29 August

INTERIMS

Fisher (James) & Sons, IQE, Permanent TSB Group Holdings, Petrofac Ltd., The Gym Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Jupiter Fund Management

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

GDP (Preliminary) (US) (13:30)

GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

AGMS

Atlas Mara Limited (DI), Lindsell Train Inv Trust, Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust, Puma Vct 13, Ultimate Sports Group, Vordere

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Diploma

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nationwide House Price Index (07:00)

Thursday 30 August

INTERIMS

AFI Development, Arrow Global Group, ASA International Group , Chesnara, Churchill China, Eddie Stobart Logistics , Hunting, IFG Group, Irish Continental Group Units, Total Produce

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Arbuthnot Banking Group, Ascential, British Smaller Companies VCT 2, Capital & Counties Properties , Centamin (DI), Charter Court Financial Services Group , Chemring Group, Elementis, Globaldata, Grafton Group Units, Greencore Group, Hammerson, Hochschild Mining, Hostelworld Group , InterContinental Hotels Group, JPMorgan American Inv Trust, Mincon Group , National Express Group, Northern Electricity Prf, Polypipe Group , Rights & Issues Inv Trust Income Shares, Robinson, Secure Trust Bank, St James's Place, Stock Spirits Group , Transgloble Energy Corporation NPV (DI), Ultra Electronics Holdings, Wood Group (John)

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alpha Real Trust Ltd., Canadian General Investments Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Business Climate Indicator (EU) (10:00)

Consumer Confidence (EU) (10:00)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Economic Sentiment Indicator (EU) (10:00)

Industrial Confidence (EU) (10:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30)

Personal Spending (US) (13:30)

Services Confidence (EU) (10:00)

Unemployment Rate (GER) (09:00)

Q2

AFI Development, EVS Broadcast Equipment SA

FINALS

Hays

EGMS

Lazard World Trust Fund, X5 Retail Group NV GDR (Reg S)

AGMS

Creightons, FIH Group , Oryx International Growth Fund Ltd., Sophos Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Credit (09:30)

M4 Money Supply (09:30)

Mortgage Approvals (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Blue Planet Investment Trust

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

600 Group, Auto Trader Group , Chagala Group Limited (DI), Henderson Smaller Companies Inv Trust, Safeland, Solid State, Walker Crips Group, XPS Pensions Group

Q1

Amigo Holdings

Friday 31 August

INTERIMS

BBGI SICAV S.A. (DI), Cathay International Holdings Ltd., EMIS Group, Restaurant Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, International Biotech Trust, Nichols, Oxford Technology 4 Venture Capital Trust, Polar Capital Global Financials Trust, Porvair

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

City of London Inv Trust, Custodian Reit , Greencoat Renewables, Picton Property Income Ltd

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chicago PMI (US) (14:45)

Retail Sales (GER) (07:00)

U. of Michigan Confidence (US) (15:00)

Unemployment Rate (EU) (10:00)

GMS

Herencia Resources

FINALS

FFI Holdings

ANNUAL REPORT

FFI Holdings

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberforth Split Level Income Trust , Artemis VCT, Northern Bear

AGMS

Octopus VCT 3, Octopus VCT 4, Stagecoach Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

GFK Consumer Confidence (00:01)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

City of London 4.2% Cum 1st Prf Stk, City of London Investment Trust 4.2% Non-Cum 2nd Prf Stk, City of London Investment Trust Preference Ord Stk 14% Non-Cumulative 1, Halfords Group, Northern Bear, QinetiQ Group, Royal Mail, RPC Group, Zhejiang Expressway Co 'H' Shares