Week ahead: Brexit, US-China trade talks in focus

All eyes over the coming week will be focused on the ongoing talks with Brussels over Brexit and what revisions to her withdrawal proposal the Prime Minister will offer to Parliament, or not.

If she is unable to table an amended agreement then MPs may make another attempt at forcing the government to at least remove the threat of a 'no deal' outcome from the table.

Prior to that, over the weekend, investors will be very much focused on the news-flow out of Washington, where top US and Chinese trade officials have been talking trade even as the 1 March deadline for the US to again raise its tariffs looms ever closer on the horizon.

US central bank chairman, Jerome Powell's testimony before Congress, on Tuesday, may also influence markets.

To take note, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is due to appear before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank believe his testimony will be noteworthy "given the recent anecdotes in the aforementioned business surveys citing ongoing disruptions to supply chains."

Data-wise, the week will be back-end loaded.

A report on US personal income and spending for December may make for especially interesting reading, given the sharp and unexpected drop in retail sales that month.

Figures on US durable goods orders for January and the ISM's manufacturing index, on Friday, will also be closely watched.

They will follow close on the heels of soft readings for the former in December and on some key regional manufacturing gauges, such as that from the Federal Reserve bank of Philadelphia for February.

Earlier on the same day, survey compiler Caixin is due to publish its own Chinese manufacturing sector PMI for February.

Worth noting too, US President Donald Trump is due to attend a summit with North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday, in Hanoi.

Monday February 25

INTERIMS

Base Resources Ltd , Dechra Pharmaceuticals, Finsbury Food Group, Tristel

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

M Winkworth

GMS

Greencoat UK Wind

FINALS

Ascential, Bunzl, Centamin (DI), Dialight, Hammerson, Hiscox Limited (DI), Kosmos Energy (DI), Quartix Holdings , Reach, RTC Group, Tekcapital

AGMS

Wey Education

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Associated British Foods, Associated British Foods

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BBA Mortgage Lending Figures (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Catco Reinsurance Opportunities Fund Limited C Shs (DI), Catco Reinsurance Opportunities Fund Ltd (DI), Compass Group

Tuesday February 26

INTERIMS

Bluefield Solar Income Fund Limited, Green Reit, Hotel Chocolat Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Yew Grove Reit

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Consumer Confidence (US) (15:00)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

M3 Money Supply (EU) (09:00)

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

FINALS

Augean, Croda International, Dalata Hotel Group, Derwent London, Devro, Drax Group, Fisher (James) & Sons, Fresnillo, Lighthouse Group, Meggitt, Morgan Advanced Materials , Persimmon, PJSC MNC Norilsk Nickel ADR, Standard Chartered, Synectics, Travis Perkins, Verona Pharma

EGMS

Cairn Homes

AGMS

Ediston Property Investment Company, Elegant Hotels Group

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Babcock International Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Titon Holdings, TUI AG Reg Shs (DI)

Wednesday February 27

INTERIMS

Avingtrans, Clinigen Group, Pantheon International , Redde

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Cohort

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Canadian General Investments Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Economic Sentiment Indicator (EU) (10:00)

GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

GMS

Personal Group Holdings

FINALS

Capital & Counties Properties , FBD Holdings, Green Energy Technology Inc. GDR (Reg S), International Personal Finance, ITV, Law Debenture Corp., Metro Bank, Nichols, Pacific Horizon Inv Trust, Provident Financial, Rio Tinto, Riverstone Energy Limited , St James's Place, Tarsus Group, Taylor Wimpey, Unite Group, Weir Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Hollywood Bowl Group

AGMS

Aberdeen Diversified Income and Growth Trust , Bankers Inv Trust, Baronsmead Venture Trust, Driver Group, Electra Private Equity, Finsbury Growth & Income Trust, Image Scan Holdings, Jupiter Emerging & Frontier Income Trust RED, Nexus Infrastructure , PCGH ZDP , Polar Capital Global Healthcare Trust, River and Mercantile UK Micro Cap Investment Company Limited , Sage Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Hollywood Bowl Group, Tharisa (DI), Urban&Civic

Thursday February 28

INTERIMS

Genus, Management Resources Solutions , Ricardo, Town Centre Securities

INTERIM 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, IG Group Holdings, NB Private Equity Partners Ltd., NCC Group, PHSC, Puma VCT 10

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alumasc Group, Diageo, ECO Animal Health Group, Gordon Dadds Group , Hargreaves Services, Ideagen, Murgitroyd Group, Oxford Instruments, Park Group, WYG

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

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

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Brunner Inv Trust, Regional REIT Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chicago PMI (US) (14:45)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

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

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Q4

Arrow Global Group

GMS

BTG, Primary Health Properties

FINALS

Amigo Holdings, Arrow Global Group, Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings, Bakkavor Group , Bovis Homes Group, British American Tobacco, CRH, Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), Diversified Gas & Oil, Evraz, Foxtons Group , Gocompare.com Group, Grafton Group Units, Greencoat UK Wind, Hastings Group Holdings , Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), Howden Joinery Group, Hunting, Inchcape, International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), Mandarin Oriental International (Singapore), Merlin Entertainments , Mondi, Petrofac Ltd., PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, Rentokil Initial, Rolls-Royce Holdings, RSA Insurance Group, Spire Healthcare Group, STV Group

ANNUAL REPORT

Greencoat UK Wind

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Trans-Siberian Gold

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

BioPharma Credit

EGMS

BCRE - Brack Capital Real Estate Investments N.V. (DI)

AGMS

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, Jersey Electricity 'A' Shares

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Amigo Holdings

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nationwide House Price Index (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Civitas Social Housing , Watkin Jones

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Arden Partners, Barclays, BB Healthcare Trust (Red), easyJet, Northern Electricity Prf, Shoe Zone, SSP Group , Sureserve Group

Friday March 01

INTERIMS

Revolution Bars Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

CPL Resources

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

APQ Global Limited, Funding Circle SME Income Fund, ICG Enterprise Trust, JPMorgan Claverhouse Inv Trust, SQN Asset Finance Income Fund Limited, SQN Asset Finance Income Fund Limited 'C Shares'

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Auto Sales (US) (20:30)

Construction Spending (US) (15:00)

Import Price Index (GER) (07:00)

ISM Manufacturing (US) (15:00)

ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)

Personal Income (US) (13:30)

Personal Spending (US) (13:30)

PMI Manufacturing (GER) (08:30)

PMI Manufacturing (EU) (08:00)

PMI Manufacturing (US) (14:45)

Unemployment Rate (EU) (10:00)

Unemployment Rate (GER) (08:55)

FINALS

Jupiter Fund Management , London Stock Exchange Group, Mail.ru Group Ltd GDR (Reg S), Robert Walters, William Hill, WPP

AGMS

Actual Experience , AFH Financial Group , PJSC Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works GDR (Reg S)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Credit (09:30)

M4 Money Supply (09:30)

Mortgage Approvals (09:30)

PMI Manufacturing (08:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Blackstone /GSO Loan Financing Limited C Shs NPV, Gooch & Housego, Sage Group, Sanderson Group, Stock Spirits Group