Week ahead: Brexit polls, Fedspeak in focus

The continuing flow of EU-referendum poll results and the latest Fedspeak was likely to be foremost on traders´minds over the coming week in the run-up the 23 June plebiscite and the mid-June US central bank policy meeting.

As regards the upcoming vote on whether the UK was best outside the European Union or remaining inside, on Wednesday the Scottish Affairs Select Committee was expected to debate the topic.

A televised debate on the subject of Brexit on the BBC the next had also found its way into brokers´ economic calendars.

Data-wise, the most important releases in the UK would be Tuesday´s public sector net borrowing figures for April, followed by ONS´s second release on British gross domestic product for the first three months of the year.

No less than eight Fed policy-makers were already scheduled to take to the podium over the coming five days, culminating in a speech by Us Fed chair Janet Yellen herself on Friday.

In the previous week, financial markets revised the probabilities assigned to possible interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve in 2016 sharply higher, with almost even odds seen for when they met in July and perhaps even as soon as next month according to US rate-setters themselves.

Notwithstanding the above, the narrowing in the spread between yields on short-term and longer-term debt, back to levels last seen towards the start of the last financial crisis Stateside was a worry for at least some market participants.

Official US figures for durable goods orders and consumer confidence, on Thursday and Friday, respectively, held the greatest potential to move financial markets.

At the start of the week it would be all about the euro area, with 'flash' Eurozone purchasing managers´ surveys set for release on Monday, followed by the very widely-followed IFO institute´s read on German business confidence the next day.

Monday 23 May

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
SQN Asset Finance Income Fund Limited

FINALS
Armadale Capital, Mitie Group, Tissue Regenix Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
InterContinental Hotels Group

AGMS
4D Pharma , Mobeus Income & Growth Vct, Nasstar, Nasstar, Noricum Gold Ltd (DI), Plant Health Care, Restore, Stock Spirits Group , Synety Group, Vertu Capital Limited (DI)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Chesnara, Morgan Sindall Group, Rathbone Brothers, Stilo International

Tuesday 24 May

INTERIMS
easyHotel, Renew Holdings, Topps Tiles

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Durable Goods Orders (US) (13:30)
Gross Domestic Product (GER) (07:00)
New Homes Sales (US) (15:00)
ZEW Survey (GER) (10:00)

FINALS
Big Yellow Group, Cranswick, De La Rue, Entertainment One Limited, FastForward Innovations Limited, Helical Bar, Hogg Robinson Group, Marks & Spencer Group, Mckay Securities, Porta Communications , Scapa Group, Severn Trent, UK Mail Group

EGMS
BH Macro Ltd. GBP Shares

AGMS
Accesso Technology Group, Card Factory, ClearStar Inc. (DI / REG S), Epwin Group, GVC Holdings, Inch Kenneth Kajang Rubber, Keller Group, Marshall Motor Holdings, Merchants Trust, Metro Bank, Public Service Properties Investments Ltd (DI), Quarto Group Inc., Ranger Direct Lending Fund, Royal Dutch Shell 'A', Telit Communications, Total SA

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Tungsten Corporation

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
BBA Mortgage Lending Figures (09:30)
GFK Consumer Confidence (00:05)
Public Sector Net Borrowing (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Aggreko, Holders Technology, Impax Environmental Markets, Pendragon, Standard Life

Q1
Frutarom Industries Ltd GDR (Reg S), JSC Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant GDR (Reg S)

Wednesday 25 May

INTERIMS
Ediston Property Investment Company

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Fidelity Special Values, Project Finance Investments Limited, Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income Fund Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)
GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)
House Price Index (US) (14:00)
IFO Business Climate (GER) (09:00)
IFO Current Assessment (GER) (09:00)
IFO Expectations (GER) (09:00)
MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

FINALS
Babcock International Group, Centralnic Group , Great Portland Estates, Mediclinic International , Pennon Group, Reach4Entertainment Enterprises, Wizz Air Holdings

AGMS
Air China Ltd., Alliance Pharma, Dunedin Income Growth Inv Trust, e-Therapeutics, Electric Word, F&C Private Equity Trust, Hastings Group Holdings , Highland Gold Mining Ltd., Hilton Food Group, IGas Energy, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 'D' Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 E Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 F Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 G Shs, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 H Shs, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 'D' Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 E Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 F Shares, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 G Shs, Ingenious Entertainment Vct 2 H Shs, Intertek Group, Judges Scientific, LiDCO Group, Mercantile Investment Trust (The), Northern Petroleum, Paysafe Group , Polypipe Group , SQS Software Quality Systems AG, Total Produce, Travis Perkins, WANdisco

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Intertek Group, Kingfisher, Paysafe Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
CBI Distributive Trades Surveys (11:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Mobeus Income & Growth 4 Vct, Portmeirion Group, StatPro Group, Virgin Money Holdings (UK) , Zotefoams

Thursday 26 May

INTERIMS
Urban&Civic

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Circle Property , Wetherspoon (J.D.)

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Avingtrans, Britvic, Diploma, Euromoney Institutional Investor, Henderson European Focus Trust, Impax Asset Management Group, Juridica Investments Ltd., Marston's, Matchtech Group, Mitchells & Butlers, Patisserie Holdings , The Renewables Infrastructure Group Limited, Town Centre Securities, UDG Healthcare Public Limited Company

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Carnival, HICL Infrastructure Company Ltd

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Import Price Index (GER) (07:00)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)
Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

FINALS
Lombard Risk Management, QinetiQ Group, Sophos Group , Tate & Lyle, United Utilities Group

ANNUAL REPORT
Cdialogues

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Foxtons Group

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
JPMorgan Income & Capital Inv Trust

AGMS
Jersey Oil And Gas , Arrow Global Group, Belvoir Lettings, BGEO Group, Celtic, Depa Limited GDR (Reg S), Elecosoft, Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy (DI), Fundsmith Emerging Equities Trust , G4S, Georgia Healthcare Group, Hague and London Oil, Henry Boot, Hostelworld Group , Huntsworth, Ibstock , Immupharma, Inchcape, JSC Acron GDR (Reg S), Keywords Studios, Legal & General Group, Middlefield Canadian Income PCC, Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings) , Northbridge Industrial Services, Powerflute Oyj (DI), Rotala, Smart Metering Systems

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
GDP (Preliminary) (09:30)
Index of Services (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Churchill China, Eurocell , Foxtons Group , IndigoVision Group, Informa, Intu Properties, Merchants Trust, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Total Produce

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Amec Foster Wheeler, Andrews Sykes Group, Burford Capital , Capital & Counties Properties , DCC, Dillistone Group, Frenkel Topping Group, Hill & Smith Holdings, Huntsworth, IFG Group, Inchcape, Irish Continental Group Units, Manx Telecom , Maven Income & Growth 2 VCT, Menzies(John), Michelmersh Brick Holdings, Mincon Group , Premier Farnell, Soco International, Spectris, STM Group, Tandem Group, Tarsus Group, TLA Worldwide , Venture Life Group, Whitbread, Xaar

Friday 27 May

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
BlackRock Greater Europe Inv Trust, Mcbride, SCS Group , Swallowfield

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
GLI Alternative Finance , Primary Health Properties

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Canadian General Investments Ltd.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
GDP (Preliminary) (US) (13:30)
U. of Michigan Confidence (Final) (US) (15:00)

FINALS
Nature Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Elementis, ITV

AGMS
Acencia Debt Strategies Ltd., Diamond Bank GDR (Reg S), Escher Group Holdings, Flying Brands Ltd Units, Mincon Group , OJSC Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works GDR (Reg S), Pires Investments, Tekcapital

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Acacia Mining, Cello Group, Cenkos Securities, Centamin (DI), Centaur Media, Cobham, Dunedin Income Growth Inv Trust, Elementis, Henderson Group, Highland Gold Mining Ltd., Inmarsat, ITV, Marshall Motor Holdings, Morgan Advanced Materials , Petrofac Ltd., Polymetal International, Randgold Resources Ltd., Regus, SafeCharge International Group Limited (DI), Servelec Group , SIG, SimiGon Ltd. (DI), Spirax-Sarco Engineering, SQS Software Quality Systems AG, Stock Spirits Group , Telit Communications, Travis Perkins, UBM