Week ahead: Fed and BoE rate decisions, US jobs in focus

Investors will have their work cut out for them over the coming week with an economic calendar full of significant risk events, including interest rate decisions from the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England, as well as the all important monthly US jobs report.

It is widely anticipated that on Wednesday the US Federal Reserve will announce the start of tapering of its asset purchases as well as the timetable at which they will be wound down.

The next day, the BoE is expected to signal that it may raise Bank Rate when it next meets, although the balance of MPC votes is also expected to show that it now intends to maintain the size of its Gilt purchase programme, instead of possibly decreasing it.

Worth noting, there is some talk in markets that Bank could be headed for a policy mistake should it move too aggressively on rates.

Commenting on the outlook for the BoE´s decision, Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: "A rate increase of 0.15% to 0.25% would not be the end of the world and would be entirely consistent with the recovery in the UK economy seen since the emergency measures were implemented back in March 2020.

"It will be how the central bank manages the message when it comes to further rate rises that will be key, and not whether they raise rates this week, or at next month’s meeting. The central bank will likely have to raise its outlook for inflation, while at the same time adjusting its growth forecasts as part of this week’s inflation report."

Against that backdrop, on Monday investors will be digesting key manufacturing survey results out of China, the UK and US.

They will be followed two days later by equivalent surveys for services.

Euro area survey results for each of those sectors are also scheduled for release, but on Tuesday and Thursday.

Capping it all off, on Friday, the US Department of Labor will publish its non-farm payrolls report for October.

Monday 01 November

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Lords Group Trading, Wickes Group, WPP

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Mercantile Investment Trust (The), Scottish Inv Trust

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Tetragon Financial Group Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Auto Sales (US) (20:30)

Construction Spending (US) (15:00)

PMI Manufacturing (GER) (08:55)

PMI Manufacturing (US) (14:45)

Retail Sales (GER) (07:00)

Q3

Argo Blockchain, Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (CDI)

FINALS

K3 Capital Group , Lok'n Store Group

AGMS

VietNam Holding Ltd

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

PMI Manufacturing (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Smith (DS)

Tuesday 02 November

INTERIMS

FD Technologies Public Limited Company

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Banco Santander S.A.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

PMI Manufacturing (EU) (09:00)

Q3

BP, Standard Chartered

FINALS

Oncimmune Holdings, Up Global Sourcing Holdings

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alternative Liquidity Fund Limited

AGMS

JPMorgan Mid Cap Inv Trust, Murray Income Trust

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Flutter Entertainment (CDI)

Wednesday 03 November

INTERIMS

Braemar Shipping Services, Esken Limited, Trainline

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (14:30)

Factory Orders (US) (14:00)

ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)

ISM Services (US) (15:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (11:00)

PMI Composite (GER) (08:55)

PMI Composite (US) (14:45)

PMI Services (GER) (08:55)

PMI Services (US) (14:45)

Unemployment Rate (EU) (09:00)

Q3

Amryt Pharma

FINALS

Nanoco Group

AGMS

Hansard Global, Manchester & London Investment Trust

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

AIB Group (CDI), Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI), Ibstock , Next, Smurfit Kappa Group (CDI)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Mattioli Woods

Thursday 04 November

INTERIMS

BT Group, Electrocomponents, Sainsbury (J), Wizz Air Holdings

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Anglo Asian Mining, Cenkos Securities, EMIS Group, Fintel, Synthomer

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Atalaya Mining, Balfour Beatty, Bloomsbury Publishing, Hilton Food Group, Maven Income & Growth VCT, SThree, Taylor Maritime Investments Limited NPV, Taylor Maritime Investments Limited NPV, The Mission Group

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Contour Global , Greencoat Renewables (CDI), Picton Property Income Ltd, Unilever

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (12:30)

Factory Orders (GER) (07:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (12:30)

ISM Manufacturing (US) (14:00)

ISM Prices Paid (US) (14:00)

PMI Composite (EU) (09:00)

PMI Services (EU) (09:00)

Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Q3

Bank Pekao SA GDS (Reg S)

FINALS

Gattaca

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Crown Place VCT

AGMS

Argos Resources Ltd. (DI), Capital Metals, Induction Healthcare Group, NCC Group, Provexis

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Derwent London, Howden Joinery Group, Lancashire Holdings Limited, Smith & Nephew

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)

PMI Construction (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Begbies Traynor Group

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Ashmore Group, EKF Diagnostics Holdings , Ideagen, New Star Investment Trust, NWF Group, Ricardo, Schroder Japan Growth Fund, Springfield Properties

Friday 05 November

INTERIMS

Kainos Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Andrews Sykes Group, Bank of Georgia Group, Bodycote, JPMorgan Russian Securities, Judges Scientific, M. P. Evans Group, Medica Group , Personal Group Holdings, STV Group, TP Icap Group , Travis Perkins, Weir Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BMO UK High Income Trust , BMO UK High Income Trust B Shares

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Credit (US) (19:00)

Industrial Production (GER) (07:00)

Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (12:30)

Retail Sales (EU) (10:00)

Unemployment Rate (US) (12:30)

Q3

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Alfa Financial Software Holdings , Travis Perkins

EGMS

Hochschild Mining

AGMS

Go-Ahead Group

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Beazley

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Halifax House Price Index (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Brooks Macdonald Group