Friday preview: U.S. Q2 bank results, consumer confidence in the spotlight

Investors' attention at the end of the week would be trained be on quarterly results due out from U.S. banking heavyweights Citigroup, J.P.Morgan, and Wells Fargo.

Besides constituting the start of the second quarter earnings season in the States, investors will likely be keen to assess lenders' outlook for loans and lending in the wake of the tensions in the sector seen last spring.

Investor sentiment towards U.S: banks had stabilised since March's bout of volatility, although in any case it was likely that smaller lenders that draw the most attention.

Economic conditions in the U.S. would remain high on investors' list of priorities alongside.

At 1500 BST, the University of Michigan was scheduled to release a preliminary reading for its closely followed consumer confidence index covering the month of July.

Included in those survey results would be gauges for consumers' inflation expectations over the short and long-term

A bit earlier, at 1330 BST, the Department of Labor was to publish import price data for June.

Friday 14 July

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

AVI Global Trust , Topps Tiles

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00)

Import and Export Price Indices (US) (13:30)

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

Wholesale Price Index (GER) (07:00)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Rurelec

AGMS

Templeton Emerging Markets Inv Trust

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ashmore Group, Liontrust Asset Management, Mcbride

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Animalcare Group, Bank of Georgia Group, Computacenter, Helios Underwriting, HSS Hire Group , Informa, Learning Technologies Group , Maven Income & Growth VCT, Sainsbury (J), Severn Trent