Thursday preview: Bank of England, Shell in the spotlight

No change in policy was anticipated, but investors were keen to see whether the three Monetary Policy Committee members who voted for a further rate hike in December tempered their hawkishness, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

The BoE's policy announcement was scheduled for one hour before.

One hour before, Eurostat was scheduled to publish a preliminary reading for euro area consumer prices in January.

Factory sector survey results due out in the euro area, UK and US were also due out.

So too readings for weekly jobless claims and fourth quarter labour productivity in the U.S., both at 1330 GMT.

In the corporate space meanwhile, Royal Dutch Shell will post its full-year results.

Consensus was for the oil major to announce profits of $27.4bn, which would be down from $39.87bn one year earlier.

Its fourth quarter profits meanwhile were forecast to come in at $6.2bn with the integrated gas unit accounting for $3.2bn of that and upstream another $2.4bn.

Friday 02 February

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INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Factory Orders (US) (15:00)

Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (13:30)

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

Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)

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