Tuesday preview: Global services PMIs, BP in the spotlight

At 1500 BST, the Institute for Supply Management was scheduled to publish its closely followed Purchasing Managers' Index for the American services sector covering the month of July.

In parallel, the U.S. Department of Labor would release the results of its JOLTS survey for June.

That report often garnered a fair bit of attention, despite being a bit dated, as it provided insights into the state of demand for labour.

Earlier in the session, S&P Global would release final readings for its services sector Purchasing Managers' Indices for the euro area's largest economies and the UK, also for the month of July.

In Asia, investors' attention would be on the Reserve Bank of Australia was expected to announce a 25 basis point interest rate in official short-term interest rates to 4.35%.

BP would be in the spotlight in company news with the oil major scheduled to deliver its first half results.

In particular, Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK, noted how the shares had fallen back despite its first quarter beat on revenues and sharp rise in attributable profits.

He wasn't surprised given how much lower prices now were.

Hewson also noted how oil companies had started to push back on the prevailing narrative of no new capacity.

"This is a welcome development in helping to keep a lid on prices, with BP bringing a new platform online Mad Dog Phase 2, in the Gulf of Mexico," he said.

In any case, at the time of its second quarter results BP had been "slightly more downbeat" on the outlook as it expected oil and gas output to be lower than seasonal maintenance, together with a squeeze on margins.

On the flip-side, management expressed confidence in its ability to deliver on its target for $4bn in share buybacks under the assumption of oil at $60 a barrel.

Thursday 03 August

INTERIMS

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (DI), Helios Towers , Helios Towers , Hellenic Telecom Industries SA ADS, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES REIT P IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES ORD SHS, London Stock Exchange Group, Mears Group, Morgan Sindall Group, Quilter, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Serco Group, Shaftesbury Capital, Shaftesbury Capital, Smith & Nephew, Tritax Big Box Reit

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

WH Smith

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, Aptitude Software Group , Blackrock Throgmorton Trust, Foxtons Group , Inchcape, Jupiter Fund Management , Lloyds Banking Group, Mobico Group, Moneysupermarket.com Group, Nichols, Rathbones Group, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Relx plc, Rentokil Initial, RTC Group, Tyman, Vesuvius

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Brunner Inv Trust, Picton Property Income Ltd, Unilever

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Factory Orders (US) (15:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)

ISM Services (US) (15:00)

PMI Composite (EU) (09:00)

PMI Composite (GER) (08:55)

PMI Composite (US) (14:45)

PMI Services (EU) (09:00)

PMI Services (GER) (08:55)

PMI Services (US) (14:45)

Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Q2

Hellenic Telecom Industries SA ADS, Smith & Nephew

FINALS

Omega Diagnostics Group, Omega Diagnostics Group

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Foresight VCT, Jupiter Fund Management , Latham (James)

EGMS

Landore Resources Limited NPV

AGMS

Caffyns, Distil, Edenville Energy , Investec, Ukrproduct Group Ltd

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Next, Smith & Nephew

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)

PMI Composite (09:30)

PMI Services (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Caledonia Investments, GB Group

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

BT Group, CML Microsystems, Heath (Samuel) & Sons, Latham (James), Oxford Instruments, Triple Point Venture Vct

Q1

Wizz Air Holdings