Week ahead: US-China trade, UK Parliament in focus

Until just recently, most strategists had considered the chances of any sort of trade deal to be quite low, so any progress on that front would likely be quite unexpected.

To keep in mind however, there is a small possibility that the biggest surprise is delivered by UK politics.

The UK Supreme Court will rule on Tuesday on the government's decision to prorogue Parliament for five weeks.

Some political observers see scant chance that the Prime Minister could be ordered to recall Parliament - but it is not entirely impossible.

Against that backdrop, multiple central bank policy meetings are scheduled for throughout the week and may keep investors in thrall until they are out of the way, especially that of the US Federal Reserve.

The US central bank is set to go first with a two-day meeting to decide on interest rates that is set to conclude on Wednesday, with a 25 basis point reduction in the target range for short-term official interest rates already fully priced-in.

Key to the market reaction will be how high US policymakers set the bar for further easing, although the result of the ongoing US-China trade talks may also feed into the calculus of rate-setters' decisions.

The following day it will be the turn of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee.

No change in rates is anticipated and policymakers on the MPC will likely continue to push back on persistent expectations in financial markets for a cut in Bank Rate barring progress on avoiding a no-deal Brexit.

The Bank of Japan and the Swiss central bank are also set to announce their own policy decisions on Thursday, albeit with neither expected to make any changes either.

On a 'bullish' note (which not all strategists shared), on Thursday, strategists at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch told clients: "like 1927 NY Yankees batting lineup ("those fellows not only beat you, they tear your heart out") 2019 global policy makers [are] intent on reversing bearish Wall St sentiment...since Wall St >5X size of Main St they have every incentive to do so to reverse recession risk, contagion from manufacturing/trade."

A barrage of indicators for Chinese retail sales, industrial production and fixed asset investment at the start of the week, on Monday, may also exert an influence on trading over the remainder of the week.

Monday September 16

INTERIMS

Horizon Discovery Group, Learning Technologies Group , M. P. Evans Group, Ocean Outdoor Limited NPV (DI) , Science In Sport, Spire Healthcare Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Keller Group, LSL Property Services

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Chenavari Toro Income Fund Limited NPV

FINALS

City of London Investment Group, MJ Gleeson , Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Martin Currie Asia Unconstrained Trust

AGMS

BCA Marketplace, BCA Marketplace, Warehouse Reit

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

IG Design Group

Tuesday September 17

INTERIMS

Aquis Exchange , Bango, Central Asia Metals, Hochschild Mining, JTC, Kape Technologies, KRM22, NAHL Group, Personal Group Holdings, Smart Metering Systems, Uniphar

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

London Stock Exchange Group

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Capacity Utilisation (US) (14:15)

Industrial Production (US) (14:15)

ZEW Survey (EU) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Current Situation (10:00)

ZEW Survey (GER) - Economic Sentiment (10:00)

GMS

Menzies(John)

FINALS

K3 Capital Group , Springfield Properties

AGMS

Cohort, Foresight 4 VCT, Galileo Resources, Great Eastern Energy Corp Ltd. GDR, HML Holdings, Mulberry Group, Real Estate Credit Investments Ltd, Yourgene Health

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust

Wednesday September 18

INTERIMS

Accesso Technology Group, Attraqt Group , Bonhill Group, Cello Health, Clearstar Inc. (DI), Jarvis Securities, Judges Scientific, Keywords Studios, Maxcyte (DI), Pendragon, Strix Group , Surgical Innovations Group, Walcom Group (DI), Warpaint London , Yu Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Tullow Oil

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Consumer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

FINALS

Avingtrans, Pan African Resources

AGMS

Colefax Group, Games Workshop Group, Jupiter Green Inv Trust, Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust Ltd, Zoo Digital Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Price Index (09:30)

Producer Price Index (09:30)

Retail Price Index (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Cohort

Thursday September 19

INTERIMS

Allied Minds , Cambridge Cognition Holdings, Distribution Finance Capital Holdings, Distribution Finance Capital Holdings, Hvivo, Next, The City Pub Group , Xeros Technology Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Hochschild Mining, Rio Tinto, Sabre Insurance Group

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

888 Holdings, AIREA, Anexo Group , Bakkavor Group , Cairn Homes , Crest Nicholson Holdings, Drax Group, Driver Group, Epwin Group, Equiniti Group , Filta Group Holdings, Forterra, Good Energy Group, Gore Street Energy Storage Fund , Harworth Group, Henry Boot, HGCapital Trust, Hunters Property , International Public Partnerships Ltd., Irish Continental Group Units, Luceco , Macfarlane Group, Midwich Group, Non-Standard Finance, Nucleus Financial Group , Old Mutual Limited NPV (DI), Petrofac Ltd., Playtech, PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, Property Franchise Group, Sanne Group, The Simplybiz Group, Unite Group, Vitec Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Brunner Inv Trust

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Aberdeen Diversified Income and Growth Trust , Standard Life Private Equity Trust

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Current Account (EU) (09:00)

Current Account (US) (13:30)

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Wholesale Price Index (GER) (07:00)

FINALS

Bluefield Solar Income Fund Limited, Clinigen Group, Wilmington

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Rio Tinto

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Dunelm Group

AGMS

Auto Trader Group , Begbies Traynor Group, Cambium Global Timberland Ltd., Diageo, Dish TV India Limited GDR (Each Repr One Shr), ECO Animal Health Group, Empyrean Energy, Foresight Solar & Infrastructure VCT, Gateley (Holdings) , Gresham House Strategic , Induction Healthcare Group, Peel Hotels, Twentyfour Income Fund Limited Ord Red, Veltyco Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Solid State

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

BCA Marketplace, Braveheart Investment Group, Clipper Logistics , Consort Medical, Dart Group, Gateley (Holdings) , Hargreaves Services, Rank Group, Redrow, Sophos Group

Friday September 20

INTERIMS

Applegreen

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Anglo American, Capital & Counties Properties , Charter Court Financial Services Group , Clarkson, FDM Group (Holdings), Henderson Opportunities Trust, Hostelworld Group , Ibstock , Marshall Motor Holdings, Mobeus Income & Growth 2 Vct, Mobeus Income & Growth 4 Vct, Mobeus Income & Growth Vct, Mondi, National Express Group, OneSavings Bank, Polypipe Group , Quilter, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Synectics, Ultra Electronics Holdings, Vesuvius

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BP, Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV, Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (USD)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Ibstock , Pacific Alliance China Land Ltd., Royal Bank of Scotland Group

EGMS

Globaltrans Investment GDR (Reg S)

AGMS

Cadence Minerals, DWF Group , IG Group Holdings, Liontrust Asset Management, Manolete Partners, PetroNeft Resources, Solgold, Sysgroup

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Sector Net Borrowing (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Creightons, FIH Group , JPMorgan Brazil Inv Trust , Motorpoint Group, Puma VCT 12 , Ramsdens Holdings , SSE, Superdry