Thursday offers up some of London's less glamorous stocks, including health and safety specialist Halma PLC (LSE:HLMA), shower trays maker Norcros and Bunzl PLC (LSE:BNZL), a distributor of packaging, hygiene and personal protection equipment.
For FTSE 100-listed Halma, this will be the first set of final results under its new management team, whose main task for investors is keeping up the group's impressive dividend record.
In macro news, over at the ECB markets are confident that there will be another quarter-point hike on Thursday.
Nonetheless, a “notable shift from some of the recent narrative” is expected, said market analyst Michael Hewson at CMC Markets.
“The change of emphasis appears to have come about because of recent sharp falls in the headline rate of CPI, as well as evidence that core prices may well have also seen a peak.”
Still a hawkish message is expected, says Deutsche Bank, expecting the focus will to be on “what the ECB signals for the path ahead”, with “risks further hikes beyond July might be needed”.
Significant announcements
Trading updates: Fuller Smith & Turner PLC (AIM:FSTA), Bunzl PLC (LSE:BNZL)
Finals: Halfords Group PLC (LSE:HFD), Halma PLC, JLEN Environmental Assets (LSE:JLEN) Group Ltd, Lords Group Trading PLC (AIM:LORD), Molten Ventures PLC (LSE:GROW), Norcros PLC (LSE:NXR), Syncona Ltd
US earnings: Adobe Inc
AGMs: Amaroq Minerals Ltd (TSX-V:AMRQ, AIM:AMRQ), Anexo Group PLC (AIM:ANX), ASA International (LSE:ASAI) Group PLC, Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust PLC (LSE:BGCG), Directa Plus PLC (AIM:DCTA, OTC:DTPKF), Everyman Media Group PLC (AIM:EMAN), Flowtech Fluidpower PLC, Informa PLC (LSE:INF), Inspecs Group PLC, IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO), LBG Media Ltd, M&G Credit Income Investment Trust (LSE:MGCI) PLC, NB Private Equity Partners Ltd, Novacyt Group, Parity Group, Pollen Street PLC (LSE:POLN), Shaftesbury Capital PLC, Slingsby (H C) PLC, Southern Energy Corp (TSX-V:SOU, AIM:SOUC, OTC:MAXMD)
Economic announcements: Continuing Claims (US), Empires State Manufactacturing (US), Import and Export Price Indices (US), Initial Jobless Claims (US), Philadelphia Fed Index (US), Retail Sales (US), Retail Sales Less Autos (US), Capacity Utilisation (US), Industrial Production (US), Business Inventories (US)
Ex-dividends to reduce FTSE 100 by: 0.60