The coming week should bring a Bank of England interest rate cut, along with a packed diary of corporate news, including from London blue-chips BP, Diageo, IHG and more.
US earnings season remains in full swing, including names such as AMD, Super Micro Computer, Uber, Pfizer and Eli Lilly.
As it's the first full week of the month, there's plenty of macroeconomic data due too.
Monday 4 August
Clarkson PLC (LSE:CKN) shares were at all-time highs early this year, before sinking by a third as the shipping services group lowered its outlook due to the effects of global trade tensions and currency headwinds.
Last time we heard from the FTSE 250-listed group, it gave pre-tax profit guidance for between £85 million and £95 million, compared to £115.3 million last year.
Its updated perspective should be of interest to many.
Announcements expected:
Interims: Clarkson, Kosmos Energy, Senior
Overseas announcements: Palantir, MercadoLibre (afterhours)
Economic announcements: Factory orders (US)
Tuesday 5 August
BP PLC (LSE:BP.) issued guidance last month that second-quarter numbers and outlook were not quite as bleak as many had feared.
Since then, the oil group named a successor to chair Helge Lund, with Albert Manifold, former boss of Irish construction materials group CRH, taking the chair role from the start of October and reigniting New York listing speculation.
Boardroom changes are all the rage, with Diageo PLC (LSE:DGE) shares spiking last month after the Guinness and Smirnoff maker said that CEO Debra Crew had stepped down with immediate effect.
Her departure was unlikely to mark a turning point for the world’s largest spirits group, analysts said, and while the search is on for her successor, the focus at the results will be on the outlook for 2026, which is expected to show modest organic sales growth.
Services PMI surveys are key economic data points for many major economies, with the last UK update revealing the fastest expansion for almost a year, with new orders rising for the first time in three months.
There's also UK new car sales and a Treasury auction for 10-year gilt.
Later, Pfizer and Caterpillar will report before the opening bell on Wall Street, with semiconductor names AMD and Super Micro among those after the close.
Announcements expected:
Trading updates: BP
Interims: Domino's Pizza, Fresnillo, GlobalData, International Workplace Group, Keller Group, Rotork, Serica Energy, Sig, Smith & Nephew, Spirent, Travis Perkins
Finals: Diageo
Overseas announcements: Amgen, Ball Corp, Caterpillar, Pfizer (all premarket), Advanced Micro Devices, Arista Networks, Lemonade, Lucid Group, Rivian Automotive, Snap, Super Micro Computer, Upstart Holdings (all afterhours)
Economic announcements: Services PMI (CHN, EU, UK, US), New Car Sales (UK, GER), Treasury Gilt 2035 Auction (UK), PPI (EU), Balance of Trade (US), Redbook (US), ISM Services PMI (US), API Crude Oil Changes (US)
Wednesday 6 August
In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump's 'liberation day', Glencore PLC (LSE:GLEN) shares sank to their lowest in over four years, though they have since rallied over a third.
The clouds may be lifting after a rough patch of results and a slump in coal prices, one set of analysts recently suggested, with a turnaround expected as production ramps up sharply in the second half of 2025, driven mainly by copper.
Elsewhere, there are two FTSE 100-listed European Coca-Cola bottlers, including £33 billion Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC (LSE:CCEP, NASDAQ:CCEP), and a handful of insurers, including Legal & General Group PLC (LSE:LGEN) and Hiscox Ltd (LSE:HSX).
Analysts at UBS expect to see shareholder returns prioritised at L&G, forecasting that they will return over 35% of its market value to shareholders through dividends and buybacks over the next three years.
US and overseas results include Disney, McDonald's, Uber and Novo Nordisk, after its massive profit warning a week earlier).
Announcements expected:
Interims: 4imprint Group, Coca-Cola HBC, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Georgia Capital, Glencore, Hiscox, Ibstock, Lancashire Holdings, Legal & General Group, Quilter, TP ICAP Group, Tritax Big Box REIT, Vesuvius
Overseas announcements: McDonald's, Novo Nordisk, Shopify, Uber Technologies, Disney, Unity Software (all premarket), Airbnb, Jackson Financial, Occidental Petroleum (all afterhours)
Economic announcements: Construction PMI (EU, UK), Retail Sales (EU), MBA Mortgage Applications (US), EIA Crude Oil Changes (US)
Thursday 7 August
Thursday is Bank of England decision day, with a quarter-point cut widely expected as well as a potential three-way split between monetary policy committee members, as they pick over some thorny economic data.
Amidst a softening labour market and lingering inflation concerns, the monetary policy committee (MPC) is also due to release its quarterly monetary policy report.
Before that, there’s a healthy flow of FTSE 350 company results scheduled.
WPP PLC (LSE:WPP) let investors down early ahead of its interims, sending its shares plummeting to a 16-year low last month as it warned of lower revenue and profit expectations this year.
Analysts and investors were already worrying about how the advertising industry will be profoundly disrupted by artificial intelligence, and this sent toppling any who were still on the fence.
Newly appointed CEO Cindy Rose, ex of Microsoft and Disney, does not start until September.
Elsewhere, Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC (LSE:IHG) was the other side of the coin, reporting a solid start to the year last time it came to market.
Strong demand in Europe and the Middle East offset a decline in China, the owner of the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotel brands said, adding that it is "on track" to meet current full-year 2025 consensus profit expectations.
Global revenue per available room (revPAR) grew 3.3% for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 3.0% over the whole of last year.
Announcements expected:
Trading updates: Flutter Entertainment
Interims: Burford Capital, Deliveroo, Dowlais Group, Harbour Energy, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Hutchmed (China), InterContinental Hotels Group, Mears Group, Morgan Advanced Materials, Serco Group, Spectris, WPP
Overseas announcements: Eli Lilly, Merck, Viatris (all premarket), Block, Gilead Sciences, Pinterest, Take-Two Interactive Software, The Trade Desk, Twilio (all afterhours)
Economic announcements: Balance of Trade (CHN, GER, FRA), Halifax House Prices (UK), Bank of England Decision (UK), Initial Jobless Claims (US), Wholesale Inventories US), Consumer Inflation Expectations (US)
Friday 8 August
Announcements expected:
Trading updates: TBC Bank Group
Interims: Stelrad Group, TBC Bank Group, The Renewables Infrastructure Group
Overseas announcements: Cleanspark
Economic announcements: RICS House Prices (UK), Unemployment (FRA), Baker Hughes Oil Rig Count (US)