September brings a close to the holidays, with new rounds of macroeconomic data for the market to get into, along with a slow but steady stream of company news through the week, including FTSE 350 names including Currys, Berkeley, M&G, Ashtead, Ashmore, Oxford Nanopore and Kainos.
The week will end with all eyes on US jobs data, after the last round of disappointing data led to Donald Trump firing the head of the agency in charge.
Monday 1 September
The back-to-school month kicks off with a slew of manufacturing data from around the world, plus Bank of England lending data.
Among the company news, an update is expected from what some analysts recently labelled as one of its top UK-listed stocks to watch on the fringes of the artificial intelligence mega-trend.
Kainos Group PLC (LSE:KNOS), said the broker in question, should benefit from the shift in focus from headline-grabbing innovations to more gradual, deep-rooted changes in how businesses operate and deliver value.
Announcements expected:
Trading updates: Kainos
Interims: Team Internet
Finals: XP Factory
Economic announcements: Caixin Manufacturing PMI (CHN), Nationwide House Prices (UK), Manufacturing PMIs (EU, UK), Mortgage Approvals & Consumer Credit (UK), Unemployment (EU)
Tuesday 2 September
FTSE 250-listed Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC (LSE:ONT) is scheduled to report on Tuesday, after a recent update lifted the shares to their highest level in almost two years.
Investors want more details about growth prospects beyond its core research market, said one broker in their preview.
Announcements expected:
Interims: Everplay, Johnson Service, Michelmersh Brick, Oxford Nanopore, Uniphar
Finals: Alumasc
Overseas announcements: Alimentation Couche-Tard, Zscaler, NIO, Signet Jewelers
Economic announcements: Inflation (EU), ISM Manufacturing PMI (US)
Wednesday 3 September
Results include interims from M&G, where the key focus is likely to be fund net flows, where the consensus forecast is for around £0.4 billion coming in.
Operating profits are expected to come in at £398 million, up from £375 million a year earlier.
A first-quarter trading update is also due from US-focused equipment hire group Ashtead, where it will be looking to reverse the slowing trend after 0.5% growth seen in the last quarter of its financial year.
Announcements expected:
Trading updates: Ashtead Group
Interims: Bakkavor, Cairn Homes, Churchill China, Hilton Food, M&G, NCC
Overseas announcements: Salesforce, HP Enterprises, Dollar Tree, GameStop, Gap, Macy’s, American Eagle
Economic announcements: Services PMI (CHN, UK, EU, US), JOLTS Job Openings (US), Federal Reserve Beige Book (US), Auto Sales (US), Factory Orders (US)
Thursday 4 September
Currys PLC (LSE:CURY) will provide an update on its first quarter on Thursday, having said at the time of its final results that early trading was in line with expectations, with the board "comfortable" with market expectations, where the consensus forecast is for group adjusted PBT of £167 million.
The full-year results in July showed the electronics and technology retailer increased adjusted pre-tax profit 37% as like-for-like sales grew 2%.
The company revived dividend payments after two years on pause, after ending the year with £184 million in net cash, the strongest balance sheet in over a decade.
Some analysts noted that the FTSE 250 group has been quietly building a valuable asset in iD Mobile, a "hidden gem" that could deliver significant growth in the coming years.
Announcements expected:
Trading updates: Currys, Safestore
Interims: Alfa Financial Software, Apax Global Alpha, Funding Circle, Grafton, International Public Partnerships, Vistry, WAG Payment Solutions
Finals: Genus, Newmark Security
Overseas announcements: Broadcom, Lululemon Athletica, DocuSign, UiPath
Economic announcements: Construction PMI (UK), New Car Sales (UK), Retail Sales (EU), ISM Services PMI (US), Jobless Claims (US), Challenger Job Cuts (US), ADP Jobs (US), Balance of Trade (US), EIA Crude Oil Stocks (US)
Friday 5 September
The first week of September finishes with a potential bang, in the shape of the US jobs report, which a month ago led to Donald Trump sacking the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Alongside efforts to influence US Federal Reserve policy, the US President had BLS head Erika McEntarfer fired after August’s NFP report, with her replacement being Trump loyalist EJ Antoni.
That report showed just 73,000 non-farm jobs added in July, much less than economists had been expecting, while prior months were revised down heavily, with the initial reading of 139K and 147K for May and June revised down to just 19K and 14K.
Currently the consensus forecast is for 78K payrolls for August.
Before that, there should be an AGM trading update from housebuilder Berkeley Group Holdings PLC (LSE:BKG).
Investors last heard from Berkeley at its final results in June, where management guided to 2026 pre-tax profits of around £450 million, saying over 75% of sales were already secured.
It said at the time that the sales market is “positive”., backed by strong fundamentals including good employment, real wage inflation, falling mortgage rates and a “deeprooted undersupply of new homes in Berkeley’s core markets”.
Announcements expected:
Trading updates: Berkeley
Interims: Camellia
Finals: Ashmore
Economic announcements: Halifax UK House Prices (UK), Retail Sales (UK), BBA Mortgage Rate (UK), GDP (EU), Non-Farm Payrolls (US), Unemployment (US)