There's a veritable flurry of corporate releases on Thursday, which includes trading statements from well-followed paving specialist Marshalls (LON:MSLH) and online grocer Ocado (LON:OCDO).
"We expect Marshalls to report that it continues to make progress with regard to volumes and the underlying efficiency of the business," said broker Numis , which rates the stock an 'add'.
Marshalls, due to the nature of its trade, is a useful barometer of the state of the UK construction sector and sentiment.
Analyst Chris Millington notes the firm last reported its half year numbers at the end of August and therefore invetsors will be "looking for evidence over how the group traded over the last three months, given the volatility in trading patterns reported by the merchants".
He forecasts a continuation of the 11% revenue growth reported in the first half through to the year end and believes the broker's estimates for the full year look well underpinned.
"The shares have fallen 12.5% from their September high and we think this provides an attractive entry point."
Meanwhile, analyst Andrew Wade says he continues to have a positive stance on Ocado and rates the shares a 'buy'.
In September, the group reported a solid third quarter update, despite the continuing challenges in the grocery industry including pressure on basket size from food deflation, with sales growth of over 15.3%, in line with consensus and consistent with that reported through the first half.
The firm has not announced any international deals despite having formally targeted to have done so during 2015, but Wade says he remains convinced that Ocado's Smart Platform, founded on its scalable, modular CFC operation, represents the best end-to-end grocery solution for potential partners, both financially and from a customer service perspective.
Announcements expected -
Interim: Darty (LON:DRTY) , Micro Focus International (LON:MCRO), Photo-Me International (LON:PHTM), Sports Direct International (LON:SPD), Versarien (LON:VRS)
Trading statement: Centrica (LON:CNA), Go-Ahead Group (LON:The) (LON:GOG), John Wood Group (LON:WG.), Marshalls (LON:MSLH), Ocado Group (LON:OCDO), PZ Cussons (LON:PZC), Whitbread (LON:WTB)
The following widely-held stocks are trading ex-dividend on Thursday: Next, Associated British Foods
Economic: US – Weekly jobless claims; UK – RICS house price balance, trade, BoE MPC base rate decision