The US Federal Reserve's latest policy decision will be the main item on Wednesday's global financial agenda, with markets expecting policymakers to trim interest rates once again.
As a prelude, London investors will have some blue-chip updates to digest first, including Standard Chartered PLC (LON:STAN), which is the last of the FTSE 100 banks to report on its third-quarter earnings.
While the UK’s domestic banks are still struggling with the impact of the PPI misselling scandal, Standard Chartered faces different obstacles.
Investors will be focusing on Asia, specifically whether ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, the bank's biggest profit centre, have been weighing on the numbers and driving capital out of the city.
The Hong Kong operation is particularly vulnerable to forced business closures as protestors and police confront each other on the streets, as well as a sharp drop in foreign currency purchases from visitors from mainland China.
The group had previously flagged that the instability could pose a risk to its earnings in its interim results in August, while ongoing Brexit uncertainty was also highlighted as a concern.
GlaxoSmithKline looks to lessen sting of Zantac recall
Following on from its €955mln travel vaccine deal with Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic last week, investors in GlaxoSmithKline PLC (LON:GSK) will be looking for more good news in its third-quarter results on Wednesday.
The pharma giant upgraded its full-year profit expectations in July, however, it turned out to be more of a damage limitation as the firm said its profits were likely to fall by £262mln as opposed to previous estimates of up to £787mln.
Investors will be eyeing any possible changes to these forecasts, as well as any updates on the fallout from the group’s Zantac heartburn drug, which was recalled earlier this month after authorities in the UK and US raised concerns over possible carcinogen contamination.
Significant events on Wednesday 30 October:
Finals: Leaf Clean Energy Company PLC (LON:LEAF)
Trading statement: Computacenter plc (LON:CCC), ConvaTec Group PLC (LON:CTEC), GlaxoSmithKline PLC (LON:GSK), Next PLC (LON:NXT), Smurfit Kappa Group plc (LON:SKG), Standard Chartered PLC (LON:STAN)
AGMs: ANGLE PLC (LON:AGL), Ashoka India Equity Investment Trust PLC (LON:AIE), Frontier Developments PLC (LON:FDEV), Goldplat PLC (LON:GDP), Hargreaves Services PLC (LON:HSP), Ideagen plc (LON:IDEA), Pantheon International PLC (LON:PIN), Redde Plc (LON:REDD), Sensyne Health PLC (LON:SENS)
Economic announcements: US Federal Reserve policy decision, BRC Shop Price Index, Nationwide House Price Index, US GDP, US PCE prices, US ADP employment