Week ahead: Jackson Hole Symposium, PMI surveys in focus

(Sharecast News) - Financial markets' focus over the coming week will be on the outlook for monetary policy in the US.

Potentially timely in that regard will be a speech by Federal Reserve boss, Jerome Powell, on exactly that subject on Friday.

Powell will be speaking on the second day of the Fed's annual Jackson Hole Symposium which is due to start the day before.

On Wednesday meanwhile, the central bank will release the minutes of its 30-31 July policy meeting, which could also yield insights into rate-setters' thinking.

Nonetheless, that account of their deliberations will necessarily not include any reference to the softer-than-expected August non-farm payrolls report.

Investors will also be keeping a close eye o

Also of interest will be the release of a raft of preliminary survey readings for euro area, UK and US manufacturing and services activity in August.

On home shores, come Tuesday the Office for National Statistics will publish the latest monthly public sector net borrowing data.

Consultancy GfK will follow on Thursday with the release of its consumer confidence survey results for the UK covering the month of August.

In Asia, policymakers at the People's Bank of China will decide on interest rates on Monday.

Consumer price data for July are due out on Thursday in Japan.

Monday 19 August

INTERIMS

Plus500 Ltd (DI)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Mountview Estates

Tuesday 20 August

INTERIMS

Anexo Group , Antofagasta, Empresaria Group, H&T Group, Jyske Bank A/S , Societatea Energetica Electrica SA GDR (Reg S), Tribal Group, Wood Group (John)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Current Account (EU) (09:00)

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

GMS

ASOS

FINALS

Zoo Digital Group, Zoo Digital Group

EGMS

Acg Acquisition Company Limited Cls A Npv (DI), Burford Capital NPV (DI)

AGMS

AdvancedAdvT Limited NPV (DI)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Elixirr International , Oxford Instruments, The Global Smaller Companies Trust

Wednesday 21 August

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Porvair

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.NPV (CDI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

AGMS

Latham (James)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Sector Net Borrowing (07:00)

Thursday 22 August

INTERIMS

Bank of Georgia Group, LungLife AI, Inc (DI) , Partners Group Private Equity Limited. (EUR)

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Hercules Site Services

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Atalaya Mining, Convatec Group , DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Bermuda Regd), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Jersey Reg), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Sing.Reg), Glanbia (CDI), Hammerson, Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Bermuda), Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Jersey), Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), Ibstock , Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. (Bermuda), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. (Jersey), Jpmorgan Uk Small Cap Growth & Income, Just Group, Legal & General Group, Mandarin Oriental International (Bermuda), Mandarin Oriental International (Jersey), Mandarin Oriental International (Singapore), Mondi, OSB Group , Rights & Issues Investment Trust , Sabre Insurance Group, Schroders, Shaftesbury Capital, St James's Place

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Land Securities Group, RM Infrastructure Income, Vaalco Energy, Inc (DI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Q2

Bank of Georgia Group, Nexxen International LTD (DI)

FINALS

Hays

AGMS

Calnex Solutions , Oryx International Growth Fund Ltd.

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

QinetiQ Group

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Babcock International Group, Cohort, International Distribution Services, Investec, Molten Ventures VCT , Supreme , XPS Pensions Group

Friday 23 August

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aptitude Software Group , Coral Products, Synectics

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Greencoat Renewables (CDI)

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

CRH (CDI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Homes Sales (US) (15:00)

GMS

Kore Potash

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Downing Strategic Micro-Cap Investment Trust Red, Latham (James)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

GFK Consumer Confidence (00:01)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Bloomsbury Publishing, C&C Group (CDI), Castings, Datang International Power Generation Co Ltd., FirstGroup, Latham (James), MS International, Nexteq, Northern 2 VCT, Northern 3 VCT, Northern Venture Trust, Palace Capital , Telecom Plus