The market spotlight at the end of the week was expected to be squarely on the US labour market and the latest monthly jobs report.
Consensus was for a 500,000 person increase in non-farm payrolls in November, following a similar increase during the previous month.
And while the rate of unemployment was seen ticking lower by one tenth of a percentage point to 4.5%, the annual rate of increase in average hourly earnings was expected to pick up from 4.9% in October to 5.0% this time around, with the length of the average work week steady at 34.7 hours.
Against that backdrop, final readings for purchasing managers surveys for services sector activity in the euro area, UK and US covering that same month were all due out.
Yet whereas a dip in activity was expected in UK services, PMIs for the euro area and US were both seen higher on the month before, even if with a small downwards revision in the case of the States.
Also on the calendar across the Channel, European Central Bank boss, Christine Lagarde, was set to speak at a Reuters Next event entitled “A new vision for a better economy”, at 0830 GMT, followed by a speech from ECB chief economist, Philip Lane at 1300 GMT.
Friday 03 December
INTERIMS
Duke Royalty Limited, Industrials Reit Limited, Mind Gym
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Bloomsbury Publishing, Bytes Technology Group , Coral Products, Empiric Student Property , Hilton Food Group, Maruwa Co Ltd., Maven Income & Growth VCT, Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust, Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust, SThree, The Mission Group, Young & Co’s Brewery ‘A’ Shares, Young & Co’s Brewery (Non-Voting)
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Honeywell International Inc., ICG Enterprise Trust
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Factory Orders (US) (15:00)
ISM Prices Paid (US) (15:00)
ISM Services (US) (15:00)
Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (13:30)
PMI Composite (EU) (09:00)
PMI Composite (GER) (08:55)
PMI Composite (US) (14:45)
PMI Services (EU) (09:00)
PMI Services (GER) (08:55)
PMI Services (US) (14:45)
Retail Sales (EU) (10:00)
Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)
FINALS
Impax Asset Management Group
SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Alternative Liquidity Fund Limited
EGMS
PJSC Acron GDR (REG S)
AGMS
Bluefield Solar Income Fund Limited, Ferro-Alloy Resources Limited NPV, Fidelity Asian Values, Ruffer Investment Company Ltd Red PTG Pref Shares
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
PMI Services (09:30)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
CVS Group, Sylvania Platinum Ltd (DI), TR European Growth Trust
