UK employment figures likely to show a rise in claimants last month
UK employment figures are this week predicted to remain steady, in line with the weak economic background.
“We forecast the October unemployment rate unchanged at 7.8 per cent and the November claimant count to increase by 6,400,” said Blerina Uruci from Barclays.
Investors will this week be looking to America, where the Federal Reserve is set to announce its economy policy, and to the Eurozone, where Greece could finally get the money it needs for its latest tranche of bail-out cash.
Thursday will see the release of the CBI Industrial Trends Survey, and UK construction output numbers come out on Friday.
In corporate news, Whitbread is set to deliver interim results tomorrow, and its Costa Coffee business is expected to have profited from the recent consumer boycott of Starbucks over its UK tax affairs. Ashtead Group, Carpetright and International Greetings will also give interim results.
On Wednesday chip designer Imagination Technology will give interim figures, along with fashion retailer SuperGroup, Begbies Traynor Group and Darty. Carillion, Senior and Travis Perkins are all set to update the market.
On Thursday Betfair and Sports Direct will both give interim results. Betfair’s new boss Breon Corcoran, who joined from Paddy Power, will also reveal the results of his strategic review, having spent four months looking into the business. Meanwhile Sports Direct chief executive Mike Ashley will likely face questions over the company’s possible purchase of a stake in department store chain House of Fraser.