Friday preview: US non-farm payrolls, Entain in the spotlight

All eyes at the end of the week will be on the one report that could easily upend many market forecasts should it deviate from the consensus - the monthly non-farm payrolls report.

Consensus is for a 180,000 increase in February following the breakneck pace of 353,000 reported for the month before.

Nevertheless, economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics point out that regardless of how Friday's data play out, many leading indicators are consistent with a significant downshift in jobs growth over the spring.

They do not anticipate a recession but do anticipate a slowdown that will leave abundantly clear to policymakers that interest rates are "far too" high.

Across the Channel meanwhile, at 1000 GMT Eurostat will publish fourth quarter GDP and employment figures.

In the UK, the NIESR will release its rolling estimate for three-month GDP growth for February.

In company news, UBS expects that Entain will post full-year sales of approximately £4.61bn, for operating profit on an EBITDA basis of £956m.

Friday 8 March

FINALS

BP, FBD Holdings (CDI), Informa

AGMs

Allergy Therapeutics, Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund, Chenavari Toro Income Fund Limited NPV

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Baronsmead Second Venture Trust, Avon Protection, Baronsmead Venture Trust, Paragon Banking Group, Victorian Plumbing Group, Renew Holdings, Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

GCP Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Blackstone Loan Financing Limited (EUR), PRS Reit (The), Troy Income & Growth Trust, Aberforth Split Level Income Trust, Majedie, Investments, Residential Secure Income, S&U, SSE

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

Industrial Production (GER) (07:00)

Gross Domestic Product (EU) (10:00)

Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (13:30)

Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)