Thursday preview: BoE in focus

Financial markets' focus today will shift to the Bank of England.

Rate-setters on the Monetary Policy Committee are expected to stay put on policy but investors will be keen to see to what extent (or not) they adopt a more dovish stance than at their last meeting, when the Governor cautioned markets not to underestimate how a hard Brexit might in fact force Bank to adapt a more 'hawkish' stance than would otherwise be the case.

Also due out on Thursday are retail sales figures covering the month of November and the Confederation of British Industry's distributive trades index for December.

In the background meanwhile, policymakers at the central banks of Indonesia, Mexico and Sweden are scheduled to announce their own decisions on interest rates.

Wednesday December 19

INTERIMS

Begbies Traynor Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting, Creightons

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Diversified Gas & Oil, Royal Dutch Shell 'A', Royal Dutch Shell 'B'

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

General Electric Co

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)

Current Account (US) (13:30)

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

AGMS

British Empire Trust, Frontier IP Group, JPMorgan Elect Managed Growth Shares, Proactis Holdings, Red Rock Resources

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Consumer Price Index (09:30)

Producer Price Index (09:30)

Retail Price Index (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberdeen Frontier Markets Investment Company, Sanditon Investment Trust