Thursday preview: China CPI, Fed speak in focus

The market spotlight is set to shift eastwards on Thursday, with a report on Chinese consumer prices in December due out overnight.

Consensus is for the year-on-year rate of increase in inflation to accelerate from 4.5% in November to 4.7% for last month, on the back of quicker food price increases.

A separate report on factory gate inflation meanwhile is expected to show a pick up in the pace of price increases from -1.4% to -0.4%.

On home turf, the only reports set for release are the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's Permanent Staff Placements Index and Permanent Staff Salaries Index for December.

Stateside, investors' focus will be on a flurry of Fed speakers, beginning with vicechairman Richard Clarida at 0800 GMT, followed by NY Fed boss John Williams at 1130 GMT, the Chicago Fed's Charles Evans at 1320 GMT and the St.Louis Fed's James Bullard at 1400 GMT.

Thursday January 09

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Avation, Caledonia Investments, Octopus Apollo VCT, RHI Magnesita N.V. (DI)

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Amigo Holdings, Aveva Group, Bisichi Mining, QinetiQ Group, Volex, Workspace Group, XPS Pensions Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

GlaxoSmithKline

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust, BMO Private Equity Trust, JPMorgan Asian Investment Trust, JPMorgan Japan Smaller Companies Trust, Marble Point Loan Financing Limited NPV, Middlefield Canadian Income PCC, Primary Health Properties

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (GER) (07:00)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Current Account (GER) (07:00)

Import Price Index (GER) (07:00)

Industrial Production (GER) (07:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Unemployment Rate (EU) (10:00)

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Ferrexpo

AGMS

Cambria Automobiles

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Card Factory, Dunelm Group, Nichols

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

RICS Housing Market Survey (00:01)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

AJ Bell, Baring Emerging Europe, Brewin Dolphin Holdings, DotDigital Group, Focusrite, Hargreave Hale AIM VCT , Henderson European Focus Trust, Majedie Investments, On The Beach Group , Paragon Banking Group, UDG Healthcare Public Limited Company, Unicorn AIM VCT , Urban&Civic , WH Smith, Zytronic