Thursday preview: Jackson Hole symposium in the spotlight

The spotlight on Thursday will be on the start of the Federal Reserve bank of Kansas City's annual economic symposium, with traders eager for any hints or clues from which the central bankers gathered at the event might drop.

Although speeches from Fed chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi are not expected until Friday, it is not uncommon for potentially policy-relevant remarks to be made by policymakers on the sidelines of the event.

With the main developed world central banks increasingly eyeing an exit from their ultra-loose monetary policies, the theme for this year's event is 'Fostering a Dynamic Global Economy'.

Nevertheless, that likely requires that they coordinate their policies if necessary and most important of all, that the pace of any tightening be the optimal one.

That task however in turn also requires as full a knowledge as possible of the range of policy options available and the related growth and inflation outcomes that they imply.

An example of the above might be the recent intense discussions in financial markets regarding low levels of labour productivity and inflation which apppear to be at odds, especially the latter, with some of the more traditional economic models.

Yet according to recent remarks from the president of the Federal Reserve bank of Dallas, the focus of this year's event will be squarely on how to improve economic growth.

Certainly, the faster and more balanced that any economy grows, the easier that a central bank's job becomes.

Thursday August 24

INTERIMS

Avocet Mining, Camellia, CRH, Hunting, John Laing Group , Macfarlane Group, OneSavings Bank, OneSavings Bank, Phoenix Group Holdings (DI), Playtech, Premier Oil, Sportech

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Apax Global Alpha Limited , Cineworld Group, CLS Holdings, Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), Devro, FDM Group (Holdings), Fidessa Group, Glanbia, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), London Stock Exchange Group, Low & Bonar, Mandarin Oriental International (Singapore), Marshall Motor Holdings, Maven Income & Growth 2 VCT, Maven Income and Growth VCT 5, Mondi, Paddy Power Betfair, Polypipe Group , Prudential, Rotork

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Blue Capital Alternative Income Fund Ltd (DI)

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Carnival, HICL Infrastructure Company Ltd, NextEnergy Solar Fund Limited Red

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

AGMS

City of London Group, NB Private Equity Partners Ltd., New Century AIM VCT, NextEnergy Solar Fund Limited Red, Northern Bear, Puma Vct 8, SerVision

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BBA Mortgage Lending Figures (09:30)
CBI Distributive Trades Surveys (11:00)
GDP (Preliminary) (09:30)
Index of Services (09:30)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Arcontech Group, Bloomsbury Publishing, Dixons Carphone , JPMorgan Brazil Inv Trust , Miton UK Microcap Trust, Park Group, Ramsdens Holdings , Safeland