Thursday preview: US data, ECB's Lagarde in focus

The focus in financial markets on Thursday will be on a slew of key activity indicators in the US.

Foremost among those will be the retail sales report for August which is expected to reveal another month-on-month drop.

Barclays Research was anticipating an 0.8% fall on the month led by auto sales while waning government support was seen resulting in modest goods consumption in comparison to prior months.

Also due out Stateside are readings on weekly jobless claims and for the Philly Fed's regional factory index.

Across the Channel meanwhile, European Central Bank boss, Christine Lagarde, is scheduled to speak at 1330 BST at an event hosted by HEC Paris.

No major economic announcements are scheduled in the UK.

Thursday 16 September

INTERIMS

Checkit, Foresight Solar Fund Limited, GENinCode, Hilton Food Group, Keystone Law Group , RTW Venture Fund Limited NPV

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Sabre Insurance Group

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

888 Holdings, Bakkavor Group , Belvoir Group, Cairn Homes (CDI), Concurrent Technologies, Digital 9 Infrastructure NPV, Eurocell , Gore Street Energy Storage Fund , HGCapital Trust, Highcroft Investment, International Public Partnerships Ltd., Intertek Group, Jadestone Energy, Luceco , Macfarlane Group, Midwich Group, Old Mutual Limited NPV (DI), Restore, Tavistock Investments, Uniphar (CDI), Unite Group, Vector Capital

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Brunner Inv Trust

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Honeycomb Investment Trust

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00)

Business Inventories (US) (15:00)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Retail Sales (US) (13:30)

GMS

International Personal Finance

FINALS

Clinigen Group, Duke Royalty Limited, Galliford Try, Kier Group

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Dunelm Group

AGMS

ECO Animal Health Group, Henderson Diversified Income Ltd., Real Estate Credit Investments Ltd, ReNeuron Group, Ryanair Holdings (CDI), Sysgroup

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

C&C Group (CDI)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting, Artemis Alpha Trust, Best of the Best, Clipper Logistics , Goodwin Plc, Hargreaves Services, Jupiter Green Inv Trust, Trifast, UniVision Engineering Ltd., Walker Crips Group

Q1

DX (Group)