Week ahead: US-China trade, central banks in focus

Without a doubt, all eyes next week will be trained on the ongoing trade spats around the globe between the US and its main trading partners.

It is against that backdrop that the Monetary Policy Committee will decide on policy, on Thursday, followed by Governor Mark Carney's Mansion House speech that same evening.

No change in the MPC's policy settings are expected and rate-setters may well prefer to bide their time as events unfold across the globe, including at home in Parliament.

Nevertheless, after the 'soft patch' in the economy at the start of the year, which saw Bank shy away from another rate hike, and with some of the other main central banks - to one degree or another - on the move, the MPC may well be feeling some 'peer pressure'.

Interest rate decisions are also expected from the Swiss National Bank and the Norges Bank on Thursday.

Spread across the first half of the week as well are speeches from various central bank governors, with members of the European Central Bank's governing council, the Bank of Japan, the Reserve Bank of Australia and the US Federal Reserve all set to coincide at the ECB's 2018 Sintra conference, on Wednesday.

Soft data will also be in the spotlight, with the Federal Reserve bank of Philadelphia's factory sector survey for June scheduled for release on Thursday.

On Friday, it will be followed by IHS Markit's 'flash' euro area purchasing managers' index for June.

Monday June 18

INTERIMS

Standard Life Private Equity Trust

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

Royal Dutch Shell 'A', Royal Dutch Shell 'B', SQN Asset Finance Income Fund Limited

GMS

Standard Life Private Equity Trust, Standard Life Private Equity Trust

FINALS

Thalassa Holdings Ltd. (DI)

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings (DI)

AGMS

Angling Direct , Ascent Resources, Boston International Holdings, Comptoir Group, Cyanconnode Holdings, Directa Plus, EVR Holdings, Horizon Discovery Group, ICG Enterprise Trust, IP Group, MHP SE GDR (Reg S), Mission Marketing Group, OJSC Rostelekom ADR (level I), Papua Mining, Premier Technical Services Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Kingfisher, Pagegroup, Witan Pacific Inv Trust

Tuesday June 19

INTERIMS

Benchmark Holdings

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Fidelity Special Values, Mobeus Income & Growth 4 Vct

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Building Permits (US) (13:30)

Current Account (EU) (09:00)

Housing Starts (US) (13:30)

Q3

Ferguson, Ferguson

Q4

Ashtead Group

FINALS

Accsys Technologies, Ashtead Group, Bonmarche Holdings, Braveheart Investment Group, Castleton Technology, Flybe Group, Footasylum, Gresham House Strategic , Telecom Plus

ANNUAL REPORT

Biffa

IMSS

Ferguson

AGMS

Caspian Sunrise , Evraz, London & Associated Properties, Luceco , Metals Exploration, Motif Bio, Nautilus Marine Services, NB Distressed Debt Investment Fund Limited, Ranger Direct Lending Fund, Ranger Direct Lending ZDP Shs, Science In Sport, Slingsby H.C, Strategic Minerals, Trinity Exploration & Production, Trufin, Water Intelligence

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Aurora Investment Trust, Taptica International (DI)

Wednesday June 20

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

DFS Furniture, Tharisa (DI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Current Account (US) (13:30)

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)

MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

GMS

BlackRock Emerging Europe

FINALS

Berkeley Group Holdings (The), Best of the Best, F&C Global Smaller Companies, Severfield

AGMS

Andrews Sykes Group, BlackRock Emerging Europe, Cadogan Petroleum, Deltex Medical Group, Elektron Technology, Inspired Energy, London Security, Northern Electricity Prf, Primorus Investments, Tax Systems, UK Commercial Property Trust

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

CBI Industrial Trends Surveys (11:00)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Tongaat-Hulett Ltd.

Thursday June 21

INTERIMS

Chemring Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Euromoney Institutional Investor, Income & Growth VCT , Titon Holdings

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Compass Group, Gooch & Housego

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Brunner Inv Trust, Funding Circle SME Income Fund, Land Securities Group, Mercantile Investment Trust (The), TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

House Price Index (US) (14:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Philadelphia Fed Index (US) (13:30)

GMS

Bank Pekao SA GDS (Reg S), Transense Technologies

FINALS

Dixons Carphone

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

PayPoint

EGMS

Synthomer

AGMS

Aberdeen New Thai Inv Trust, Armadale Capital, BH Macro Ltd. GBP Shares, Eden Research, EJF Investments Ltd NPV, Good Energy Group, HSS Hire Group , Impellam Group, Maistro, Mereo Biopharma Group, NetScientific , PAO TMK GDR (Reg S), PJSC Lukoil ADR, Saga , Tarsus Group, Vipera

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Saga

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

BoE Interest Rate Decision (12:00)

Public Sector Net Borrowing (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Gamma Communications

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Air Partner, Big Yellow Group, Braemar Shipping Services, Edinburgh Inv Trust, Fidelity China Special Situations , First Derivatives, Fuller Smith & Turner, ICG Enterprise Trust, KCOM Group, Majestic Wine, Mitie Group, MS International, Norcros, Northern 2 VCT, Northern 3 VCT, Octopus AIM VCT, PayPoint, ProVen Growth & Income VCT, ProVen VCT, Syncona Limited NPV, Tate & Lyle, Tex Holdings, TR Property Inv Trust, United Utilities Group, Vertu Motors, Weiss Korea Opportunity Fund Ltd, Wynnstay Properties

Friday June 22

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Evraz, Gattaca, Majedie Investments, Maven Income & Growth 2 VCT, Numis Corporation, Town Centre Securities

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BP, UIL Limited (DI)

FINALS

Naspers Ltd. ADR, Prime People

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

VinaLand Ltd

AGMS

BH Global Ltd. GBP Shares, Blackstone/GSO Loan Financing Limited, Boohoo.com, Braemar Shipping Services, Cambian Group, Fair Oaks Income Limited 2017 Shs NPV, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. GDR (Reg S), Lenta Ltd GDR (Each 5 Repr 1 Ord) (144A) , New Century AIM VCT 2, Next Fifteen Communications, PJSC Tatneft ADS , Synairgen, Tiger Resource Finance, Xtract Resources, Zoltav Resources Inc (DI)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Burford Capital , Howden Joinery Group, Inchcape, John Laing Environmental Assets Group Limited , Keller Group, Keywords Studios, M. P. Evans Group, Medica Group , Midwich Group, Mincon Group , Moss Bros Group, TBC Bank Group, Ted Baker, Tesco, Venture Life Group