Thursday preview: ECB, US data in focus

(Sharecast News) - Investors' focus on Thursday will be on the European Central Bank and what it has to say about interest rates going forwards. Consensus is that the monetary authority will again pare its short-term interest rates by 25 basis points, taking that on the deposit facility to 2.5%.

However, even before recent moves by Berlin to loosen Germany's fiscal straitjacket, expectations were already growing that the ECB would lower rates more slowly in the future.

Such expectations were due, in no small part, to the threat of trade tariffs from Washington, although that risk appeared to have decreased a tad over recent sessions.

Also due out is a flurry of economic reports in the US, including for weekly jobless claims, labour productivity and unit labour costs, foreign trade in goods, job cut announcements from consultancy Challenger and hiring trends among small companies from the NFIB.

Thursday 06 March

INTERIMS

Physiomics

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Berkeley Group Holdings (The), BHP Group Limited NPV (DI), City of London Investment Group, Colefax Group, Dr. Martens , Genus, Mid Wynd International Inv Trust, MJ Gleeson , North Atlantic Smaller Companies Inv Trust, PZ Cussons, Renishaw, South32 Limited (DI) , Trifast, Wilmington

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Assura , Energean , HICL Infrastructure , Premier Miton Global Renewables Trust, RM Infrastructure Income

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Balance of Trade (US) (13:30)

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

Retail Sales (EU) (10:00)

Wholesales Inventories (US) (15:00)

Q4

Endeavour Mining, Lancashire Holdings Limited

FINALS

Admiral Group, Coats Group, Dalata Hotel Group (CDI), Elementis, Endeavour Mining, Entain, Funding Circle Holdings , Grafton Group Ut (CDI), Greencoat Renewables (CDI), Greencoat Renewables (CDI), Harbour Energy , Hunting, ITV, Lancashire Holdings Limited, Melrose Industries, Melrose Industries, Pagegroup, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Rentokil Initial, Schroder Oriental Income Fund Ltd., Schroders, Spire Healthcare Group, Vesuvius, Vistry Group

AGMS

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust, Blackrock Income And Growth Investment Trust, Tertiary Minerals

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

PMI Construction (09:30)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Aviva 8 3/8% Cumulative Irrd Preference 1, Bristol Water 'A' 8 3/4% Cum Irrd Prf, General Accident (Prf), Henry Boot Prf, Nexus Infrastructure , Rights & Issues Investment Trust , Rio Tinto, S and U 6% Cumulative Prf. £1