Friday preview: Delayed WH Smith results, retail sales figures due

(Sharecast News) - On Friday's macroeconomic calendar, UK public sector net borrowing and retail sales figures for November are due at 0700 GMT. Michael Hewson at MCH Market Insights said it was hard to be optimistic about the retail sales "given the backdrop that led up to the November budget with the early briefing from Chancellor Reeves at the beginning of the month, followed by the heavy leaking of possible policy moves and U-turns that ensued in the lead up to the actual budget itself".

"The hope is that we might see a post-budget rebound as a result of the ensuing clarity around the outlook, however we won't know that for sure until the beginning of January when many of the major retailers announce their post-Christmas trading updates," he said.

On the corporate front, retailer WH Smith is set to release its full-year results.

These had been scheduled for release on 16 December but were delayed to give auditors more time to finish their work.

This comes in the wake of an accounting error that wiped almost £600m from the company's stock market value and led to the departure of chief executive Carl Cowling.

The company cut forecasts in August and launched an independent review led by Deloitte after it discovered that an accounting blunder at its North American arm overstated profits by as much as £50m.

Friday December 19

INTERIMS

ProService Building Services Marketplace

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Cake Box Holdings, Calnex Solutions , Goldplat, Ninety One , Record, Sainsbury (J), Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust, Tatton Asset Management , Telecom Plus, Yu Group

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BlackRock World Mining Trust, BP, GCP Asset Backed Income Fund Limited, Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV, Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (USD)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Current Account (EU) (09:00)

Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)

GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)

Gross Domestic Product (US) (13:30)

M3 Money Supply (EU) (09:00)

Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (13:30)

Personal Consumption Expenditures (US) (15:00)

Personal Income (US) (15:00)

Personal Spending (US) (15:00)

Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

GMS

Amigo Holdings, Quantum Base Holdings

SPECIAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Sainsbury (J)

AGMS

AVI Global Trust , AVI Global Trust , Wildcat Petroleum, Wildcat Petroleum

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

GFK Consumer Confidence (00:01)

Public Sector Net Borrowing (07:00)

Retail Sales (07:00)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Avingtrans, BlackRock Greater Europe Inv Trust