LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Investors on both sides of the Atlantic will struggle to digest the heavy flow of economic reports that are set for release on Thursday.
Traders on Wall Street returning to their desks after the National Day of Mourning on Wednesday (and their counterparts on this side of the Pond) in honour of President George HW Bush will be treated to a double ration of data.

Key among those will be ADP consultancy's private sector payrolls report for November, at 1215 GMT, followed by the latest weekly jobless claims data at 1330 GMT.

Given the recent shift higher in the latter, markets may prove more sensitive to any significant further move to the upside.

US labor productivity figures for the third quarter will also garner a fair bit of attention given the recent focus on business investment and productivity in helping to keep inflation in check, as will the ISM institute's service sector PMI.

Also due out in the States are international trade figures for October and the latest Federal Reserve Beige Book.

Against that backdrop, in the UK the focus will remain firmly on the ongoing parliamentary debates on the Prime Minister's proposed Withdrawal Agreement.

Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries's members are also set to meet to decide on output.

DS Smith is the largest firm due to update investors today.

Analysts at Numis anticipate that the packaging specialist will post sales and operating profits for the front half of the year of £3,224m and £305m, respectively.

That would represent growth of 15.2% and 21.4% versus the comparable year-ago figures.

They key driver of the company's performance, analyst Kevin Fogarty said, would be its ability to recoup the higher input costs resulting from the inflationary paper price environment.

"We believe confidence on the full recovery of input cost headwinds for the year to Apr-2019 will be a key share price catalyst," Fogarty reportedly said in a research report sent to clients.

"Strategically, there is potential for the new news to centre on the potential disposal of the Plastics division, having confirmed earlier this year that the Group had initiated a strategic review of the business."

Thursday December 06

INTERIMS

Custodian Reit , Smith (DS), Versarien

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

First Derivatives, Inspired Energy

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Alpha Financial Markets Consulting, Aquila Services Group, Babcock International Group, Biffa, Big Yellow Group, Bonmarche Holdings, Caffyns, Cake Box Holdings, Cranswick, D4T4 Solutions, De La Rue, Fuller Smith & Turner, Greene King, Homeserve, IG Design Group, Intermediate Capital Group, Investec, Kainos Group , Mediclinic International , Montanaro European Smaller Companies Trust, Next, PayPoint, Pets at Home Group , Record, Royal Mail, Telford Homes, Templeton Emerging Markets Inv Trust, Triad Group, Vertu Motors, VP, Walker Crips Group, Wincanton, Zegona Communications

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Albion Technology & General VCT, Civitas Social Housing , Civitas Social Housing C Shs, Honeycomb Investment Trust, Raven Property Group 6.5% Red Cnv Pref Shs NPV, RM Secured Direct Lending, UIL Limited (DI)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)

Factory Orders (GER) (07:00)

Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)

FINALS

CareTech Holding, easyHotel, Impax Asset Management Group

SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

Juridica Investments Ltd., PayPoint

AGMS

Aeorema Communications, Baillie Gifford Japan Trust, Billing Services Group Ltd., Bioventix, BlackRock Greater Europe Inv Trust, Churchill Mining, Foresight Solar & Infrastructure VCT, Jubilee Metals Group, Mercantile Ports & Logistics Limited, MJ Gleeson , Softcat, UK Mortgages Limited

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Ted Baker

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Craneware, NWF Group

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE

British Empire Trust, Britvic, Daily Mail and General Trust A (Non.V), DFS Furniture, Fidelity Special Values, Greene King, Northamber, Scottish Oriental Smaller Companies Trust, Town Centre Securities, YouGov

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