Week ahead: UK inflation, retail sales in focus as earnings season slows
By Benjamin Chiou
Date: Friday 15 Aug 2025
(Sharecast News) - With the second-quarter earnings season coming to a close - fewer than 80 companies across the whole of Europe are scheduled to report results over the coming three weeks - next week's focus is likely to stay on economic data.
In the UK, investors will get their first look at inflation stats from July on Wednesday, which will be closely watched following last week's interest-rate cut by the Bank of England to a two-year low of 4.0%.
The year-on-year change in the consumer price index - which rose from 3.4% to 3.6% in June - is expected to have picked up to a one-and-a-half-year high of 3.8% last month, according to consensus estimates.
"The reality is that since the budget in October, headline inflation in the UK has risen from 2.3% to 3.6% with a large part of the rise due to government fiscal policy. The Bank of England in its most recent meeting expects this trend of higher prices to continue with a 4% expected by Q3 before starting to slide back into year end," said analyst Michael Hewson from MCH Market Insights.
Similarly, UK retail sales data for July will be out on Friday and investors will be waiting to see whether higher prices at the till have translated into reduced consumer spend.
In the UK corporate space, banking group and specialist mortgage lender OSB will release its interim results on Wednesday, with investors keenly watching the outlook for loan growth amid the recent fall in mortgage rates. Recruiter Hays will report its full-year results on Thursday, following a profit warning in mid-June, with the focus again on the outlook amid an ongoing slowdown in the labour market.
Over in the US, quarterly results from retail giants Target and Walmart are scheduled for release on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The massive chains are widely seen as useful barometers for economic activity, and so will be in focus given the recent falls reported in American consumer confidence surveys.
"The debate over tariffs and their potential impact upon the US economy remains as relevant and fierce as ever," said Russ Mould and Danni Hewson from AJ Bell in a emailed note.
"There are suggestions that a slight increase in unemployment and the cumulative impact of inflation over the past three to four years are finally catching up with the American consumer, even before the possibility that US importers eventually stop swallowing the extra costs and start passing them on in the form of higher prices for their customers."
Monday August 18
INTERIMS
BATM Advanced Communications Ltd.
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Mountview Estates
Tuesday August 19
INTERIMS
Tribal Group, IWG
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Building Permits (US) (13:30)
Current Account (EU) (09:00)
Housing Starts (US) (13:30)
GMS
Jangada Mines
FINALS
Cambridge Nutritional Science
AGMS
Eurasia Mining, Mobile Tornado Group
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Oxford Instruments
Wednesday August 20
INTERIMS
Kenmare Resources (CDI), Lion Finance Group, Standard Chartered, Costain, Ithaca Energy, Kenmare Resources
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
M Winkworth
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Crude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)
MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)
Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)
Q2
Lion Finance Group
GMS
Active Energy Group, Gore Street Energy Storage Fund
AGMS
Celebrus Technologies, Latham (James), NextEnergy Solar Fund Limited Red, Oryx International Growth Fund Ltd.
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Celebrus Technologies
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Price Index (07:00)
Producer Price Index (07:00)
Retail Price Index (07:00)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Elixirr International , The Global Smaller Companies Trust
Thursday August 21
INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
AIB Group (CDI), Anglo American, Convatec Group , DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Bermuda Regd), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Jersey Reg), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Sing.Reg), Entain, Glanbia (CDI), Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Bermuda), Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Jersey), Hongkong Land Holding Ltd. (Sing.Reg), Ibstock , InterContinental Hotels Group, IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES REIT P IRISH RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES ORD SHS, Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. (Bermuda), Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd. (Jersey), Legal & General Group, Mandarin Oriental International (Bermuda), Mandarin Oriental International (Jersey), Mandarin Oriental International (Singapore), Mondi, Plus500 Ltd (DI), Sabre Insurance Group, Schroders, Shaftesbury Capital, Valterra Platinum Limited (DI)
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
JPMorgan Asia Growth & Income
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Vaalco Energy, Inc (DI), Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.NPV (CDI)
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Manufacturing PMI (EU) (09:00)
Manufacturing PMI (US) (14:45)
Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Existing Home Sales (US) (15:00)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)
SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Bermuda Regd), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Jersey Reg), DFI Retail Group Holdings Limited (Sing.Reg), Plus500 Ltd (DI)
EGMS
Zhejiang Yongtai Technology Co. GDR (EACH Repr 5 A SHS) (REG S)
AGMS
Cyanconnode Holdings
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Public Sector Net Borrowing (07:00)
Manufacturing PMI (09:30)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
QinetiQ Group
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Babcock International Group, Cohort, Heath (Samuel) & Sons, Lindsell Train Inv Trust, Molten Ventures VCT , Supreme , XPS Pensions Group
Friday August 22
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Hercules, Porvair, Synectics
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Supermarket Income Reit
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
CRH (CDI)
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gross Domestic Product (GER) (07:00)
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Retail Sales (07:00)
GfK Consumer Confidence (00:01)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Bloomsbury Publishing, Datang International Power Generation Co Ltd., Latham (James), MS International
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