Friday is a slow day for scheduled corporate news so focus will naturally veer across the Atlantic to the September US non-farm payrolls release at 13:30.
The market is expecting payrolls to increase by 111,000 after August's 96,000 increase. The US unemployment rate is seen rising to 8.2% from 8.1% in August.
John Wood Group, the oilfield support services group, issues an interim management statement, and shareholders will be hoping there is no further bad news about its loss-making contract in Oman.
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Wood Group PSN, its production services network division, expects to lose between $15m and $20m in Oman by the year's end, having shipped $10m in the first half alone.
"We are active on a number of steps to improve financial performance [on the Oman contract], including increasing operational efficiency and resolving a number of commercial issues," the group said back in August.
There are also issues surrounding new orders for the Power Solutions business, Credit Suisse noted, but otherwise everything in the Wood Group garden seems fairly rosy.
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
32Red, Aggreko, Arbuthnot Banking Group, Cape, Cineworld Group, Communisis, Densitron Technologies, Devro, Elementis, Evraz, Grafton Group Units, Greggs, Hammerson, International Personal Finance, Irish Continental Group Units, Maintel Holdings, Meggitt, Michael Page International, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Ocean Wilsons Holdings Ltd., Regus, Resolution Ltd., SEGRO, Shaft Sinkers Holdings
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
British Assets Trust
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Verizon Communications
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Credit (US) (20:00)
GDP (2nd release) (EU) (10:00)
Non-Farm Payrolls (US) (13:30)
Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)
GMS
Sperati CA
FINALS
Imperial Innovations Group
IMSS
Wood Group (John)
AGMS
Abbey, Immofinanz AG, Madagascar Oil Ltd (DI)
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
KCOM Group
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
ACM Shipping Group, Darty, ECO Animal Health Group, Pennon Group
Q1
Elringklinger AG
JH
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