Money Minute Thursday 26 September: UK pubs and American jobs

In the UK this morning, we get a trading update from FTSE 250-listed pubs and restaurants operator Mitchells & Butlers.At its third quarter update in July, the group which owns the All Bar One and Harvester chains - sounded upbeat, noting that its sales had outperformed the wider market.

Investors will be focusing on whether this has continued. They'll be paying close attention to growth in like-for-like sales, as well as to any commentary on how confident consumers are feeling.

Other corporate news is due from outsourcing group Mitie and from cruise operator Carnival.

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In the US this afternoon, we have the usual weekly jobless claims figures.The US labour market has continued to be strong, despite market fears of recession.However, employment is a lagging indicator it doesn't start deteriorating until we've already seen signs that the economy is in trouble.So with manufacturing data looking ugly, investors will continue to watch for evidence that a downturn is starting to impact on hiring and firing.