Friday preview: Greek vote, US jobs data, Smith and Nephew ...

3rd Nov 2011 20:01

Activities on the UK corporate news front are set to take a back seat on Friday to events in Greece, where the government faces a vote of confidence motion in parliament, and the US, where the non-farm payrolls data will be as keenly watched as ever.Even inveterate gamblers are reluctant to take a position on whether the Greek government will survive, but there are no shortage of economists prepared to have a stab at guessing the change in the US non-farm payrolls, with the consensus forecast being for a rise of around 90,000 in October, following September's 103,000 rise.On the company results agenda, hotel firm Millennium & Copthorne gives a third quarter update, with shareholders hoping that the sparkling performance in the first half of the year has been maintained.Overall revenue per available room (revPar), a measure of profitability in the hotel industry, increased by 6.3%, in constant currency terms, in the second quarter from a year earlier, with the growth primarily driven by an increase in the average room rate.It has been over three months since we had a revival of the "potential bidder stalking Smith & Nephew" rumour, a story that has had more outings than the North Fylde Steam Train Appreciation Society.The medical devices firm reported higher revenues and profits in the second quarter compared to a year earlier, but there were concerns about the trading margins, due to changes in the sales mix.INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEAdvanced Medical Solutions Group, BBA Aviation, Bodycote, Brammer, Derwent London, Dillistone Group, Fiberweb, Goals Soccer Centres, GVC Holdings, Hydrogen Group, Judges Scientific, M. P. Evans Group, Motivcom, Nationwide Accident Repair Services, Northbridge Industrial Services, SIG, UK Select Trust Ltd., Weir GroupQUARTERLY PAYMENT DATEInvestors Capital Trust 'A' SharesINTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSPMI Services (GER) (07:55)PMI Services (FRA) (08:50)PMI Composite (EU) (09:00)PMI Services (EU) (09:00)Producer Price Index (EU) (09:00)Unemployment Rate (US) (13:30)Change in Non-farm Payrolls (US) (12:30)Q3Lancashire Holdings, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen SA GDR (Reg S), Smith & NephewGMSGroup NBTANNUAL REPORTVictoria Oil & GasIMSSMeggittEGMSAer Lingus GroupAGMSDechra PharmaceuticalsFINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEEckoh, Qatar Investment Fund, Zetar--jh