Wednesday preview: US inflation print, Balfour Beatty results in focus

11th Aug 2026 12:10

(Sharecast News) - All eyes will be on the latest US inflation reading on Wednesday, while on the UK corporate front, first-half numbers from infrastructure group Balfour Beatty will be in focus.

Half-year results are also due from CLS Holdings and Hill & Smith, as well as a trading update from 888 and William Hill owner Evoke, and third-quarter numbers from travel firm Tui.

In the US, Cisco Systems is slated to report quarterly earnings, but the US consumer price index for July will be the highlight.

Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said the market is expecting a small moderation in both headline and core US CPI for July. The headline rate is expected to come in at 3.4%, while the core rate is expected to moderate a notch to 2.5%, she said.

Patrick Munnelly at Tickmill Group said CPI now carries more weight than payrolls. "A soft inflation print could restore the post-jobs rally in bonds," he said. "A firm print, especially with higher gasoline prices feeding expectations, would validate the hawks."

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote, said US data matters even more as the Fed becomes more opaque, as the market will have to do the heavy lifting in the absence of clear Fed guidance.

"Stronger-than-expected inflation would push yields higher and weigh on risk appetite, while benign numbers could soften hawkish bets without fully taming them, as oil prices continue to surge - whatever the Fed will do with its rates," she said. "At the end of the day, the markets - not the Fed - decide where borrowing costs should be."