Tuesday preview: US business confidence, BP in the spotlight

Tuesday's economic calendar is light.

Stateside, the National Federation of Independent Business will release its closely-followed business confidence for the month of January at 1100 GMT.

It will be followed shortly afterwards by US foreign trade data covering the month of December, at 1330 GMT.

Across the Channel, it will be the turn of Spanish industrial production figures for December at 0800 GMT and Italian retail sales data at 0900 GMT.

No major economic releases are scheduled in the UK.

On the corporate side of things, BP will be in the spotlight as the oil major delivers its fourth quarter earnings reports.

High energy quotes and the latest results out of rival Shell bode well for the outfit's earnings, including the possibility for the possibility of higher payouts, as does the restart of production at its gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of hurricane Idea.

However, longer-term concerns around the transition into a green energy giant, not least the investments needed to reach that goal and the low margins inherent to renewable energies, remained, said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK.

Tuesday 08 February

INTERIMS

Alumasc Group, Filtronic, Mattioli Woods

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE

BlackRock Latin American Inv Trust

Q4

BP

GMS

Clinigen Group

FINALS

BP, Micro Focus International, Ocado Group

IMSS

DCC (CDI)

AGMS

Barkby Group , Numis Corporation, TUI AG Reg Shs (DI)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bellway

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Cerillion , Netcall

Q1

TUI AG Reg Shs (DI)