Thursday preview: Tight race expected between Conservatives and Labour in UK general election
The UK general election kicks off on Thursday in what is expected to be the biggest period of uncertainty since the 1920s with the possibility of back-to-back hung parliaments.
The latest Guardian/ICM poll shows the Conservatives and Labour parties tied at 35% each.
Voting closes at 22:00 London time, with the first exit polls to be released shortly afterwards.
With no party likely to receive enough votes to rule by majority, a hung parliament is predicted.
“This leaves three possible options on the table; a coalition government, a confidence and supply agreement between two or more parties or a minority government ,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda.
“The consensus view is that the ‘anti-Conservative’ feeling is so great in Westminster that a Labour minority government – led by Ed Miliband as Prime Minister – is most likely. A minority rule would prove extremely challenging over the five year term and I therefore think, under these circumstances, we’d see a change of heart from Miliband and a confidence and supply agreement with the Scottish National Party would be agreed."
We are covering the elections live here
Away from the elections will be a batch of interims early on from the likes of BT Group, WM Morrison, Rightmove and RSA Insurance.
Thursday 7 May
INTERIMS
Imperial Tobacco Group
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Animalcare Group
INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE
AB Dynamics, James Halstead, Lok'n Store Group, Smart (J) & Co.
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Barclays, BP, Custodian Reit , IBM Corp.
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Credit (US) (20:00)
Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)
Factory Orders (GER) (11:00)
Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)
PMI Construction (GER) (08:30)
PMI Retail (EU) (09:10)
PMI Retail (GER) (09:10)
Q4
BT Group, Stewart & Wight
GMS
Johnson Service Group
FINALS
BT Group, Stewart & Wight
IMSS
Beazley, esure Group, Friends Life Group Limited , IMI, Kennedy Wilson Europe Real Estate , Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets, RSA Insurance Group
SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Admiral Group, Octopus AIM VCT 2
AGMS
Aberdeen Asian Income Fund Ltd., Alent, BAE Systems, BrainJuicer Group, Charles Taylor, Communisis, CRH, Fevertree Drinks, First Quantum Minerals Ltd., GKN, GlaxoSmithKline, Glencore , Gresham Computing, Hexaware Technologies Ltd. GDS (Reg S), IMI, Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd (Singapore Reg), Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd. (Singapore), Kaz Minerals , Ladbrokes, Martinco , Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Morgan Sindall Group, Oxford Biomedica, Provident Financial, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Rightmove, Sorbic International, Trinity Mirror, William Hill, X5 Retail Group NV GDR (Reg S)
TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Telecity Group
UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Car Registrations (09:00)
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
British American Tobacco, Countrywide, Fyffes, LSL Property Services
FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Acacia Mining, Admiral Group, Advanced Medical Solutions Group, Barr (A.G.), British Smaller Companies VCT 2, Centaur Media, Derwent London, Dunedin Income Growth Inv Trust, EP Global Opportunities Trust, G4S, Gem Diamonds Ltd. (DI), H&T Group, Henderson Group, Highcroft Investment, IFG Group, London Stock Exchange Group, Lookers, Macfarlane Group, Maven Income & Growth 3 VCT, Maven Income & Growth 4 VCT, Maven Income and Growth VCT 5, Morgan Advanced Materials , Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets, Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings) , North American Income Trust (The), Ocean Wilsons Holdings Ltd., Octopus AIM VCT 2, Partnership Assurance Group , Playtech, Polypipe Group , Rightmove, SafeCharge International Group Limited (DI), SimiGon Ltd. (DI), Trinity Mirror
Q1
Bankers Petroleum Ltd.(CDI), Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Sampo OYJ, TBC Bank Joint Stock Company GDR (REGS)