This week marked the beginning of the third quarter earnings season and, despite the shaky start provided by US aluminium miner Alcoa, is set to be one of the most exciting in recent years. With share prices of companies potentially moving 5-20% on the day that results are reported, here’s why you should be keeping an eye out for those all-important earnings.

First, and perhaps most importantly, these are the first earnings results to cover the full impact of the UK’s vote to leave the EU in June. Whilst initial public outcry mixed with panic at the state of the economy, recent macroeconomic data released in the UK has proved otherwise, as UK consumers realised that shops remained open, the buses were still running and most importantly, that their wallets were still in their pockets.  Outstanding retail figures for August not only showed an increase on spending in comparison to the same month 12 months earlier, but also managed to beat all expectations despite the Brexit vote. For the ever-popular online retailer ASOS and stalwart of British fashion Burberry, can earnings mirror the data?

Second, the continued weakness of the Pound Sterling against its peers, the US Dollar and the Euro, has provided some hefty translational gains for the UK 100 and in particular the sectors heavily involved with commodities. The UK’s mining sector has enjoyed one of the most spectacular rebounds from the depths of the post-Brexit slump. UK Index heavyweights Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have experienced some of the most impressive of these; share prices for the two giants have recovered by almost 35% and 50% respectively from their Brexit lows. With the Pound languishing  at an all-time-low against the dollar and those all-important commodities they mine being buck-denominated, will the third quarter earnings for these two dual-listed Aussie miners show an equivalent change?

Finally, the changing of the guard in the upper echelons of UK politics has resulted in a change of direction when it comes to the government spending. In particular, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, has announced some exciting government funding schemes for the UK housing sector. The recent unveiling of a £5bn programme aiming to reignite the housing supply has seen big name housebuilders such as Bellway and building materials supplier Travis Perkins outperform many of their peers. Will their earnings releases, especially after today’s weak construction output data, show that with great share price increase comes greater profitability?

We here at Accendo Markets will be keeping an eye out for all of these earnings releases as well any important macroeconomic data releases that could influence critical statistics such as the GBP/USD exchange rate. Keeping our clients up to date with the movers and shakers of the day before the market opens puts you in the best possible position to finish the trading session with a smile on your face.

We stay informed so you can perform, so why not sign up to trial our research and find out which other UK 100 companies could be posting bank-breaking earnings over the next week and beyond?