Markets seek a lead

In a very quiet week on the domestic corporate front, attention will turn to the third-quarter reporting season which has begun in earnest for US companies. Profit figures will be closely watched by markets, which are still nervous in the absence of any strong guidance from economic data or interest rates and casting a wary eye at the rapidly-approaching new millennium.

At home, some indication of the state of the economy will emerge from figures for inflation tomorrow and retail sales on Thursday.

Monday

Results: American home Products (Q3), ARM Holdings (Q3), Bank of America (Q3), CBT (Q3), Coca-Cola (Q3), Computer Associates, Eaton Corp (Q3), Kauppakaari (H1), Lexmark (Q3), Perstorp (Q3), Raytheon (Q3), Warner Lambert (Q3).

A.G.M.: Algroup, Terrain.

Meetings: John Watson, head of EU Commission's financial markets and financial intermediaries unit, details EU's action plan for financial services industry.

Indicators: Japanese industrial production (Aug); German wholesale prices (Sep); Canadian manufacturing data (Aug).

Others: EU Parliament hearing on draft EU laws for investment fund industry; Irish Insurance Federation publishes 1998 factfile and discusses financial services regulator.

Tuesday

Results: A-Rakennusm (H1), Bellway, Blacks Leisure (H1), Black & Decker (Q3), Debenhams, Dyno (Q3), Elkem (Q3), Endemol, ITT Industries (Q3), Johnson & Johnson (Q3), JOT Automation, KFK (Q3), MAN, Mellon Bank (Q3), SKF (Q3), Southwest Airlines (Q3), Tellabs (Q3), Texas Instruments (Q3), Wells Fargo (Q3).

Meetings: Conference on future role of private health insurance (Smurfit Graduate School of Business, UCD): Tel: 706 8330

Indicators: Irish consumer prices (Sep) and wholesale prices (Sep); US consumer prices (Sep), real earnings (Sep), housing permits (Sep) and housing starts (Sep); French trade balance (Aug); Italian consumer prices (Sep); Canadian composite index (Sep).

Wednesday

Results: AMR (Q3), Arcadia, Banco Popular (Q3), Bell Atlantic (Q3), Cendant (Q3), Christiana (Q3), Dun & Bradstreet (Q3), Eli Lilly & Co (Q3), Keskisuomal (H1), Liz Clairborne (Q3), Neomarkka (Q3), Norsk Hydro (Q3), Northrop Grumman (Q3), PGS (Q3), Rosebys (H1), Sanoma-WSOY (H1), SAP (Q3), Schering-Plough (Q3), Schlumberger (Q3), Sponda (Q3), Sprint (Q3), Swedbank (Q3), Sysko (Q1), Tomra (Q3), US Airways (Q3)

Meetings: Bank of France monetary policy council meets; European Movement conference on regional development (Berkeley Court Hotel, Dublin); Society of Investment Analysts in Ireland seminar on Irish quoted smaller company sector (Westbury Hotel, Dublin).

Indicators: Employment in Irish construction (Aug); EMU consumer prices (Sep); British retail sales (Sep), motor vehicle production (Sep), building society figures (Sep) and M4 data (Sep); US international trade (Aug); Canadian imports/ exports (Sep).

Others: Bank of England monetary policy committee publishes minutes of October meeting; Institute of Certified Public Accountants' annual president's dinner (Old Jameson Distillery, Smithfield, Dublin); TCD business alumni dinner (TCD).

Thursday

Results: Alandsbanken (Q3), Allergan (Q3), AOT (Q3), Autoliv (Q3), Avon Products (Q3), Baan (Q3), BarclaysGolbal, BBV (Q3), Cibix, Colgate-Palmolive, Esselte (Q3), Gambro (Q3), KeyCorp (Q3), Leif Hoegh (Q3), Mattel (Q3), Mayr-Melnhof (Q3), Nokia (Q3), Norvestia (Q3), Novartis (Q3), Philips (Q3), Prowting (H1), Reuters (Q3), Quaker Oats (Q3), Reebok (Q3), Sauntec (H1), Shires Smaller Cos (Q3), SmithKline Beecham (Q3), Sunoco (Q3), Tamp. Puhelin (H1), Union Pacific (Q3), Xerox (Q3).

Meetings: European Central Bank governing council meets; American Chamber of Commerce Ireland seminar of e-commerce and taxation (University Industry Centre, UCD).

Indicators: Canadian retail sales (Aug); .

Others: An Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, opens Republic's largest business park, Parkwest in Dublin; IAPF awards scheme and annual dinner (Jurys Hotel, Cork); The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, announces marketing forum for Shannon region (Hunt Museum, Limerick); Dublin Chamber of Commerce annual dinner (Burlington Hotel, Dublin); Irish Times Boyle Medal for scientific excellence presented (RDS, Dublin); Second Plato North Dublin programme announced (Gresham Hotel, Dublin).

Friday

Results: AMS (Q3), Clariant (Q3), Ericsson (Q3), SchwarzPharma (Q3).

Meetings: EU-Russia summit (Helsinki); EU employment and social affairs ministers (Luxembourg).

Indicators: Irish retail sales (Aug); British GDP (Q3); French industrial production (Jul).