Allfirst and Elan step back into the glare

Two companies that have been in the news for all the wrong reasons will be back in the spotlight this week, with AIB's US subsidiary Allfirst holding its first meeting of shareholders since the emergence of the $691 million (€787 million) fraud and Elan producing quarerly figures it hopes will go further than last time around to persuade the markets of the transparency of its accounting in the post-Enron era.

On a brighter note, Riverdeep, the e-learning firm that targets US schools and has so far avoided the dotcrash that has so badly damaged other e-learning groups like SmartForce, produces its third-quarter figures.

Monday

Results: ABN-Amro (Q1), Allied Domecq (H1), Bayer (Q1), Celanese (Q1), Deutsche Bank (Q1), Digital Sport, Electronics Boutique, Lionbridge Technologies (Q1), Mice Group, Norske Skog (Q1), Norsk Hydro (Q1), Prowting, Pub n Bars, Rhodia (Q1), Terence Chapman Group (H1).

A.G.M.: BG Group, Invesco Techmark, Premier Management (e.g.m.), Project Telecom, Unite Group.

Meetings: Institute of European Affairs lecture in "Ireland in the European Union - the Future" series by IBEC director general Mr Turlough O'Sullivan.

Indicators: EMU balance of payments (Q4) and current account (Feb); US personal income/spenidng (Mar); British M0 data (Apr); Japanese industrial production (Mar); German import prices (Mar); French producer prices (Mar); Italian wages (Mar).

Others: World Trade Organisation (WTO) arbitrators expected to issue their assessment of the sum the European Union could impose in retaliation on US imports in the foreign sales corporation dispute between the two powers; Chambers of Commerce of Ireland Air Transport Users Group 2002 Airline of the Year awards; Community Initiative Awards 2002 - Dublin Region; Public holiday in Japan.

Tuesday

Results: AON (Q1), BASF (Q1), Bowater (Q1), BP (Q1), British American Tobacco (Q1), Carr's Milling Industries, Chubb (Q1), Collins and Hayes, DaimlerChrysler (Q1), Deutsche Post (Q1), KPMG Consulting (Q3), Lafarge (Q1), Procter & Gamble (Q3), Qwest Communications (Q1), Riverdeep (Q3), Sage (H1), SAP (Q1), Scoot, TTP Communications, Westbury, Wireless Group, Vanco.

A.G.M.: Allfirst, Belgravium Tech, Brammer, CA Coutts, Conister Trust, Delcam, Generics Group, Govett Singapore Gwth, Kleinwort Capital, Legal & General, RDL Group, Standard Life, Tibbett & Britten.

Meetings: Unilever chairman and chief executive Mr Niall Fitzgerald gives second annual Royal College of Surgeons lecture on leadership.

Indicators: EMU employment (Mar) consumer prices (Apr) and retail sales (Feb); Irish Quarterly National Accounts (Q4), balance of international payments (Q4), public sector employment and earnings (Q3) and industrial turnover (Feb); US consumer confidence (Apr); British consumer credit (Mar) and M4 data (Mar); Italian producer prices (Mar); French unemployment (Mar) and new housing starts (Mar); Japanese construction orders (Mar) anmd housing starts (Mar).

Others: Central Bank publishes monthly bulletin; IMD publishes World Competitiveness Yearbook 2002.

Wednesday

Results: BHP Billiton (Q3), Matalan, Scottish Power, Shire Pharmaceuticals (Q1), Whitbread.

A.G.M.: Cairn Energy, Grafton Group, Henderson High Inc Sec, Henlys Group, Provident Financial, Ready Mix, Travis Perkins, Universe Group.

Meetings: International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank meeting (to Thurs);Foresight Business Breakfast addressed by Digifone chief executive Ms Danuta Gray (Trinity College Dublin).

Indicators: British purchasing managers' index (Apr); US construction spending (Mar), vehicle sales (Apr) and purchasing managers' index (Apr); Japanese current account (Apr) and monetary base (Apr).

Others: National Digital Media conference (O'Reilly Hall, UCD);Public holiday in Germany and France.

Thursday

Results: Adidas-Salomon (Q1), Ciba (Q1), Elan Corp (Q1), ICI (Q1), Imperial Tobacco (H1), MMT Computing (H1), Pechiney (Q1), Shell (Q1), Shiloh, Telewest (Q1).

A.G.M.: Baille Giff Shin Nippon, Beeson Gregory, Broadcastle, Cattles, Elderstreet Downing, Eurocity Properties (e.g.m.), Gaskell, Lattice Group, Pittards, Spirent, Standard Chartered.

Meetings: European Central Bank governing council meeting (Frankfurt); WTO general council meets (Geneva); IBEC energy forum 2002: The Future of the Gas Market (Green Isle Hotel, Dublin).

Indicators: EMU purchasing managers' index (PMI) (Apr); Irish external trade (Feb); US factory orders (Mar); French consumer confidence (Apr) and PMI (Apr); Italian consumer prices (Apr) and PMI (Apr); German PMI (Apr).

Others: IBEC publishes pre-election report on social policy in an enterprise economy.

Friday

Results: Numico (Q1), Volkswagen (Q1), Wigmore Property (H1).

A.G.M.: BAE Systems, BBA Group, Clarke (T), Davies Service Group, Kenmare Resources (e.g.m.).

Indicators: EMU business sentiment (Apr), consumer sentiment (Apr), economic sentiment (Apr) and producer prices (Mar); Irish live register analysis (Apr); US unemployment (Apr), average hourly earnings (Apr) and average hours worked (Apr); British services index (Apr).

Others: Japanese public holiday.