B of I's day in the sun

Bank of Ireland is set to continue the good news heralded in its interims when its publishes full-year results on Thursday. Analysts are looking for pre-tax profits of #1.04 billion (£819 million), up almost 55 per cent on a year earlier.

While the extraordinary gain from the sale of its US interest, Citizens Financial Group, distorts the figures somewhat, they will still represent a highly successful year for the bank despite pressure on margins from falling interest rates. As much as the figures, it will be the bank's view of the immediate future that will interest brokers.

BP Amoco: Oil group BP Amoco announces first quarter earnings tomorrow, having already seen its shares benefit from strong Shell results this week.

Like Shell, the numbers will be helped by a cut in spending on exploration and production although the scaling back has not been as dramatic and is unlikely to cause the same surprise leap in profits.

Directors will be quizzed on the integration of the merger between BP and Amoco, while stockbroker Greig Middleton has forecast net income of $630 million (#584 million).

Monday

Results: AP1 (H1), DCC, Windsor (H1).

A.G.M.: Centrica, Merchants Trust, Royal Dutch Petroleum.

Indicators: British producer prices (Apr)

Others: National Events Centre, Killarney sod-turning ceremony; Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland publishes guide to pharmaceutical practices (Radisson Hotel, Dublin).

Tuesday

Results: Abacus Polar (H1), Blacks Leisure, BOC Group (H1), BP Amoco (Q1), GRW, Holmes & Marchant (H1), Imperial Tobacco (H1), Irish Dairy Board, Musgrave Group, Sage (H1), Sanderson (H1), Shire Pharmaceuticals (Q1), Tate & Lyle (H1), Swallow (H1), Texas (Q1), Wal-Mart (Q1).

A.G.M.: Bovis Homes (e.g.m.), Brixton Estate, Edinburgh Oil & Gas, Financial Objects, Guinness Peat Group, Meristem, Novara, Powergen, Rentokil Initial, Tupperware, US West.

Meetings: Oireachtas Select Committee on Small Business discusses broadband technology; IPC "New Work Organisation in Ireland Programme" conference (Great Southern Hotel, Dublin Airport to Wed); Society of Investment Analysts in Ireland meeting on "European Corporate Bond Markets A New Opportunity" (Conrad Hotel, Dublin).

Indicators: Irish Live Register (Apr) and non-EU trade (Feb); US productivity (Q1); British CBI regional trends survey (May) and industrial production (Mar).

Others: Ireland Travel Trade Workshop (RDS, Dublin to Wed).

Wednesday

Results: British Energy, Cable & Wireless, CGU (Q1), Fenner (H1), Ocean Wilsons, Wellington Underwriting.

A.G.M.: Computacentre, Courtaulds Textiles, Dresdner RCM Smaller, Europower (e.g.m.), Marshalls, Murray Income Trusts (e.g.m.), RJR Nabisco, Nichols (JN), Norwich Union, Owens-Illinois, Royal & Sun Alliance, Sun Life.

Meetings: Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Enterprise discusses Electricity Regulation Bill.

Indicators: Bank of England inflation report; German industrial production (Mar).

Others: Irish Association of Conference Organisers inaugurated.

Thursday

Results: Avon Rubber (H1), Bank of Ireland Group, Gap (Q1).

A.G.M.: Arcolectric, Bostrom (e.g.m.), British Polythene Inds, Edinburgh Fund Managers, English & Scottish Invs, Persimmon, Readymix, Shalibane (e.g.m.), Swallowfield, TI Group, TT Group, Tudor.

Meetings: Institute of Personnel and Development (Ireland) annual conference (Corrib Great Southern Hotel, Galway to Sat)

Indicators: Irish consumer price index (Apr), quarterly national household survey (Q3 & Q4) and total external trade (Dec); US retail sales (Apr) and producer prices (Apr).

Others: Office of Director of the Telecommunications Regulator annual report published.

Friday

Results: Audax Props, Cairngorm B.S., Crompton Greaves, Richmond Foods (H1).

A.G.M.: Anglo Siberian Oil Group, Brent International (e.g.m.), Craig & Rose, Elan Corp, Inchcape, Ladbroke Group, Telewest Communications, Zergo.

Indicators: Irish new vehicle licensing (Dec); US consumer prices (Apr) and industrial production (Apr).

Others: Irish national Organisation of the Unemployed annual delegate conference; IBEC/CBI logistics conference (Belfast).