Bank of Ireland produces interim figures on Thursday, with analysts pencilling in profit figures of anything from €427 million to €450 million. At the top end, such a return would signal a 6 per cent increase on the same period last year before the benefit in that period of an exceptional profit from the sale of its US operations was taken into account. Earnings per share will be in the 29.431.1 cent range, they believe, with dividends forecast to top seven cents.
Economic buoyancy is likely to show in strong growth in turnover although margins will have come under further pressure.
Monday
Results: Associated British Foods, BP Amoco (Q3), British Airways (H1), Carr's Milling Industries, DCC (H1), Dresdner Bank (Q3), Henkel (Q3), Unigate (H1).
A.G.M.: Air Canada, British Aerospace (e.g.m.), Canadian Airlines, Redrow Group.
Meetings: EU finance ministers meet (Brussels).
Indicators: EMU business, industry and consumer surveys (Oct) and unemployment (Sep); British producer price index (Oct); Japanese wholesale prices (Oct); German industrial production (Sep); French official reserves (Oct).
Others: An Taoiseach Mr Ahern presents report of Finglas Cabra Partnership (Christ The King national school, Cabra).
Tuesday
Results: Business Post Group (H1), Cisco Systems (Q1), Colt Telecom (Q3), Continental (Q3), Fenner, FirstGroup (H1), Kuoni (Q3), Orion (Q3), QXL.com (H1), Ryanair (H1), Saab (Q3).
A.G.M.: A&J Mucklow, Diageo, ICM Computer Group, Seita (e.g.m.).
Meetings: Conference on The Role of Design in e-Commerce (Sugar Club, Dublin). to Thurs).
Indicators: US import/export prices (Oct) and wholesale trade (Sep); German employment (Oct).
Others: The Irish Times/PA Consulting management awards.
Wednesday
Results: BASF (Q3), BNP (Q3), British Energy (H1), Cable & Wireless (H1), Cantab Pharma (Q3), CGU (Q3), CWC (H1), European Colour (H1), Express Dairies (H1), McCarthy & Stone, Societe Gen erale (Q3), Storebrand (Q3), Trelleborg (Q3), Volex Group.
A.G.M.: BG (e.g.m.), Microsoft, Sinclair (William).
Meetings: Enterprise Ireland conference on winning business in eastern Europe (Enterprise Ireland HQ, Dublin). to Fri); Nordic Council finance ministers meet (Stockholm).
Indicators: US producer price index (Oct) and Chicago Federal Index (Sep); German current account (Sep), trade balance (Sep) and consumer prices (Oct); French current account (Aug) and consumer prices (Oct).
Others: Institute of Directors lunch (Berkeley Court Hotel, Dublin); Desire Petroleum offer for Gaelic Resources closes.
Thursday
Results: Aegon (Q3), Artisan (H1), Bank of Ireland (H1), Bergesen (Q3), BG (Q3), British Telecom (H1), Gap (Q3), Gerrards Group (H1), Hays, Hilton (Q3), Kewill Systems (H1), Mannesmann (Q3), Nordstrom (Q3), SAS (Q3), Telewest (Q3), Veba (Q3), Viridian (H1), Wardle Storeys, Young and Co Brewery (H1).
A.G.M.: DSL, Hays, International Biotech, Linde (e.g.m.), Pan Andean Resources, Silvermines (e.g.m.).
Meetings: IBEC annual employee relations conference (Burlington Hotel, Dublin); Strategy Ireland '99 conference (Radisson St Helen's Hotel, Dublin).
Others: Government publishes the Estimates; Minister for Science & Technology, Mr Noel Treacy introduces new environmental management systems programme for SMEs (Buswells Hotel, Dublin); Veterans Day bank holiday in US.
Friday
Results: Finvest (Q3).
A.G.M.: Piaggio (e.g.m.).
Meetings: Competition Authority/UCD Faculty of Law conference on EU competition law and its national implications (O'Reilly Hall, UCD); Bank of Japan policy board to meet; EU employment and social affairs ministers meet (Brussels).
Indicators: US retail sales (Oct), productivity (Q3), unit labour costs (Q3), current account (Oct) and Michigan Sentiment Survey (Nov); German retail sales (Sep); British machine tools (Oct).
Others: Cedar Recruitment advertising awards (Berkeley Court Hotel, Dublin).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VR3765MFOBH2NMV2QNICYDF67M.png)