Business this week

THE MAIN focus this week will be the fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data due from the Central Statistics Office.

Economists are forecasting that the figures will show that GDP contracted by between 2 and 4 per cent year-on-year in the last quarter of 2008.

Monday

Results:McInerney Holdings; Tiffany; Wolseley

Meetings :ECB governing council member Axel Weber attends a hearing at a German parliament committee on consumer credit rules (Berlin)

Indicators: US existing home sales (February); BoJ minutes of February meeting

Others: Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown Enterprise Week (to 26th); The Drinks Market Performance in 2008 report to be published by DIGI (Westbury Hotel, Dublin 2)

Tuesday

Results: Deutsche Bank; Robbins Myers; Veris; Wienerberger

Meetings: US House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing with treasury secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke testifying about AIG's payment of retention bonuses, and will consider legislation to prohibit bonus payments by companies who have received government bailout funds, until investments are repaid in full (Washington); top executives of leading US, Japanese and European banks expected to meet to discuss regulation and other issues key to the future of the financial system (London); Speed Networking Lunch (Dublin Chamber, D2); Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment meeting on Forfás report The Cost of Running Retail Operations in Ireland

Indicators: EU Flash PMI (March) and Industrial Orders (January); UK CPI (February); French consumer spending (February) and business climate index (March); Japanese trade balance (February)

Wednesday

Results: PetroChina; Zamano

Meetings: Norwegian central bank's policy-setting executive board holds meeting on interest rates; New Ideas conferences (Thomond Park Conference Centre and Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork); "Surviving a software audit" seminar (IPA); "Innovation Standards Supporting Enterprise" half-day seminar with NSAI (Crowne Plaza, Northwood); fifth Rehab Great Investment Race awards – with George Lee (Westin Hotel, D2); Joint Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources meeting on the National Broadband Scheme

Indicators:US durable goods (February) and new home sales (February); UK CBI distributive trades survey (March); German Ifo index (March); Italian consumer confidence (March)

Others: Launch of "Powering the smart economy" – SFI strategy 2009-2013

Thursday

Results: Accenture; Dr Pepper Snapple; Hugo Boss; Next

Meetings: European business Summit (Brussels); US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner testifies before House Financial Services Committee on financial regulation reform (Washington); Davy International aviation conference; William Fry breakfast briefing on recent developments in Irish takeover regime; Taoiseach Brian Cowen to address FTI seminar on routes to Irish economic recovery: "When the game changes – a pathway through economic and banking turmoil" (Royal College of Physicians); Lippert/Heilshorn Associates presents Life Sciences Medical Technologies Virtual Conference; NCB's Irish Equity Conference (Shelbourne Hotel); Joint Committee on Public Accounts meeting on the 2007 Annual Report of CAG

Indicators: EU M3/3 month moving average (February); Irish quarterly national accounts (Q4 '08), agricultural price indices (January), balance of international payments (2008) and tourism and travel (Q4); US GDP final (Q4) and initial jobless claims (w/e March 21st); German Gfk consumer confidence (April); French consumer confidence (March); Italian business confidence (March)

Friday

Results: Tiscali

Meetings: Bank of Ireland extraordinary general court or meeting (Savoy Cinema, Dublin 1); DWOP biennial conference – workplace coaching (Burlington Hotel, D4); Sales Expo '09 (Ballsbridge Court Hotel, D4)

Indicators: EU Industrial Orders (January); Irish external trade (Jan), production and building in construction Index (Q4) and milk statistics (February); US personal income/consumption (Feb) and Michigan sentiment (March); UK current account (Q4) and final GDP (Q4); German import prices (Jan); French GDP (Q4)