Ecofin looks to back euro

The parlous state of the euro and the ongoing influence of the latest rise in oil prices will be among the issues under discussion towards the end of the week when EU finance ministers meet informally in Versailles.

Closer to home, there is a raft of companies reporting interim figures in the week ahead with the most notable being CRH tomorrow, Independent News & Media and Irish Life and Permanent on Wednesday and Kingspan on Thursday, the same day Diageo reports full year figures and may give more clues on the future of its Guinness operation.

Others putting their figures before shareholders include First Active on Thursday and Glanbia on Wednesday, two companies more noted recently for the wrong sort of headlines.

Monday

Results: Advanced Tech (H1), British Vita (H1), HBG (H1), Gioma Restaurant (H1), Guardian IT (H1), Lynx Printing Tech, Marshalls (H1), Motion Media (H1), Net Benefit, Pizza Express, SDL (H1), Singer & Friedlander (H1), Tullow Oil (H1), Vitec Group (H1), Wilson Connoly (H1).

Tuesday

Results: Abbot Group (H1), AWD Holding (H1), BBA Group (H1), British Regional Airlines (H1), Churchill China (H1), Communisis (H1), Corus Gp (Q3), CRH (H1), Dawson International (H1), Dawson Oil (H1), Dragon Oil (H1), Iceland Group, Knowledge Management, Lycos Europe, Magic Moments Internet (H1), Marshalls (H1), Meggitt (H1), Microgen (H1), Old Mutual (H1), Schroder Venture, Sema Group (H1), Sherry FitzGerald (H1), Staffware (H1), Unite Group (H1), George Wimpey (H1), WSP Group (H1).

A.G.M.: BCO Technology.

Indicators: EMU composite PMI (Aug), unemployment (Jul) and producer prices (Jul) and balance of payments (Jul); British reserves (Aug); US leading indicators (Jul) and housing data (Jul).

Others: Publication of code of practice and guidelines for changeover from pounds to euros in the Irish retail trade.

Wednesday

Results: Allied Zurich (H1), Arriva (H1), Avis Europe (H1), James Beattie (H1), Beazer Group, Brammer (H1), Coats Viyella (H1), Devro (H1), Gallaher Group (H1), Glanbia (H1), Glynwed Interenational (H1), Guiton Group (H1), Holmes Place (H1), Independent News & Media, Irish Life & Permanent (H1), Logica, Myratech.net, Northern Leisure (H1), Pittards (H1), PowerGen (H1), RMC (H1), Signet Group (H1), Vislink (H1), Xpertise Group (H1).

A.G.M.: Dixons Group, DTZ Holdings, John Lusty Group, David S Smith Holdings, Syltone.

Meetings: Bank of England monetary policy committee (to Thurs).

Indicators: EMU retail sales (Jun); German unemployment (Aug), consumer prices (Aug) and manufacturing orders (Jul); Japanese current account (Jul); British industrial production (Jul), manufacturing output (Jul) and CBI distributive trades survey (Aug); US NAPM (Jul).

Others: ECB president Mr Wim Duisenberg addresses Financial Services Industry Association dinner in Dublin.

Thursday

Results: AB Ports (H1), Alfred McAlpine (H1), BG Group (H1), Burford Holdings (H1), Cairn Energy (H1), Centrica (H1), Chelsfield (H1), S Daniels Group (H1), Diageo, First Active (H1), Hunting (H1), Johnson Services (H1), Kingspan (H1), John Laing (H1), MoneyExtra (H1), Orchestream (H1), Parity Group (H1), Premier Farnell (H1), Queens Moat House (H1), RJB Mining (H1), Scotia Holdings (H1), Senior (H1), Spirax-Sarco Engineering (H1), Spirent (H1), Trafficmaster (H1), Wealth Management Software (H1),

A.G.M.: HP Bulmer, Hazlewood Foods, Heiton Holdings, Savills, UBS Warburg (e.g.m.).

Meetings: Fifth annual Northern Ireland Economic Conference (Galgorm Manor, Ballymena).

Indicators: British construction orders (Jul) and housing data (Jul); US wholesale trade (Jul); German industrial production (Jul); French GDP (Q2); Japanese wholesale prices (Aug).

Others: Bank of England monetary policy committee announces interest rate decision.

Friday

Results: Anglo American, Rank.

A.G.M.: John Menzies (plus e.g.m.), Suparule.

Meetings: Informal meeting of Ecofin ministers (Versailles to Sun); Dublin Chamber of Commerce conference on delivery of Government transport plans (Burlington Hotel, Dublin).

Indicators: US consumer credit (Jul).