Irish Nationwide puts its wares on show

Activity will be light for the third bank-holiday shortened week in a row. Domestically, Irish Nationwide building society will show tomorrow how well it is prepared for demutualisation when it reports full year results.

The society originally hoped to have abandoned mutual status by this time but the legislation facilitating its strategic move has yet to make it to the Oireachtas. It is now promised by the end of this year. If so, these may well be the last results the society reports as a mutual.

The Central Bank will also produce private lending statistics on Thursday which will be watched closely to see if the pace of growth in private sector credit, which has been causing concern to the Bank, is easing somewhat.

Elsewhere, the most closely watched indicators may well be the purchasing managers' indices which are published on Friday for the manufacturing sector. There will also be interest in whether Paul Wolfowitz, the US nominee to head the World Bank, does agree to meet EU representatives tomorrow.

Monday

Results: Travis Perkins.

Indicators: Japanese unemployment (Feb), retail sales (Feb) and household spending (Feb).

Others: Market holiday in Ireland, US and most of Europe.

Tuesday

Results: Ahold (Q4), Alcatel, Deal Group Media, EM.TV, Irish Nationwide Building Society, James Fisher & Sons, Marylebone Warwick (H1), Melrose, Ottakar's, Simon's Group.

A.G.M.: Temple Bar Investment.

Meetings: US deputy defence secretary and World Bank chief nominee Paul Wolfowitz to meet EU officials (Brussels).

Indicators: US consumer confidence (Mar) and steel imports (Feb prelim); French producer prices (Feb) and INSÉE industrial survey (Feb); Japanese industrial production (Feb).

Wednesday

Results: Aareal Bank, ABN-Amro, Atlantic Global, Baillie Gifford Japan (H1), AG Barr, Bloomsbury, Civilian Content, Enel, ENI, Enterprise, Hugo Boss, Imprint Search, Pilat Media Global, Samsonite (Q4), Wellington Holdings, Wireless Group.

A.G.M.: Puma, Throgmorton Trust.

Indicators: Euro-zone private lending (Feb) and M3 (Feb); US GDP (Q4); British CBI sales (Mar); Italian producer prices (Feb).

Others: Trading statement from Emap.

Thursday

Results: Alpha Airports, Ashtenne, Benetton, Chesnara, Continental, Equitable Life, Innotech, Maiden Group, Melrose Resources, Nelson Resources, Nexus, On-Line (H1), Red Hat (Q4), Sinclair Pharma (H1), Sportech.

A.G.M.: Crest Nicholson, Ennstone (egm), Fortum, Leisure Ventures (egm), Merck, MyTravel, Philips, Symphony Plastic (egm), UPM-Kymmene, Witan Investment Trust.

Meetings: Dublin Chamber of Commerce hosts special Six Nations Review Business Breakfast with Brent Pope (Westin Hotel, Dublin); Spring membership meeting of the Institute of International Finance (Madrid - to Fri).

Indicators: Euro-zone economic sentiment (Mar), consumer sentiment (Mar), industrial sentiment (Mar), services sentiment (Mar) business climate (Mar) and consumer prices (Mar); Irish external debt (Q4) and quarterly national accounts (Q4); US personal income/spending (Feb); factory orders (Feb), durable goods (Feb), help wanted (Feb); German unemployment (Mar); French consumer confidence (Mar), GDP (Q4 revised) and ILO unemployment (Feb); Italian wages (Feb) and consumer prices (Mar); Japanese Tankan survey (Mar), purchasing managers' index (manufacturing) (Mar), housing starts (Feb) and construction orders (Feb).

Others: Central Bank publishes monthly statistics, including private credit; Trading statements from Mothercare, Compass Group and Thus.

Friday

A.G.M.: Portugal Telecom.

Indicators: Euro-zone unemployment (Feb) and purchasing managers' index (PMI) manufacturing (Mar); Irish NCB PMI manufacturing (Mar) and construction earnings and hours worked (Dec); US Institute of Supply Management manufacturing survey (Mar), unemployment (Mar), average earnings (Mar), average working week (Mar), construction spending (Feb) and Michigan sentiment survey (Mar final); British PMI manufacturing (Mar); German PMI manufacturing (Mar) and retail sales (Feb); French PMI manufacturing (Mar); Italian PMI manufacturing (Mar);

Others: Trading statement from Capital Radio; Deadline for submission of nominations for European Movement's European of the Year Awards.