McCreevy's pot of gold

Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy's third Budget will be the focal point of the week with many expecting him to use part of his ample Exchequer surplus to cut the rates of tax in accordance with Coalition party commitments made before the last election. Doing so this year would give him some leeway in the remainder of this term of office.

In any case, with an Exchequer surplus of £1.9 billion, few are likely to be disappointed, although questions still hang over provisions for inheritance tax and childcare.

WTO in Seattle: Outside the goldfish bowl of local politics and economics, the Seattle conference of the WTO will be the main talking point. Doubt over whether enough common ground exists - especially in agricultural affairs - to frame even an agenda for the proposed Seattle round of trade liberalisation talks is likely to last until the final moment.

Monday

Results: British Land (H1), Carlsberg, Care UK, Greencore, H Young Holdings, Imperial Tobacco, Nordanglia Education, Plasmon (H1), Prelude Trust (H1), Redstone (H1), Richmond Foods, SBS Group, Scottish Radio Holdings, Sydkraft (Q3), Unidare.

Meetings: EU finance ministers meet (Brussels); IAPF investment conference (Conrad Hotel, Dublin); European Parliament deputies meet ECB group (Brussels); EU employment and social welfare ministers meet (Brussels).

Indicators: EMU trade balance (Aug/Sep); British consumer credit (Oct); US existing home sales (Oct).

Others: Sixth Irish Innovation lecture (Culloden Hotel, Holywood, Down); Tanaiste Ms Harney publishes strategic plan for crafts council (Dublin Castle); Central Bank introduces Millennium coin (National Museum, Dublin).

Tuesday

Results: Air France (H1), Allders, Avesco (H1), MEPC, National Grid (H1), Salvesen (Cristian) (H1), SCS Upholstery, South Staffs Water (H1), Trintech (Q3).

Meetings: Third Ministerial Conference of WTO (Seattle to Fri); Franco-German summit (Paris); EU telecoms ministers meet (Brussels).

Indicators: US consumer confidence (Nov) and Chicago purchasing managers index (Nov); Japanese unemployment (Oct), job ratio (Oct), household spending (Oct) and construction orders (Oct); French unemployment (Oct).

Others: First Active announces rationalisation plans; Tesco issues trading statement; Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen visits Dublin on tour of EU capitals ahead of Helsinki summit.

Wednesday

Results: British Insurance Holdings (H1), Goldshield Group (H1), Hazlewood Foods (H1), ITE Group, Kenwood Appliances (H1), Prism Rail (H1), Tuskar Resources (H1).

A.G.M.: Dorling Kindersley, Tullow (e.g.m.), Tuskar Resources.

Meetings: Bank of France monetary policy meeting; European Parliament committee on economic and monetary affairs holds second conference on EMU (Brussels).

Indicators: EMU PMI (Nov); British PMI (Nov) and CBI distributive trades survey (Nov); US construction spending (Oct), leading indicators (Oct) and NAPM (Oct); Japanese foreign reserves (Nov); German PMI (Nov); French producer prices (Oct) and PMI (Nov); Italian PMI (Nov).

Others: Minister for Finance presents the Budget; Telecoms regulator's review of market a year after liberalisation.

Thursday

Results: Atkins (WS) (H1), Avon Rubber, Great Universal Stores (H1), Greene King, Johnson Matthey (H1), Royal Bank of Scotland, Siemens.

A.G.M.: ITG Group (e.g.m.).

Meetings: ECB governing and general council meetings; Bord Bia seminar (CityWest Hotel, Dublin); EU energy ministers meet (Brussels).

Indicators: British official reserves (Nov); US new home sales (Oct).

Others:

Friday

Results: Fuller (H1), Premier Farnell (H1), Severn Trent (H1), Smith & Turner (H1).

A.G.M.: Reckitt & Colman (e.g.m.).

Meetings: ECB conference on "Monetary Policy Making Under Uncertainty"; Cybex computer products event (Stakis Hotel, Dublin).

Indicators: EMU PMI service industry (Nov); British service industry (Nov) and construction output (Q3); US unemployment (Nov), factory orders (Nov) and NAPM non-manufacturing (Nov).