In the hiatus after the recent spate of interest rate cuts, the testimony of US Federal Reserve chairman, Mr Alan Greenspan to Congress will be closely watched for any signal of a shift in thinking at the US central bank. The absence of change should see the dollar continue to rise against both the yen and the euro. However, any signal from Mr Greenspan of a tightening of policy to achieve a slowdown in growth - currently running about 6 per cent - the markets could be quick to react.
Irish Permanent: As it prepares to conclude the merger with Irish Life, Irish Permanent will this week produce its final set of results as an individual entity. The figures for the year to the end of last December will be announced tomorrow in what is a busy week on the Irish corporate front with Hibernian and Ulster Television (today), Permanent and Ulster Bank (tomorrow) and ABNAmro, First Active, Green Property and Stena Line (Thursday) all producing annual figures.
Monday
Results: Akzo Nobel, BGR, Community Hospitals, Guardian IT, Hibernian Group, HSBC, National Power, Skipton Building Society, Ulster Television, Ultra Electronics, Zotefoams.
A.G.M.: Deltron Electronics, Freepages Group, PWS Holdings, Peptide Therapeutics.
Meetings: EU agriculture ministers meet to discuss Agenda 2000 farm reform package (Brussels to Tues); EU foreign ministers meet (Brussels); Conference on "Developing and Delivering Brand value to Extend Your Market Share" (Westbury Hotel, Dublin to Tues); Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants monthly lunch addressed by Mr John Travers, chief executive of Forfas (Burlington Hotel, Dublin).
Indicators: US federal budget (Jan); Japanese trade balance (Jan).
Others: European of the Year award presentation (Berkeley Court Hotel, Dublin).
Tuesday
Results: Access Plus, Admiral, Associated British Ports, Audi, Beazer Group (H1), BG (Q4), Capital & Regional, City Technology Holdings (H1), Croda International (H1), Dmatek, Dresdner Bank, Herald Investment Trust, HypoVereinsbank, ICM Computer Group (H1), Irish Permanent, Kvaerner, Lasmo, Lorien, NatWest Bank, NXT (H1), Oxford Assymetry Intnl, Pakhoed, Porvair, Saab, Sabena, Shires Smaller, Stadium Group, Transport Dev Group, Ulster Bank, Unilever, Vymura
A.G.M.: Apollo Metals, Brooke Industrial Holdings, Hewlett-Packard, Tea Plantations Inv Trust, Titon Holdings.
Meetings: German parliament discusses 1999 budget.
Indicators: EU industrial production (Nov), producer prices (Dec) and M3 (Jan); Irish wholesale price index (Jan); British GDP (Q4), trade (Dec), non-EU trade (Jan) and CBI trends survey (Feb); US consumer confidence (Feb).
Wednesday
Results: AIM, Ashanti Goldfields, Avis Europe, Cadbury Schweppes, Cannons, Centrica, CGU, Conister Trust, Diagonal, Domnick Hunter, Easynet, Inveresk, Logica (H1), L'Oreal, Microgen Holdings, Next, Prudential, Standard Chartered.
A.G.M.: Greenwich Resources, ML Laboratories, Murray Emerging Econ, NFC, Sage Group.
Meetings: Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport meets on public transport infrastructure and operations; Electronic Commerce Association of Ireland hosts seminar "Investing For The Future - Equity, Investment And Online-dealing".
Thursday
Results: ABN-Amro, Bic, British Aerospace, Card Clear, Celsius, Clarke (T), Colt Telecom, Eidos (H1), Elf Acquitaine, Estates & General, First Active, Galliford (H1), Gap (Q4), Green Property, Guardian Royal Exchange, Hanson, Isotron (H1), KBC Advanced Tech, Legal & General, Lex Service, Linx Printing Tech (H1), London Bridge Software, Mucklow (A&J) (H1), Orange, Paribas, Provident Financial, Quadrant Healthcare, Quayle Munro (H1), Ricardo (H1), Rio Tinto, Skanska, Smith & Nephew, Societ e Generale, Stena Line, Telefonica, United Assurance, William Sinclair Holdings (H1).
A.G.M.: Albion, Commodities Trust, Compass, Eidos, Fairfield Enterprises, Grainger Trust, Krupp.
Meetings: EU internal market ministers meet; to Fri); Bundesbank council meeting.
Indicators: Irish agricultural prices index (Dec) and planning permissions (Q4).
Friday
Results: Alliance & Leicester, Go-Ahead Group (H1), ITNet.
A.G.M.: Celltech, Eskmiur Properties, SCM Microsystems, Thyssen, Villiers Group.
Meetings: EU summit (Bonn).
Indicators: Irish retail sales (Nov/Dec) and industrial production (Nov); US GDP (Q4), price index (Q4), implicit deflator (Q4), Chicago purchasing managers index (Feb) and Michigan Sentiment Survey (Feb); Japanese consumer prices (Jan/Feb).
