This week:If the European Central Bank (ECB) does not raise interest rates by a quarter point on Thursday, it will undoubtedly be the major story of the week.
Borrowers should not get their hopes raised. They are already paying more on their mortgages and bank lending, and are beginning to feel the strain from the steady ratcheting up of rates over the past 15 months.
ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet has signalled clearly that rates will rise this month and his performance to date gives no reason to imagine that he or his ECB governing council colleagues will change their minds.
While borrowers will be feeling the pinch, there will be good news this week for the shareholders of a clutch of leading Irish companies. The dominant players in the financial and industrial sectors - AIB and CRH - report results tomorrow, and there are strong expectations for both. Ahead of them, Kingspan and Paddy Power are both expected to report increases in profitability of close to a third when they announce full-year results today. Glanbia, FBD and Irish Continental will also produce annual figures this week.
On the economic front, the major data in Europe will focus on the performance of the services sector, with purchasing managers' numbers being published across the euro zone today. However, it is what is happening to the US economy that is attracting most interest these days, and attention will be drawn to figures on pending home completions and unemployment numbers later in the week.
Monday
RESULTS:Amlin, Arcadis, British Polythene, Close Brothers (H1), Dialight, Flomerics, HSBC, Hydro International, Ideal Shopping Direct, IMI, IndigoVision (H1), Intertek, IP, Jardine Lloyd, Just Car Clinics, Kingspan, Luxottica, Paddy Power, Petrofac, Ricardo (H1), ROK, Taylor Nelson Sofres, Vitec, William Hill, WSP.
AGM:Galliford Treasury (egm), Roche.
INDICATORS:Euro-zone purchasing managers' index (PMI) services (Feb), and sentiment index (Mar); Irish NCB PMI services (Feb); US Institute of Supply Management services index (Feb); British PMI services (Feb); German PMI services (Feb); French PMI services (Feb); Italian PMI services (Feb).
OTHERS:US treasury secretary Henry Paulson (right) meets Japanese finance minister Koji Omi and Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui; British Airways traffic figures.
Tuesday
RESULTS:Admiral, AIB, Amco, AMV, Ashtead (Q3), Axon, Brit Insurance, CRH, Electrabel, Escada (Q1), France Telecom, Fraport, Galiform, Genetix, Heelys (Q4), Hill & Smith, ICM Computers (H1), Inchcape, Interior Services (H1), International Power, John Wood, Lavendon, Manganese Bronze (H1), Meggitt, Oxford Biomedica, Powerleague (H1), Premier Foods, Psion, Redrow (H1), RPS, Telekom Austria, Travis Perkins, Xstrata.
AGM:Danske Bank, Novartis, Sage.
MEETINGS:Copyright Association of Ireland seminar, in association with the Association of Patent and Trademark Attorneys, on the Patents (Amendment) Act 2006.
INDICATORS:Euro-zone GDP (Q4 - first estimate) and retail sales (Jan); US productivity (Q4 - second estimate), labour costs (Q4), factory orders (Jan), pending homes (Jan) and weekly retail sales data; British retail sales (Feb); Japanese forex reserves (Feb).
Wednesday
RESULTS:A&J Mucklow (H1), Accor, Adidas, Ark Therapeutics, Axel Springer, Balfour Beatty, Beazley, Belgravium Technologies, Carillion, Clarient (Q4), Crédit Agricole, Devro, Dmatek, Eon, Erinaceous, FBD, Glanbia, Holders Technology, Imagesound, ITV, Johnston Press, Melrose, Omega International, Provident Financial, Restaurant, Rhodia, Saks (Q4), Sports Cafe, Spring, Unite, Vivendi, Yule Catto.
AGM:Corus (egm), First Choice, Novo Nordisk.
MEETINGS:European Union heads of state meet (Brussels - to Fri); Bank of England monetary policy committee meets (to Thurs).
INDICATORS:US consumer credit (Jan) and Beige Book; German industrial orders (Jan); Japanese leading indicators (Jan) and coincidental indicators (Jan).
OTHERS:Trial of Hollinger's Conrad Black (right) opens in Chicago; Enterprise Ireland's sixth annual high-potential start-up showcase (Pavillion, Leopardstown racecourse); US treasury secretary Henry Paulson visits China (to Thurs); traffic figures from easyJet.
Thursday
RESULTS:Aegon, Aggreko, Arriva, ASM International, Axis Shield, Benfield, Carrefour, Colliers, Cutter & Buck (Q3), Drax, Essilor International, Fortis, Irish Continental, Lufthansa, Mapeley, Office2Office, Pernod Ricard (H1), PPR, Royal & Sun Alliance, RTL, Slough Estates, Suez, Telecom Italia, Thales, Town Centre Securities, Umbro, Veolia Environment.
AGM:Ciba Speciality Chemical, National Lottery. MEETINGS: European Central Bank governing council meets; Irish Association of Pension Funds annual investment conference, entitled Investment Trends: Home and Away (Dublin Castle); Association of County and City Councils annual conference (Park Hotel, Dungarvan); KPMG Finance Act 2007 breakfast briefing (Mansion House).
INDICATORS:Irish tourism and travel data (Q4); German industrial output (Jan).
Friday
RESULTS:Candover, Catlin, EADS, Gibbs & Dandy, Highway Insurance, Marshalls, Stanley Gibbons, T Clarke, Tenon (H1), Volkswagen.
AGM:Gallaher (egm).
MEETINGS:Copyright Association of Ireland seminar on Copyright Issues for the Advertising and Design Sector (Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Clare Street).
INDICATORS:Euro-zone current account (Q4 - first estimate); US unemployment (Feb) and external trade (Jan); British industrial production (Jan); German external trade (Jan); French external trade (Jan) and industrial output (Jan); Italian GDP (Q4 - second estimate); Japanese machinery orders (Jan).
OTHERS:Traffic figures from Lufthansa.
