This week:Irish national accounts for the third quarter of the year are due to be released this Thursday and commentators are predicting the figures will show that the GDP growth rate has fallen to 3.4 per cent, as the slowdown in the property market takes its toll.
Planning permission figures for quarter three are also due out this week, and should give an indication as to whether the property market is showing signs of staging a recovery or continuing to weaken.
Monday
RESULTS: Adobe Systems; Anite; API; Hardide; Ocean Power Technologies, Spartech.
AGM:Conroy Diamonds & Gold, Dublin.
INDICATORS:Irish agricultural price indices (Oct); US Empire State PMI (Dec); TICS data (Oct), current account (Q3) and NAHB housing market index (Dec); UK Rightmove house prices (Dec); Japanese tertiary industry index (Oct).
OTHERS:European Central Bank to offer up to $20 billion in term auction facility by means of a temporary reciprocal currency arrangement on December 17th and December 20th, for 28 and 35 days respectively (Frankfurt).
Tuesday
RESULTS:Best Buy; FSI International; Goldman Sachs; Nordson; Take-Two Interactive Software.
INDICATORS:Euroland external trade (Oct); Irish wholesale prices (Nov) and population and migration (Apr) and vehicles licensed for the first time (Nov); US housing starts (Nov) and weekly retail sales (Dec 15th); UK consumer prices (Nov).
OTHERS:Minister for Finance Brian Cowen will launch Ireland's EU Structural Funds Programmes 2007-2013 (Tullamore); launch of Chambers Ireland's research paper Ireland's Aviation Services at a Glance (Dublin); Austin Hughes (below), chief economist, IIB Bank, will be presenting the results of latest IIB Bank/Chartered Accountants Business Sentiment Survey; Bank of England auction of funds to help UK banks during the current global liquidity pressures (London); Bank of England governor Mervyn King and deputy governor John Gieve give evidence at a treasury committee hearing on financial stability and transparency (London); The Federal Reserve board will meet on proposed amendments to statutes to address unfair and deceptive practices in mortgage lending (Washington); trading updates from Aggreko, Cookson, Drax, National Express and Petrofac; pre-close trading statement from Kingspan.
Wednesday
RESULTS:Accenture, Apogee, DTZ, General Mills, Morgan Stanley, Nike, Oracle, Paychex, Sports Direct International, Steelcase.
INDICATORS:Irish production in construction (Q2); planning permission (Q3) and consumer prices - bi-annual average price analysis (Nov); UK CBI monthly distributive trades survey (Dec); German producer prices (Nov) and Ifo survey (Dec), Japanese trade balance (Nov) and monetary policy meeting .
OTHERS:Bank of England to publish minutes of its December monetary policy committee meeting (London); ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet (above, right) testifies before the European Parliament's committee on economic and monetary affairs (Brussels); ECB governing council member Klaus Liebscher presents the Austrian central bank's financial stability report No 14 (Vienna); Swedish central bank announces monetary policy decision (Stockholm); speech by Swiss National Bank (SNB) chairman Jean-Pierre Roth (St Galle).
Thursday
RESULTS:Bear Stearns, Hornbach, Micron Technology, Red Hat.
INDICATORS:Eurozone PMIs; Irish quarterly national accounts - GDP (Q3); household budget survey (2004-2005); tourism and travel (Q3) and current account (Q3); US GDP (Q3), jobless claims (Dec 15th), leading indicators (Nov), Philadelphia Fed Survey (Dec) and money supply (w/e Dec 10); UK GDP (Q3), current account (Q3), M4 & lending (Nov) and PSNCR (Nov); German Gfk index (Jan); Italian consumer confidence (Dec), unemployment (Q3) and retail sales (Oct); Japanese monetary policy meeting and Bank of Japan monthly report.
OTHERS:ECB governing council meeting - no interest rate announcements scheduled (Frankfurt); Reuters UK Asset Allocation Poll showing what equity and bond positions asset allocators are taking into 2008 (London); Icelandic Central Bank interest rate decision (Reykjavik); trading update from i-mat; Pre-close trading statement Independent News & Media.
Friday
RESULTS:Christopher & Banks, Walgreen.
INDICATORS:Euro-zone current account (Oct) and industrial orders (Oct); Irish external trade (Oct) and external exports and imports (2005 & 2006); US personal income and spending (Nov) and University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index (Dec); UK retail sales (Nov) and index of services (Oct); French producer prices (Nov), industrial trends (Dec), household consumption of manufactured goods (Nov) and business climate/production outlook (Dec); Italian business confidence (Dec).
OTHERS:First ever €1 million Prize Bonds Christmas jackpot.
