This Week: If it wasn't already, the weekend Live8 concerts have ensured that this week's G8 summit is the focus of attention.

Everything from aid and debt relief to tackling climate change and the perils of the Chinese yuan. Record oil prices and the need to regulate hedge funds are also likely to be addressed at some stage as leaders from the eight largest global economies gather at Gleneagles in Scotland.

As the quieter summer season takes hold, the flow of corporate news is slowing. However, there will be some interest in a number of annual meetings this week. For varying reasons, shareholders in Bank of Ireland, DCC and C&C will all have reason to hear their directors' take on what have been more eventful years than usual.

Both the European Central Bank and the Bank of England will address the issue of interest rates but there seems little prospect of a move from either. The recent decision by Sweden to cut its rates has raised the possibility of Frankfurt doing the same despite consistent guidance that the next move in rates would be upwards. However, the probability is still just against such a course and, in any case, the bank would want to wait until the autumn before deciding where economic data determine the next move should be.

However, there will be even closer attention than usual paid to ECB comment after the decision is announced Thursday to see if the prospect of a fall in rates is finding any audience within the bank as euro-zone economies in general still struggle for growth two years after rates hit their current historic low of 2 per cent.

US jobs and service sector data are both expected to be positive for the dollar.