Rate-watching will be the sport of choice this week as the European Central Bank meets on Thursday. The expectation is that the ECB will cut rates. Analysts will be looking at a range of other data from the US and Europe for further signs of the depth of the trough currently being entered.
Monday
AGMs: Ashtead Group, Southampton Leisure.
Meetings: PwC healthcare breakfast.
Indicators: Irish balance of international payments (Q2); British industrial production (Aug), manufacturing production (Aug), producer prices (Sep) and M0 data (Sep); Japanese wholesale prices (Sep).
Others: WorldCom launches Irish data centre; US public holiday.
Tuesday
Results: Harley-Davidson (Q3), London & St Lawrence Investment Company, Motorola (Q3), Rugby Estates (H1), St Ives.
Meetings: ESRI and Foundation for Fiscal Studies conference on Budget perspectives (Hilton Hotel, Dublin); Association of Pension Lawyers conference on the Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2001 (Law Society, Dublin); Centre for Insurance Studies round table on effects of US terror attacks on global insurance markets (UCD).
Indicators: German unemployment (Sep), industrial production (Aug) and manufacturing output (Aug).
Others: Eighth Irish innovation Lecture (Ramada Hotel, Belfast); Marks & Spencer trading statement; Goffs yearling sale (to Thurs).
Wednesday
Results: Abbot Laboratories (Q3), Air Partner, Danone (Q3), DFS Furniture, Fusion Oil & Gas, Homestyle Group (H1), Incepta Group (H1), McAffee (Q3), OM Gruppen (Q3), Yahoo (Q3).
AGMs: St David's IT, Synigence.
Meetings: World Trade Organisation general council meeting (Geneva); ICAI conference on Ireland plc Buy, Sell or Hold (O'Reilly Hall, UCD); Second Public-Private Partnerships/Private finance Initiative global forum (Burlington Hotel, Dublin - to Fri); Institute of European Affairs round table on "Competition Policy - driving productivity and growth".
Indicators: US wholesale inventories (Aug); German trade balance (Aug) and current account (Aug); Japanese bank lending (Sep).
Thursday
Results: Accenture (Q4), Bic (Q3), Costco (Q4), LA Fitness, Olivetti (Q4).
AGMs: Seascope Shipping.
Meetings: ECB governing council meets; Bank of Japan policy board meets (to Fri).
Indicators: EMU GDP (Q2); US import/export prices (Sep); German consumer prices (Sep).
Others: Entrepreneur of the Year awards (Jurys Hotel, Dublin).
Friday
Results: Norsk Hydro (Q3), Reckitt & Benkiser.
Meetings: EU Summit (Ghent); Dublin Economic Workshop (Kenmare to Sun); Pharmaceutical Society annual conference (Castletroy Hotel, Limerick to Sun); Agricultural Science Association (Corrib Great Southern Hotel, Galway).
Indicators: Irish consumer prices (Sep); US retail sales (Sep), producer prices (Sep) and Michigan Sentiment Survey (Oct); German retail sales (Aug); French consumer prices (Sep) and GDP (Q2).
Others: Public holiday in Spain.
