At the end of what has been something of a roller-coaster year for AIB shareholders, the bank is likely to announce a substantial increase in pre-tax profits when it reports annual figures on Wednesday.
Having taken a hit on its substantial foreign exchange earnings following the arrival of European economic and monetary union and engaging in a battle on margins after the arrival of British competition into the mortgage and savings market, the bank is forecast to report a 10 per cent rise in profits to around €1.12 billion. With revenue estimated to be rising by only 4 per cent, a substantial cut in bad debt provision may well help the bottom line.
Underlying the bank's results has been a strong performance over the year in its domestic operations.
Monday
Results: Alliance & Leicester, Concurrent Technologies, Dun & Bradstreet, Mannesmann (H1), Netcall (H1), NXT (H1), Photobition (H1), Royalblue, Tandy (Q4), Trelleborg, Volvo, Workspace.
A.G.M.: Bank of Scotland (e.g.m.), Enterprise Capital, FI Group (e.g.m.), Marylebone Warwick (e.g.m.), NSB (e.g.m.), Scottish Radio Holdings (e.g.m.), Whitecroft (e.g.m.).
Meetings: UN Conference on Trade and Development summit (Bangkok to Fri).
Indicators: British producer prices (Jan); US business inventories (Dec) and Atlanta federal index (Jan).
Others: Irish Association of Investment Managers published results of second retail funds survey.
Tuesday
Results: Barclays, BP Amoco (Q4), Charterhouse Comms (H1), Compel Group (H1), Deere & Co, Freeport Leisure (H1), Law & Bonar, Macro 4 (H1), Mersey Docks, Morgan Sindall, St Modwen Properties, SEB, SmithKline Beecham, Wal-Mart (Q4).
Meetings: Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants lunch addressed by Iona Technologies chairman Dr Chris Horn (Burlington Hotel, Dublin); Conference on "Combating Prejudice Against the Unemployed: Making the Most of Our Human Resources" (Dublin Castle).
Indicators: Irish inflation (Jan); British retail prices (Jan); US capacity utilisation (Jan) and industrial production (Jan).
Others: Royal & Sun Alliance trading statement.
Wednesday
Results: AIB Bank, Allianz, Armitage Bros (H1), Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell Soup Co (Q2), Deutsche Bank, Glaxo Wellcome, Golden Vale, Hewlett-Packard, MeritaNordbanken, Skandia, Woolwich, Xaar.
A.G.M.: Daily Mail & General Trust.
Meetings: Association of Graduate Careers Services in Ireland national conference (Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire); Marketing breakfast (Dome restaurant, Dublin).
Indicators: British average earnings (Dec), claimant count (Jan) and unit wage (Dec); US housing starts/permits (Jan) and import/export prices (Jan); Japanese industrial production (Dec) and leading indicators (Dec); Italian industrial production (Dec).
Thursday
Results: Abbey National, Anglo & Overseas Trust, CCF, Estates & General, Hanson, Merant (Q3), Novartis, Philips, Renault, SAS, Sandvik, Stonesoft, WPP.
A.G.M.: AIM VCT, Govett High Income, Highbury House (e.g.m.), Schroder AsiaPacific.
Meetings: European central bank council meeting; IAPF seminar on new pension accounting standard (Conrad hotel, Dublin); Conference on "E-Business: New Opportunities, New Markets" (Belfast Castle).
Indicators: British retail sales (Jan) and Bank of England quarterly inflation report; US producer prices (Jan).
Others: US Federal Reserve chairman Mr Alan Greenspan delivers Humphrey-Hawkins testimony to House of Representatives banking committee; Microsoft launches Windows 2000.
Friday
Results: Fiat, Halifax, Saab, Software, Sunderland (H1).
A.G.M.: Bankers Investment, Glencar (e.g.m.), Greenalls.
Indicators: British building society figures (Jan) and M4 lending (Jan); US consumer prices (Jan), imports/exports (Dec), real earnings (Jan) and federal budget (Jan); French trade balance (Dec); Italian industrial orders (Oct/Nov).
Others: Tipperary Rural Business Development Institute campuses in Thurles and Nenagh.
