This Week: Overview - After a quiet start to the week with today's bank holiday, there will be plenty on the domestic corporate scene to attract the interest of those who have not yet left their desks.
The spotlight will inevitably be on the first closing date for acceptance of the Madison Dearborn bid for Jefferson Smurfit tomorrow. The company, whose independent directors have recommended the offer, is pushing hard to achieve the 80 per cent required to go unconditional at the first time of asking. A day later Smurfit is due to report quarterly figures.
Later in the week, shareholders will be caught in the middle of the increasingly bitter battle for Gresham Hotels, which will be fought out at an extraordinary general meeting on Thursday, when Red Sea bids to grab at least an equal share of control on the board.
No-frills airline Ryanair posts quarterly numbers tomorrow though more interest may focus on results from Galen holdings on Wednesday. The company's stock has been hit badly by worries over the efficacy of HRT treatments and investors will be looking for reassurance going forward.
Monday
Results: HSBC (H1), Inchcape (H1), Infonet (Q2), Procter & Gamble (Q4), Statoil (Q2), Torex (H1), Ultra Electronics (H1).
A.G.M.: Cookson (e.g.m.).
Indicators: EMU labour costs and earnings (Q1) and purchasing managers' index - services (Jul); British industrial production (Jun) M0 data (Jul) and manufacturing production (Jun); German purchasing managers' index - services (Jul); French purchasing managers' index - services (Jul); Italian purchasing managers' index - services (Jul); Japanese leading indicators (Jun);
Others: Irish Stock Exchange opens despite bank holiday; British Airways traffic figures.
Tuesday
Results: Ashanti Q2), BOC Gases (Q3), Cardinal Health (Q4), Cisco Systems (Q4), Edison International (Q2), Novo Nordisk (Q2), Prudential Financial (Q2), Ryanair (Q1), Telia (Q2), Wyndham International (Q2).
Indicators: EMU unemployment (Jun).
Others: First closing date for acceptance of Madison Dearborn bid for Jefferson Smurfit.
Wednesday
Results: Adidas-Salomon (H1), Aon Corp (Q2), BHP Billiton, Canada Life Financial (Q2), Cathay Pacific (H1), Ducati Motor Holding (Q2), Galen Holdings (Q3), KPMG Consulting, Lastminute.com (Q3), Rotork (H1), Royal Bank of Scotland (H1), Sandvik (Q2), SAS (Q2), Jefferson Smurfit (Q2), Standard Chartered (H1), Ulster Bank (H1).
A.G.M.: Ryanair (e.g.m.).
Indicators: US consumer credit (Jun), wholesale inventories (Jun) and import/export prices (Jul); German industrial orders (Jun) and unemployment (Jul); Japanese wholesale prices (Jul) and bank lending (Jul);
Others: EasyJet traffic figures.
Thursday
Results: ABN-Amro (H1), Aegon (H1), BASF (H1), BMW (H1), Carlsberg (Q2), Commerzbank (H1), Del Monte, Gehe (H1), GKN (H1), Millennium & Copthorne (H1), Pixar (Q2), Qwest Communications (Q2), Reed Elsevier (H1), Royal & Sun Alliance (H1), Securitas (Q2), Skandia (Q2), Tamro (Q2).
A.G.M.: Gresham Hotels (e.g.m.).
Indicators: EMU GDP (Q1) and indicator forecasts for GDP (Q2 & Q3); Irish industrial stocks (Q1); US producer prices (Jul); German industrial production (Jun); Japanese machinery orders (Jun).
Others: European Central Bank publishes monthly report for August.
Friday
Results: BB Biotech (H1), ERG (Q2), Sea Containers (Q2).
Meetings: Bank of Japan meets.
Indicators: Irish tourism and travel data (Q1) and industrial production (Jun); US productivity (Q2) and unit labour costs (Q2); British trade balance (Jun) and non-EU trade (May); German trade balance (Jun) and current account (Jun); Japanese corporate survey (Jun); Italian GDP (Q2) and industrial production (Jun).
Others: International Energy Agency produces monthly oil market report; International Monetary Fund executive board to consider approval of $1.1 billion loan tranche for Turkey.
