THE WEEK AHEAD
COMPANY NEWS
● Ireland’s biggest bookmaker Paddy Power will announce its end of year results on Monday.
● So will the financial spread betting and CFD provider IG Group. Both will be betting on good results.
● On Tuesday, Weir Group, founded in 1981 by descendants of Robert Burns, will hope to have engineered strong end of year results.
● Tullow Oil announces on Wednesday. Investors will hope to see profits from oil’s sustained price rise.
● Insurers will be in the spotlight with Prudential releasing its results on Wednesday, while Standard Life will release on Thursday.
● The global asset management company Schroders, which recently unveiled its UK Core Fund, will release its 2010 results on Thursday.
● On Friday it will be revealed whether food and drink prices have impacted JD Wetherspoon profits as it releases its end of year results.
● The world’s largest producer of nickel and palladium, MMC Norilsk Nickel, will hold its EGM on Friday.
ECONOMICS NEWS
● On Wednesday the FTSE 100 will meet for its quarterly review of which stocks to admit or drop. ITV is likely to be readmitted.
● Wednesday and Thursday the MPC meets to determine whether or not to put up interest rates.
● Respective authorities in Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea will also meet next week to review their respective rates.
● Staying in Asia, Japan will announce machinery orders data for January on Wednesday and revised GDP for October-December on Thursday.
POLITICAL NEWS
● Tuesday will see the publication of Tom Winsor’s independent report on police reform.
● On Wednesday, the London Assembly transport committee will meet to discuss the worsening congestion in the city, if they can make it through all the traffic.
● Wednesday is also the deadline for the government’s consultative green paper on philanthropy.
● Talking of giving money away, Lord Hutton will let us all know on Thursday how he is going to solve the public-sector pensions crisis.