THE WEEK AHEAD in association with GFT
COMPANIES
● Today, Eckoh reports its earnings. It provides the technology for automated call centres. Sorry, could you please repeat that?
● Also today, Gesco, which works with oil and gas companies, will report. Investors will hope that – like others in the sector – it has been able to drill into the gushing profits from rising prices.
● On Wednesday, Gooch & Housego, a manufacturer of precision optical components, puts its interim earnings under the microscope.
● On Friday, Share, which is the parent company for The Share Centre and related businesses, will be holding its latest Annual General Meeting
ECONOMICS
● It is a week of central bank rate decisions. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia announces its decision on interest rates.
● The Eurozone’s GDP figures will be released on Wednesday. A rising trend should push the euro up, while a negative trend will cause it to fall.
● Also on Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will announce its decision on interest rates. They currently sit at 2.5 per cent.
● The Bank of England and the European Central Bank announce rate decisions on Thursday.
The former is at 0.5 per cent and the latter at 1.25 per cent.
POLITICS
● Pilots at Aer Lingus are threatening industrial action on Tuesday, potentially impacting the journeys of thousands of travellers. The action is part of a row over rosters.
● On Thursday in the US, Republican and Democrat negotiators will meet again to discuss increasing the debt ceiling and deficit reduction measures. If they don’t come to an agreement soon, Moody’s has warned it will downgrade the US’s credit rating.
● Also on Thursday, Japan’s main opposition party, the LDP, has suggested that it will submit a no confidence motion against Prime Minister Kan. Can he defeat it? Yes, he Kan.