THE WEEK AHEAD
COMPANY NEWS
● James Halstead announces today. Its flooring can be found near and far: from the Scott Base in Antarctica, to the Svalbard Hotel on the edge of the polar icecap.
● Tomorrow, Wolseley will deliver its full year results. The FTSE 100 heating and plumbing distributor operates in 25 countries, with 4,400 branches worldwide, employing around 47,000 people.
● XG Technology also announces tomorrow. The Aim-listed company develops a broad portfolio of intellectual property, designed to enhance wired and wireless communications.
● On Wednesday, Sportingbet announces. The index e-gaming operator is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap index. Imperial Innovations also announces on Wednesday. It was founded in 1986 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Imperial College.
● Also on Wednesday, Tesco – the third-largest retailer in the world – releases interim results, while its competitor Sainsbury delivers its first-half trading update.
● Shana gold will be looking for glittering results on Thursday. On the same day, Ted Baker will release interim results.
ECONOMICS
● Aussie stock markets will be closed today for Labor Day. This will be celebrated with shrimps being tossed onto barbies up and down the country.
● Tomorrow, Ben Bernanke, US Federal Reserve chairman, will be speaking in Washington DC on America’s economic outlook – not for the faint-hearted.
● On Friday, crucial US non-farm payroll figures for September will be announced. The Obama administration will be hoping to see an end to the long run of dire employment figures.
POLITICAL NEWS
● The Conservative party faithful have descended on Manchester for the annual Conservative party conference, which will conclude with David Cameron’s address on Wednesday. Ladbrokes is currently offering evens on a “confirmed sighting of Eric Pickles in a Chinese restaurant during conference week.”
● Barack Obama will meet with Tunisia’s Prime Minister at the White House next Friday. It will be the first time that the pair have met since Beji Caid Essebsi took power in January, after the overthrow of the country’s long serving dictator.