Highlight of the week will be Minister for Finance Mr Charlie McCreevy's fifth Budget, with most of the attention focusing on just how much of a downer it will be.
The economic downturn has robbed the Minister of the chance to round off his term of office by putting the finishing touches to his tax-cutting policy before next year's general election. What remains to be seen is how and to what extent he can fund the commitments of the national health strategy and the National Development Plan without ignoring the more narrow interests of the voter.
Monday
Results: Acal (H1), Bits Corp (H1), Carclo (H1), Coffee Group (H1), Dawson Holdings, Fuller Smith & Turner (H1), Goldshield Group (H1), Health Clinic (H1), Jasmin (H1), Potential Finance, RPC (H1), Treatt, UBC Media Group (H1), Warner Estates Holdings (H1), Wolverhampton & Dudley (H1), Zytronic (H1).
A.G.M.: Air Partner, Atlantic (e.g.m.), Edinburgh Dragon Trust, Interior Services Group, Independent News & Media (e.g.m.), International News (e.g.m.), Irish Press.
Meetings: Euro-zone finance ministers meet (Brussels); Marketing in Action with Audi seminar on "Applying NASA Technology to Shopper Psychology" (Audi Centre, Dublin).
Indicators: EMU purchasing managers' index (PMI) (Nov); US construction spending (Oct) and personal income (Oct); French job seekers (Oct) and PMI (Nov); British PMI manufacturing (Nov) and M0 data (Nov); German PMI (Nov); Italian PMI (Nov).
Tuesday
Results: Anite Group (H1), Brewin Dolphin (Q1), BSS Group (H1), BTG (H1), Carlton Comms, Halma (H1), Isoft Group (H1), Learning Technology, Mentmore Abbey (H1), Navistar International (Q4), OMG, PHS Group (H1), Quintain Estates & Development (H1), Salvesen (Christian) (H1), Scottish & Newcastle (H1), Severn Trust (H1), SCS Upholstery, Shaftesbury, Ultraframe, United Drug, Victrex.
A.G.M.: DFS Furniture Group.
Meetings: EU finance ministers meet (Brussels); Bank of England monetary policy committee meets (to Wed); European Parliament Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee hears European Competition Commissioner Mr Mario Monti on international dimension of competition policy (Brussels); First Tuesday meeting (Westbury Hotel, Dublin); Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in Ireland annual strategic training and development conference (Burlington Hotel, Dublin); Bank of Ireland euro seminar.
Indicators: EMU business, consumer and overall economic sentiment surveys (Nov), unemployment (Oct) and producer prices (Oct); Irish pre-Budget Exchequer returns (Nov); French consumer confidence (Nov).
Others: Business 2 Arts showcase (Bank of Ireland Arts Centre, Dublin); Launch of Mallin-DCU Business Start-Up award.
Wednesday
Results: AIT Group (H1), Blick, Chapelthorpe (H1), De Vere Group, Expro Int Group (H1), Phytopharm, Sage, Wagon (H1).
Indicators: EMU purchasing managers index (PMI) services (Nov), business climate indicator (Nov) and retail sales (Sep); British PMI services (Nov); German PMI services (Nov) and unemployment (Nov); French PMI services (Nov); Italian PMI services (Nov).
Others: Minister for Finance Mr Charlie McCreevy delivers Budget 2002; Bank of England monetary policy committee announces decision on interest rates; British Airways releases traffic figures; Telecoms regulator marks three years of liberalisation.
Thursday
Results: Alba, Courts (H1), Avon Rubber, Dewhurst, Dyson, Findel (H1), Firth Rixon, Grainger Trust, National Semiconductor (Q2), Pura, Securicor, Six Continents, South Staffordshire Group (H1), Stagecoach (H1).
A.G.M.: Crossair, Edison.
Meetings: European Central Bank governing and general council meetings; PricewaterhouseCoopers Budget 2002 breakfast briefing (Jurys Hotel, Dublin); Horwath Bastow Charleton Budget 2002 breakfast briefing (Burlington Hotel, Dublin).
Indicators: US productivity (Q3), factory orders (Oct) and unit labour costs (Q3); British industrial production (Oct) and manufacturing production (Oct); German consumer prices (Nov) and industrial orders (Oct).
Others: Public holiday in Spain and Finland.
Friday
Results: Gevaert (Q3), Indigo Vision (Q1).
A.G.M.: Associated British Foods.
Meetings: Competition Authority conference on future of competition policy in Ireland (Westin Hotel, Dublin); Ciall Systems seminar on "What is Business Intelligence?" (Old Belvedere Rugby Club, Dublin).
Indicators: Irish unemployment (Nov); US unemployment (Nov), average hourly earnings (Nov) and average working week (Nov); Japanese GDP (Q3) and household spending (Oct); German retail sales (Oct) and industrial production (Oct).
