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MONDAY
Indicators: Irish construction PMI (Dec), exports and imports (Nov), balance of trade (Nov); euro zone balance of trade (Nov).
Meetings: E-Privacy Regulation: Striking the Right Balance between Cookies and Consent talk by former European Parliament e-privacy regulation rapporteur Marju Lauristin (McCann FitzGerald, Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin).
TUESDAY
Results: Citigroup.
Indicators: Irish inflation (Dec), unemployment (Dec), consumer price index (Dec); UK inflation (Dec), PPI input and output (Dec), retail prices (Dec); German inflation (Dec); US consumer inflation expectations (Dec).
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Meetings: Moody's annual half-day Credit Trends event (Westbury Hotel, Dublin).
On Tuesday Moody’s hosts the first in a series of international gatherings examining key economic issues set to shape the year ahead. Dublin’s Credit Trends event is among 16 in four weeks, bringing together over 1,000 investors eager to get a feel for 2018.
“Stronger macroeconomic growth and potential for normalising monetary policy will be two of the key drivers impacting fixed income markets,” the credit ratings agency said ahead of the meeting.
Credit Trends invites leading market experts to join Moody's analysts in discussing and debating the various economic aspects likely to shape credit conditions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, topics will include Brexit, normalising monetary policy, the banking outlook and economic recovery. Lead sovereign analyst for Ireland Kathrin Muehlbronner and Brexit analyst Colin Ellis are among the speakers.
Debate will focus on the robustness of credit markets as monetary stimulus fades, political and other potential shocks ahead, how European banks might continue to cope with profitability challenges and how various sectors can perform among stronger economic growth and tighter monetary policy.
WEDNESDAY
Results: Bank of America, Goldman Sachs.
Indicators: euro zone construction output (Nov), inflation (Dec); German wholesale prices (Dec); US industrial and manufacturing production (Dec).
Meetings: GDPR: Implications for B2B Sales Teams event by the Sales Institute (National Concert Hall, Dublin); Cork Chamber Workplace Mediation Seminar with the Mediators Institute of Ireland (Cork Airport Hotel).
THURSDAY
Results: American Express, Morgan Stanley.
Indicators: US housing starts (Dec).
Meetings: CISO (chief information security officer) boot camp organised by Cyber Risk International (Clarion Hotel Liffey Valley, Clondalkin, Dublin).
FRIDAY
Indicators: Irish Government finance statistics (Q3); UK retail sales (Dec); German PPI (Dec);
Meetings: Comtrade Digital Services Blockchain Hackathon (Dublin Business School, Aungier Street).
Few terms in the tech industry are capable of provoking as much confusion and excitement respectively as “blockchain” and “hackathon”.
On Friday the software engineering services and solutions provider Comtrade is bringing them together for an event pitched at everyone from experts to students and entrepreneurs, to consider how blockchain might benefit the aviation industry.
Put simply, blockchain technology is the creation of growing lists of records linked and secured with cryptography.
“The aviation industry is ripe for innovation,” say the organisers of the two-day event. “Overall, it could be safer, more careful about the luggage, less costly, more convenient, more intuitive, more personal. Could blockchain technology actually help make it a bit better, cooler or safer?”
The event will examine how the technology could be used as a solution to outdated processes – improving loyalty programmes or, with other technologies, unlocking new service levels.
"We live and breathe digital transformation, and blockchain is something that people in the industry cannot escape nowadays. We want to enable a deeper dive into Nodes, Hashes, Smart Contracts and more," explains Dejan Cusic, Comtrade Digital Services' business director for Ireland and UK.
“We are hoping that this international group of bright brains will lead to innovative ideas using breakthrough technologies. It will be exciting to explore areas of blockchain that have not been analysed before, and see what prospects these sessions bring out.”