The Week Ahead: Prudential to lay out plans to put the British blues behind it

After many months of waiting, Prudential will finally unveil its grand plan to revitalise its moribund UK insurance business. While speculation has been rampant that it could jettison the unit altogether, analysts expect less drastic action to put it on a footing similar to its American and Asian operations, which should show very strong growth at this week's results.

Investment group F&C Asset Management is another company that will be pressed for its view on the way forward when it reports on Thursday. The UK's oldest investment fund has lost several billion pounds-worth of mandates over the past year, with institutions moving money into more specialist funds and away from the balanced vehicles that F&C has operated for decades. Chief executive Alain Grisay will lay out his strategy to start winning mandates back.

Legal & General, on the other hand, won't have any housecleaning to do. The City is expecting buoyant numbers from the company at its annual earnings call on Wednesday. In January, the company said it had seen a 46 per cent increase in UK business.

Hard on the heels of a year in which copper prices surged to record highs, a pair of the biggest miners of the commodity will show off that rich seam this week. Antofagasta, which owns three large mines in Chile, is expected by brokers Charles Stanley to report $2.7bn (£1.39bn) in pre-tax profits for the year, nearly double the $1.5bn it earnt the year before.

It will be a similar story for Kazakhmys, the Kazakhstan miner which will report $2.4bn in earnings before expenses, well ahead of the $1.07bn posted in 2005, according to analyst consensus. The company will also be pressed for more detail on its recent acquisition of Dostan Temir, a company with rights to oil in western Kazakh- stan. The company had said before that it would look to move into other commodities, but this was its first acquisitive move. Analysts will want to know if more such deals are in the offing.

After a pair of surveys showed last week that the UK housing market is still steaming along, several companies in the sector will unveil figures reflecting an extraordinary 2006. Countrywide, the UK's largest estate agency company, will provide annual results on Tuesday. Countrywide, which recently accepted a £1bn offer from US buyout group Apollo Management, could get a fresh bid from venture capital giant 3i, which had earlier tried and failed to buy the company. There is little chairman Harry Hill will be able to say about the situation, but that won't stop the City from asking.

Smaller estate agency rival Savills will reveal its annual results the next day, and another beneficiary of the housing boom, builder Bovis Homes, has its annual numbers tomorrow. The company's shares soared last week after rival Crest Nicholson was bought out by HBOS and property magnate Sir Tom Hunter; Bovis could be next. "It is a bid target," said Tom Gidley- Kitchin of Charles Stanley. "It has a long land bank and there just aren't that many FTSE 350 builders left." He added that Persimmon and George Wimpey are possible bidders.

Another company that may be a prey is Cobham, the aeroplane parts maker. US giants like Boeing are looking at acquisitions as a way to net further business from the UK government. Despite the weakness of the dollar, Cobham is expected on Thursday to improve incrementally on its 2005 performance, when it made £167m in pre-tax profits. After disposing of some non-core assets, and with a light debt load, chief executive Allan Cook has cash to make acquisitions of his own.

Group 4 Securicor, the world's number two security company, could also be on the deal trail. It reports annual results on Tuesday. Chief executive Nick Buckles has previously said he is willing to spend up to £200m annually to build the business. After last month's purchase of a stake in a South African cash handler, analysts will want to know where else he is looking.

And Monday will be the first earnings call for Kieran Murphy, the recently appointed chief executive of Whatman, the medical technology group. Mr Murphy was given the job in January after the business missed earnings forecasts for a second time.

CALENDAR

Tomorrow 12

UK RESULTS: (final) Absolute Capital Management, Aero Inventory, AT Communications, Bovis Homes, Collins Stewart, Corus, Greggs, Hiscox, Lighthouse, Lookers, Management Consulting, Neptune Minerals, RC, Statpro, Vernalis, Whatman, WIN; (interim) Glisten, Satcom, William Sinclair

Tuesday 13

UK RESULTS: (F) Advanced Medical Solutions, Antofagasta, Charlemagne Capital, Chime Communications, Computacenter, Cookson, Costain, Countrywide, DRS Data & Research Services, Financial Objects, Group 4 Securicor, Heywood Williams, Kiln, Litho Supplies, NSB Retail Systems; (I) Genus

Wednesday 14

UK RESULTS: (F) AMM, BPP, French Connection, Goldenport, Informa, Legal & General, Mavinwood, Savills, SIGTelit Communications

Thursday 15

UK RESULTS: (F) Access Intelligence, Aegis, Alfred McAlpine, Cattles, Charter, Cobham, CODA, F&C Asset Management, Flomerics, Foseco, Kazakhmys, KBC Advanced Technologies, Nationwide Accident Repair Services, Portmeirion, Premier Farnell, Prudential, Soco International, Wm Morrison, Xaar; (I) Centaur Media

Friday 16

UK RESULTS: (F) Crosby Capital Partners, Flying Brands, Gyrus; (I) Avanti Screenmedia, Water Hall