Business and City Summary

Strike timed for Mondeo launch

Ford, the car manufacturer, faces a one-day national strike over jobs by white-collar workers on the day its new Mondeo model is to be launched.

The Manufacturing Science and Finance union has called for a stoppage on Thursday to protest at the threat of compulsory redundancies. Ford has dropped the threat of compulsory redundancies for production workers, but it still remains for white-collar staff.

Cheap cornflakes

The Labour Party called for a formal investigation into Kellogg's refusal to supply two cut-price retail chains with its cornflakes. The United Norwest Co-operatives, which has 200 shops, and Shoprite, with 50 stores, say Kelloggs banned them from having the product because they sell it too cheaply.

Futures lobby

Britain's futures and options industry is hoping to boost its lobbying power on regulation and other issues with the formation of an industry-wide association, to be announced this week. The body, provisionally called the Futures and Options Association, will represent 600 to 700 companies and independent traders.

Thorn defence sale

Thorn-EMI and GEC Marconi declined to comment on newspaper reports that Thorn was negotiating the sale of its defence interests to GEC.

Babcock contracts

Babcock International, the engineering group, announced it had won materials handling and construction contracts worth pounds 30m.

TODAY

Balance of trade with countries outside the EC.

Interims: Frogmore Estates, James Halstead, Nesco Investments, Tay Homes.

Finals: Argos, Astec (BSR), British Borneo Petroleum, Britannic Assurance, Bunzl, Capital Industries, Goal Petroleum, Hibernian, Hongkong Land, Kynoch, PE International, Pendragon, Rutland Trust, Sharpe & Fisher, Spring Ram, Stag Furniture, Suter, Thornton Pan Euro Inv, Wilson Bowden.

TOMORROW

Cross-border acquisitions and mergers.

Interims: Polypipe, Pressac, Sunset & Vine, Wolseley.

Finals: Barr & Wallace Arnold, Bowater, Bluebird Toys, Bridon, Clinton Cards, Clyde Petroleum, CU Environmental, Derwent Valley, Edinburgh Oil & Gas, Era, Foreign & Colonial High Inv Trust, Invergordon Distillers, Mayborn Group, More O'Ferrall, Michael Page, P&O, Prudential Corp, Relyon Group, Secure Trust Group, JW Spear, Sunleigh, Trinity Holdings, Unichem.

WEDNESDAY

Institutional investment; construction - new orders; international banking statistics.

Interims: Barratt Developments, Dorling Kindersley, Manganese Bronze Holdings, Town Centre Securities, Barry Wehmiller, Wetherspoon.

Finals: AMEC, BSG International, Blenheim Group, Geest, Jardine Matheson, Johnston Press, Kingfisher, Lambert Howarth, Lasmo, Lex Service, Bernard Matthews, Richardsons Westgarth, Sheffield Insulations, Steel Burrill Jones, Weir Group, Arthur Wood.

THURSDAY

Energy trends; new vehicle registrations.

Interims: Community Hospitals, Maunders Group, Murray Ventures, Thorpe, Trafford Park Estates, Wellcome.

Finals: APV, Appleyard Group, BNB Resources, Booker, British Alcan Aluminium, Canning, Clarkson, Dawsongroup, Dunkeld Group, Headline Book Publishing, Henlys, Jardine Strategic, John Laing, Morrison Supermarkets, North Sea Assets, Pittard Garnar, Plasmec, Reckitt & Colman, Redland, Slough Estates, United Newspapers, Wolstenholme Rink.

FRIDAY

CBI monthly trends inquiry; engineering sales and orders at current and constant prices.

Interims: China & Eastern Inv Co, UDO Holdings.

Finals: Breedon, HTV, Hepworth, Mediterranean Fund, Moorfield Estates, National Express, Renown.