THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY

Companies

Burmah Castrol's interim results should show a healthy increase after a recovery in chemicals, growth at Castrol and good currency factors.

Fergus MacLeod of Nat- West Securities expects an 18 per cent rise in pre-tax profit based on growth in Asia for Castrol and improvement at Foseco - where pre-tax profits are expected to rise by 50 per cent. Net income is expected to rise to pounds 62m from pounds 50.5m. A currency boost from a strong Deutschmark will probably offset poor trading in fuels and LNG shipping.

Interims: ASW, Bluebird Toys, British Vita, Bunzl, Burmah Castrol, CRH, Dixon Motors, Johnson Fry Utilities, Oliver Group, Pendragon, RJB Mining, Rugby Group, Suter

Finals: Peter Black, Haynes

Annual meetings: Marling Industries, Rexmore, Vibroplant

Economics

Provisional figures for narrow money growth should show another increase from July's rate of 5.8 per cent. Economists say M0 growth is likely to stay at around 6 per cent.

Halifax house price index for August; official underlying reserves figures.

TOMORROW

Companies

Boddington has underperformed in a buoyant brewing sector by 5 per cent since its March results were dragged down by its wholesaling subsidiary Liquid Assets. Gloom about the group's inability to pass on higher prices and a further fall in margins may indicate Liquid Assets is becoming an Achilles' heel. Interim pre-tax profit is expected to fall to pounds 12.5m (pounds 13m); earnings per share are expected to be 8.0p (8.2p), and net dividend at 3.46p compared with 3.15p.

Interims: Barr & Wallace Arnold, Boddington's, Croda, Hillsdown, IMI, Nottingham Group, Rexam, Scholl, Wimpey, Wyevale Garden Centres

Finals: Lynx Printing, Macro

Annual meetings: Alba, Birse Group, Casket, Dudley Jenkins, Kalamazoo, David S Smith

WEDNESDAY

Companies

The maiden contribution from Cadbury-Schweppes' latest acquisition - Dr Pepper - is expected to improve the performance of the US market.

UK profits have been hit by a margin squeeze at CCSB but this should be offset by a reasonable growth in volumes. Trebor Bassett has been hit by downtrading in a flat market, but a good Easter performance enabled Cadbury to pick up extra market share. Elsewhere fortunes are mixed: economic problems in Argentina and Mexico; volume growth in Spain but the French beverage operation is emerging as a problem. Analysts expect a pre-tax profit of pounds 203m-pounds 210m for the half year compared with pounds 205.1m in 1994. This takes account of a pounds 32m charge for the integration of Dr Pepper. This translates into an EPS of 11p (13p) and a net dividend up 9 per cent to 5p (4.6p).

Interims: AMEC, BBA, Cadbury-Schweppes, Caird, Calder-burn, GBE, Nelson Hurst, Ocean Group, RTZ, Virtuality

Finals: Adscene Group

Annual meetings: Christie, Debenham Tewson & Chinnocks, Electron House, Goode Durrant, Leopold Joseph, ML Holdings, Porter Chadburn, Savills, SelecTV, Stylone, Wagon Industrial, Wessex Water

Economics

Industrial production is expected to have risen modestly in July, closing the gap between official figures and stronger evidence provided by surveys. Manufacturing output is expected to show a 0.3 per cent increase. A rebound in oil production after earlier than normal seasonal maintenance should boost industrial output.

THURSDAY

Companies:

Improvements are expected across the board at BTR as it reports its interims. The momentum of strong second-half figures in 1994 is expected to continue into the first half of 1995 with anticipated pre-tax profits of pounds 780m, compared with pounds 610 for the same period according to NWS. EPS should rise 7 per cent to 11.2p, compared with 10.5p and a net dividend of 5.9p against 5.2p. Better trading in Aerospace, Valves and the paper subsidiaries should continue as demand picks up. The good news will be tempered by a deterioration in Electrical Power and Commercial Interiors.

Interims: Arjo Wiggins , Blue Circle, British Gas (Q2) BTR, Church & Co, Cookson, Enterprise Oil, Gaskell, Graham, Hobson, Manders, OGC International, Rank, Rathbone Brothers, Reece, Sun Alliance, Royal Doulton, Swallowfield, Vickers, Wellington, Yorkshire Food Groups

Annual meetings: BI Group, Bromsgrove, Budgens, HP Bulmer, Carclo, Computer People, Dixons, Fletcher King, Triplex Lloyd, Vega Group.

Economics:

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Governor of the Bank of England hold their monthly monetary meeting. Whether the Governor will change his earlier advice in favour of an increase will not be known until the minutes are published after a six-week delay.

The CBI survey of distributive trades will give a picture of August retail sales figures.

FRIDAY

Companies

Buoyant European car production should lift interim results at Laird Group. Analysts believe its acquisition of GECO should reduce the dilution caused by November's rights issue. Pre-tax profit is expected to be pounds 34m, up from pounds 23.9m. EPS is at 15.8p; net dividend rises from 4.4p to 4.8p.

Interims: Laird Group, Litho Supplies

Annual meetings: Daejan, East Midlands Electricity, EDF & Man, John Menzies, Stanley Leisure.

Economics

The Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan survey is published.