Analysts are forecasting flat pre-tax profits, at £116m (€163.6m) against £115.8m (€163.3m) last time, when clothing and accessories retailer Next reports interim results on Thursday.

UK investors should get useful mid-year reports from a clutch of blue-chip companies this week as activity in the London markets rises again after a quiet month.

Concerns over sluggish consumer confidence will be back in the spotlight on Tuesday when high street department store Debenhams reports interim results.

Rhinestone Cowboy is set to continue the build-up to Cheltenham with a run at Leopardstown.

Banking and oil stocks conspired to pull the London market lower today, dragging the FTSE 100 Index to fresh three-month lows.

FOLLOWERS of Galapiat Du Mesnil in the feature event at Cheltenham today look virtually assured of a good run for their money.

Abbey National closed the door on a possible tie-up with Bank of Ireland today by insisting it was better off on its own.

Tomasz Radzinski is likely to be fit to return for Everton in the 166th Mersey derby at Anfield after missing nine games with a stomach injury.

Tyndarius is unlikely to take up his engagement in the Martell Grand National but he could still have a part to play over the big Aintree fences in April.

Plans for debt reduction are expected to dominate Marconi's third-quarter trading statement on Tuesday.

The US Federal Reserve yesterday continued its campaign of interest rate cuts by trimming interest rates by a quarter-point the eleventh cut this year.

Alan Greenspan has taken another step towards shoring up the US economy by trimming interest rates by a quarter-point.

The company behind the Daily Mail is expected to post a drop in full year profits.

Investors will find out more about National Grid's plans for international expansion on Tuesday.

British Airways will report on a catastrophic half year in which it has cut 7,200 jobs and lost 25% of its passengers.

City experts tonight forecast a nervous start to trading on the stock market today following the allies’ attacks on Afghanistan.

City experts tonight forecast a nervous start to trading on the stock market tomorrow following the allies’ attacks on Afghanistan.

More than £34bn was wiped off the FTSE 100 Index in the first half-hour of trading.

London traders will return from Britain's long weekend to a relatively packed week of results, including updates from Psion, Schroders and betting-to-hotels group Hilton.

Mobile phone giant Vodafone was today poised to unveil full-year pre-tax profits of £3.9bn after a period of rapid growth worldwide.

The Bank of England has cut the base rate from 5.5% to 5.25% - its lowest level since October, 1999.

A strong performance from Imperial Tobacco's international sales is expected when the company announces interim results next week.

Analysts are expecting few surprises when GlaxoSmithKline reveals its first quarter results tomorrow.

A slowdown in the global economy is expected to dent Bookham Technology's interim results.

The impact of fuel costs and the slowing US economy should overshadow British Airways' assessment of the last nine months of 2000.

Marks & Spencer chairman Luc Vandevelde is expected to come under further pressure tomorrow when he reports what City analysts predict will be a disappointing set of Christmas trading figures.