The week ahead: Vodafone, Unilever, US rates and non-farm payrolls

As politicians and company chiefs return from Davos, watch for a rush of big name corporate results and significant data releases both sides of the pond.

Monday 29 January

Trading Statements

Conviviality Retail, Filtronic, SThree, Porvair, Yu Group, Petra Diamonds

AGM/EGM

Lowland Investment Company, Titon Holdings, Easyhotel

Tuesday 30 January

Donald Trump is never one to shy away from self-promotion, and he'll likely use his late-night State of the Union address Tuesday to blow his own trumpet. Expect the president to focus on his success on tax reform and the surge in equity markets since his election win.Remember, though, he's only managed a temporary resolution to the government shutdown, and there are potential banana skins in trade agreements and the thorny issue of immigration."Currency market participants should have plenty to chew over from a USD perspective," writes broker Investec.

Trading Statements

Filtronic, PZ Cussons, NWF Group, Oxford Biodynamics, UDG Healthcare, Avocet Mining, Domino's Pizza, CYBG

AGM/EGM

Hollywood Bowl Group, UDG Healthcare, Greencore Group, Utilitywise, SolGold, Zoopla Property Group, Patisserie Holdings, Servoca

Wednesday 31 January

Does the US administration favour a weak or strong dollar? We've had contradictory statements in Davos, but Fed chairperson Janet Yellen's final rate-setting meeting could determine short-term direction for the US currency."We do not expect any change in policy to be announced, with the Federal funds target rate in all likelihood held at 1.25%-1.50%," says Investec. "However, it is quite possible that the policy statement serves as a reminder that the Federal Reserve is on a concerted tightening path, particularly when one considers the ramping up in QE roll-off as 2018 progresses. That might just be enough to help steady the dollar."

Trading Statements

Wizz Air, Joules Group, Angle, Best of The Best, Centamin, Low & Bonar, SSE, Britvic, Dairy Crest

AGM/EGM

Tertiary Minerals, Schroder UK Mid & Small Cap Fund, Sunrise Resources, Topps Tiles, Renew Holdings, Infrastrata, CYBG, Britvic, Bilby, BMR Group, Finsbury Growth & Income Trust

Thursday 1 February

Unilever is being tipped as a potential bidder for £3 billion AIM growth star, posh tonics firm Fevertree, but it's the Dove soap-to-Wall's ice cream giant's own fourth-quarter results that will claim the spotlight Thursday.

According to analysts at UBS, investors should look for a 3.7% increase in quarterly organic sales on volumes up 2.1%. There's also scope for a margin beat, with a 115 basis-point increase versus guidance of over 100bps.

Six Vodafone numbers for the final three months of 2017 are also likely to grab attention. Here, UBS predicts third-quarter organic service revenue growth of 1.3%, or 1.8% if you strip out low-margin/volatile carrier services revenues.

"Despite the recent rally in the shares, we think there is more to go for and see upside from mobile data monetisation, cost savings and M&A," it says. At the start of 2018, UBS analyst Polo Tang repeated his 'buy' rating. A belief that Voda is "cheap" means his price target nudges up 5p to 285p.

Trading statements

Unilever, UK Commercial Property Trust, Rank Group, Royal Dutch Shell, RPC Group, Vodafone, Glencore, Cranswick, 3i Group, Intermediate Capital, Euromoney Institutional Investor.

AGM/EGM

Avon Rubber, Premier Veterinary Group, Euromoney Institutional Investor, Stride Gaming, Redhall Group

Friday 2 February

We round the week off with US non-farm payrolls. December jobs data revealed a further recovery from the impact of 2017 hurricane season, and recent jobless claims figures at their lowest since 1973 bodes well for a strong number this time.

That said, it is unclear how much the early-January cold snap affected the US jobs market, which is why Investec forecasts a "relatively cautious" 165,000 increase in non-farm payrolls for this month. Look for an unemployment rate steady at 4.1%.

Trading statements

BT Group, Vedanta Resources, AstraZeneca, Gem Diamonds, Vedanta Resources

AGM/EGM

Brewin Dolphin Holdings, Scottish Investment Trust, Autins Group

This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.