Investing Knowledge

LONDON (ShareCast) - Supermarket titan Tesco (LSE: TSCO.L - news) gives a trading update on Tuesday and the expectations are for the market leader to again show like-for-like (LFL) sales growth that pales in comparison with sector up-and-comer Wm. Morrison, which last week announced a 9.2% year-on-year increase in LFL sales in the 13 weeks to 3 May.

While competitors on its home turf are getting their act together and posing a bigger threat to Tesco, the UK's biggest grocer is increasingly looking to overseas and non-food operations to drive growth.

This week the head of the Tesco Personal Finance division said the company was considering expanding into the business banking market. Meanwhile, on the mobile phone front, Tesco is going head to head with Carphone Warehouse (LSE: CPW.L - news) in offering free laptops to new subscribers.

On the same day Tesco announces its result, health and sensor group Halma (LSE: HLMA.L - news) issues final results while restaurant and hotels group Whitbread (LSE: WTB.L - news) releases a trading statement.

Halma said in February that its full-year pre-tax profit would be at the lower end of market expectations; market estimates at the time ran from £79m up to £84.5m. The main reason for the underperformance has been reduced investment by UK water utilities, which has hit revenues in Halma's Water division.

Though Whitbread's share price has, in common with most UK equities, rallied strongly since early March, the stock is set to be ejected from the list of FTSE 100 constituents, largely as a result of the shares pulling back after the company warned at the end of April of a slowdown in trade at its Premier Inn budget accommodation chain.

Monday June 15

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE Cryptologic Ld, Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO - news)

FINALS Eckoh (LSE: ECK.L - news) , Majestic Wine

EGMS Minerva (LSE: MNR.L - news)

AGMS Biofutures International (LSE: BIP.L - news) , Globus Maritime (LSE: GLBS.L - news) , Sweet China (Berlin: S5W.BE - news) , Tex Holdings (LSE: TXH.L - news)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Concurrent Technologies, Healthcare Locums (LSE: HLO.L - news) , Severfield-Rowen

Tuesday June 16

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS BoJ Intrest Rates (JPN) Capacity Utilisation (US) (14:15) Consumer Price Index (EU) (10:00) Housing Starts (US) (13:30) Industrial Production (US) (14:15) ZEW Survey (GER) (10:00)

FINALS AssetCo (LSE: ASTO.L - news) , Halma, Record (LSE: REC.L - news)

AGMS DDD Group (LSE: DDD.L - news) , Dexion Alpha Strategies GBP Shares, Dexion Equity Alternative (LSE: DEA.L - news) , Dexion Trading (LSE: DTL.L - news) , IFR Capital (LSE: IFR.L - news) , Premier Farnell (LSE: PFL.L - news) , Signet Jewelers, Singer & Friedlander AIM 3 VCT, Ted Baker (LSE: TBK.L - news) , Work Group (LSE: WORK.L - news) , Zenergy Power (LSE: ZEN.L - news)

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS Tesco, Whitbread

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Consumer Price Index (09:30) Consumer Price Index (09:30) Retail Price Index (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Hiscox (LSE: 179095.L - news)

Wednesday June 17

INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE Driver Group (LSE: DRV.L - news) , Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT.L - news) , MWB Business Exchange (LSE: MBE.L - news) , RWS Holdings (LSE: GB0033673939.L - news)

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE Land Securities Group

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Balance of Trade (EU) (10:00) BoJ Report (JPN) (06:00) Consumer Price Index (US) (13:30)

FINALS RPC Group (LSE: RPC.L - news) , Trifast (LSE: TRI.L - news) , Victoria

EGMS VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd., VinaLand Ltd.

AGMS BATM Advanced, BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust, Christie Group (LSE: CTG.L - news) , Clipper Windpower (LSE: CWP.L - news) (Reg S), Corin Group (LSE: CRG.L - news) , Densitron Technologies (LSE: DSN.L - news) , Havelock Europa (LSE: HVE.L - news) , M. P. Evans Group, Merrill Lynch FTSE100 Stepped Growth and Income Ltd. Growth Shares, NEOVIA Financial (LSE: NEO.L - news) , New Star Private Equity Inv Trust, Stobart Group (LSE: STOI.L - news) , VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd., Water Hall Group

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS BoE Interest Rate Minutes (09:30) Claimant Count Rate (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Cello Group (LSE: CLL.L - news) , Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L - news) , Eurasian Natural Resources, Shed Media (LSE: SHDP.L - news)

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE Acal (LSE: ACL.L - news) , Aurora Inv Trust, Brulines, Charles Stanley, Edinburgh Inv Trust, Elektron (LSE: EKT.L - news) , Halfords Group (LSE: HFD.L - news) , London & Stamford Property, National Express Group, Northern 3 VCT (LSE: NTN.L - news) , Octopus AIM VCT (LSE: OOA.L - news) , Perpetual Income & Growth Inv Trust, Prezzo, ProVen Growth and Income VCT, ProVen Growth and Income VCT 'C' Shares, ProVen VCT (LSE: PVN.L - news) , ProVen VCT 'C' Shares, RIT Capital Partners (LSE: RCP.L - news) , Severn Trent (LSE: SVT.L - news) , SVM UK Active Fund, Tex Holdings, Tribal Group (LSE: TRB.L - news) , United Utilities Group, Utilico Emerging Markets Ltd., Value and Income Trust, Walker Crips Group (LSE: WCW.L - news)

QUARTERLY RESULTS Queen's Walk Investment Ltd.

Thursday June 18

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Aberdeen Asset Management (LSE: ADN.L - news) , Noble Investments

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE Addax Petroleum (AXC.TO - news)

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30) Philadelphia Fed Index (US) (15:00)

FINALS Wynnstay Properties (LSE: WSP.L - news)

AGMS Alea Group Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, BH Global GBP Shares, British American Inv Trust, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company SA, Consolidated Asset Management, Core VCT I (LSE: CR.L - news) , Core VCT II (LSE: CR2.L - news) , Core VCT III (LSE: CR3.L - news) , Direct Wonen, Empresaria Group (LSE: EMR.L - news) , Faroe Petroleum (LSE: GB0033032904.L - news) , Hampden Underwriting, Heritage Oil (Frankfurt: A0NG6K - news) , Highland Gold Mining, Invesco Perpetual European Absolute Return Trust, Jetion Holdings (LSE: JHL.L - news) , Pixel Interactive Media, Regal Petroleum (LSE: RPT.L - news) , Slingsby H.C, Toye and Co, Turbo Power Systems (LSE: TPS.L - news) , Volga Gas (LSE: VGAS.L - news)

UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Internet Retail Sales (09:30) Public Sector Finances (09:30) Public Sector Finances (09:30) Retail Sales (09:30)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE JPMorgan Elect Managed Cash Shares, JPMorgan Elect Managed Growth Shares, JPMorgan Elect Managed Income Shares, Lamprell (LSE: LAM.L - news) , Share Plc, Unilever (Amsterdam: UNIA.AS - news)

Friday June 19

INTERIMS Xploite

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Aero Inventory (LSE: AI.L - news) , Carluccio's, Freshwater UK (LSE: FWUK.L - news) , ITE Group (LSE: ITE.L - news) , Lowland Investment Co., Sage Group (LSE: SGE.L - news)

QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE M&G Equity Inv Trust Income Shares

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS BoJ Intrest Rates Minutes (JPN) (00:50) Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00)

AGMS Albion Technology & General VCT, Albion Technology & General VCT 'C' Shares, Anglo-Eastern Plantations, Matica (LSE: MAT.L - news) , Mercury Recycling (LSE: MRG.L - news) , Narborough Plant, Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW.L - news) , UK Coal (LSE: UKC.L - news) , Westminster Group (LSE: WSG.L - news)

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Carillion (LSE: CLLN.L - news) , Chime Communications (LSE: GB0001911311.L - news) , China Medical System Holdings, DataCash Group (LSE: DATA.L - news) , Derwent London (LSE: DLN.L - news) , Genetix Group (LSE: GTX.L - news) , Intertek Group (LSE: ITRK.L - news) , Invesco Perpetual European Absolute Return Trust, Kingfisher (LSE: KGF.L - news) , M. P. Evans Group, Martin Currie Portfolio Trust, Midas Income & Growth Trust, Pacific Assets Trust, Provident Financial, Quarto Group (LSE: QRT.L - news) , Ted Baker

FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE China Shoto (LSE: CHNS.L - news)