This week's guest is The Playboy who has kindly stepped into the breach and gives his own thoughts on the week ahead. If anyone else would like to be the guest next week please let us know.

Monday 14 June Finals Majestic Wine - Majestic Wine has seen enormous gains through high like-for-like sales growth from the opening of new stores. The market is expecting strong profits growth and is also hoping for a nice dividend hike. Majestic believes there is still scope for expanding its concept.Finals Merrydown - The drinks manufacturer issued a lively trading statement in January, celebrating the fact that Shloer, its adult soft drink, was outperforming its peers. The groups premium cider brand, Merrydown Vintage, slightly improved in a sector that is declining. Results should be above expectations. Tuesday 15 June AGM House of Fraser - House of Fraser has engaged in a significant reconstruction programme for the next three to four years, which should enable the group to report strong earnings growth. However, the dividend has minimal cover and is unlikely to be increased for several years.Finals PHS Group - The workplace support services group is expected to report results in line with management expectations today, with turnover 18% ahead at 165 million and operating profits of 50 million. PHS has seen particularly strong performances in its washrooms and dustmat divisions.Wednesday 16 June Ex-dividend 3i Group - The venture capital giant enjoyed a year of strong performance in 2003, returning 531 million, or 18% of shareholders funds. The dividend was duly increased from 13.5p to 14p, following three years of substantial change for 3i, and a year that saw almost 1 billion of investment.EGM SSL International - The Durex manufacturer has exchanged conditional contracts with Regent Medical to sell off its surgical gloves and antiseptic business, in the final phase of its transformation into a consumer products group. Shareholders will be asked to approve the deal today, which some have criticised as being too cheap.Thursday 17 JuneInterims Gooch and Housego - This group is actually a manufacturer of acousto-optic devices and custom optical components and investors will be hoping for signs of growth, which were somewhat lacking in its last set of finals. But the group claims to be in an enviable market position, with several world-leading products.AGM Laura Ashley - Shareholders will witness the end of an era today when the last of the Ashley dynasty leaves the flagging fashion house. Nick Ashley, son of the late eponymous founder, has decided that he will leave the board. The group is now largely owned by Malaysian investors and finding more success with furniture than fashion.Friday 18 June EGM Cardpoint - The provider of electronic payment transactions, is snapping up a number of cash machines from HBOS. The Board has conditionally agreed to buy, subject to shareholder approval, 816 cash machines in locations away from bank branches for a maximum of 75 million.AGM Tesco - Todays meeting should be a fairly upbeat affair as the management boasts of recent success. However, it could all turn very ugly when London Animal Action arrives to protest at the supermarkets sale of whale and dolphin meat in their Japanese stores. Shareholders, you have been warned. ThoughtsThe FTSE-100 this week has broken out of the month long trading range of 4395 to 4470 possibly forming a new range of 4520 to 4460. Clear downtrend resistance off the April high, May high and June high so far, a break of 4520 could lead to 4570 then the April highs only if the DOW stays in its current up trend (see DOW chart), if not weakness below support at 4460. On a 5-day chart up trend off Friday low intact above 4482, downtrend off Wednesday high at 4492, two key levels for Monday! This week is also equity and index options expiry on Friday, so market possibly held up into the end of the week?

Have a good weekend - The Playboy

All the above comments are purely a personal opinion and no investment advice is intended. Please do your own research