DRINKS giant Allied Domecq reports on Tuesday, and is forecast to show that final pre-tax profits have risen from £453m to £480m.

The figures will be boosted by wine acquisitions Montana and Bodegas y Bebidas as well as the purchase of Malibu. The spirits arm, which includes Beefeater Gin, is expected to have performed satisfactorily and most analysts also believe US trading will have improved.

However, higher pensions are likely to hit home and the market has yet to be convinced by Allied Domecq's wine strategy. Economic problems in Argentina and over-supply in the US are both problems.

BP has lowered its third-quarter production targets twice over recent months, the latest of which came after tropical storm Isidore temporarily shut the oil giant's Gulf of Mexico operations.

Along with other operational problems, it means BP is now expecting production growth of 4 per cent for the most recent quarter and 4 per cent for the year as a whole.

The downgrades have disappointed the market and analysts are hoping BP will reassure investors when it posts its third-quarter update on Tuesday. Pre-tax profits are expected to fall from £1.71bn to £1.59bn.

*Companies to report in the week include:

TUESDAY - Finals: Allied Domecq. Interims: Bookham Technology (Q3), BP (Q3), British American Tobacco (Q3), Chamberlin & Hill, Westbury, Whitbread.

WEDNESDAY - Finals: VTR. Interims: Aberforth Split Level Trust, Blacks Leisure, Homestyle Group, Pilkington, Unilever (Q3)

THURSDAY - Interims: ICI (Q3), Shanks, Shell Transport & Trading (Q3), Shiloh, Sportingbet.

FRIDAY - Interims: Aviva (Q3), Harvey Nichols, mmO2.