Another bumper week for blue-chip results should provide the City with a chance to gauge the health of the retail sector as Kingfisher, Sainsburys and Safeway are all scheduled to report figures.

Retailer Kingfisher will report its first update following its demerger of Woolworths on Tuesday with third quarter numbers, and the signs are for a mixed set of results.

Sales from August to October are likely to show the group's UK chains produced the best results, with DIY group B&Q leading the way followed by Comet, which is expected to benefit from its new concept stores.

Sainsburys pleased the City with strong second quarter sales numbers last month and these should help lift first half pre-tax profits by three per cent to £310m on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, rival Safeway has been undergoing a similar recovery under former Wal-Mart man Carlos Criado-Perez, but second-quarter figures last month showed a slight drop in sales growth.

Safeway has pinned its revival hopes on attracting shoppers back with deep discounts, then improving its stores and the products on offer in the hope they will come back again.

Analysts will want reassurance on Thursday that margins are being maintained and sales are still strong. Gerrard forecasts interim profits of £184m, up 11 per cent.

National Grid is expected to update the City on the health of its Latin American telecoms interests when it reports interim numbers on Tuesday.

Interim pre-tax profits are expected to slip to £223m, down from £260m.