THE City will be kept busy next week, as a host of blue chips are set to report results.

Continuing the reporting season for banks, Internet bank Egg, spun out of Prudential, will kick off the week with full year figures on Monday.

The group is expected to show another large loss - forecast to be £134m against £155m last time.

The concept of the Internet bank, which Egg pioneered, is still unproved and the market will be looking for any changes to the timescale of when Egg will make profits, said broker Gerrard.

Halifax is expected to report profits of £1.82bn on Tuesday, up from £1.76bn the previous year. The group is determined to maintain its independence in a consolidating industry and the market will be watching for any indications the non-mortgage side of the group will be expanded in the coming year.

Progress at its Internet bank IF will also be of interest to the City - the flunked launch of the Internet bank last year detracted attention from the business' excellent product range, say analysts.

Newly-merged GlaxoSmithKline is the world's biggest pharmaceutical company by sales, and these are expected to come in at £18.1bn, when the firm reports on Wednesday.

The City will also be expecting some news on the ongoing savings resulting from the union of the two companies, and will be keen for an update on progress from drugs Paxil, Avandia and Advair.

Overall, the group is expected to report profits of £5.4bn, against £4.59bn last time.

Electricity firm PowerGen's full year figures on Wednesday are likely to be overshadowed by questions about its future, following January's revelation it was in early talks with Germany's E.ON.

There has been little word on the talks between the two since - apart from rumours that E.ON may also be thinking of additionally, or alternatively, bidding for Spain's Iberdrola.

The figures themselves, are expected to come in at £505m, against £512m.

l Companies reporting next week:

MONDAY Finals: Egg, Eurotunnel, Telecity, Tornado Group, Universe Group. Interims: Hercules Property Services, Albermarle and Bond Holdings.

TUESDAY Finals: Halifax, Law & Bonar, Sema Group, Serco. Interims: Dicom Group, Alumasc Group.

WEDNESDAY - Finals: Allied Irish Banks, Baltimore Technologies, Easynet group, GlaxoSmithKline, Standard Chartered, WPP Group, Powergen, Power Leisure, RPS Group. Interims: Logica, Merant (Q3), George Wimpey.

THURSDAY Finals: Associated British Ports, Avis Europe, Capita Group, Colt Telecom, Flying Brands, S Daniels, Diageo, Hanson, Hilton Group, Lex Service, Provident Financial, Prudential, Reed Elsevier.

Interims: Alterian, Dicom.

FRIDAY Interims: Go-Ahead.