Barclays Share News (BARC)

Barclays kicks off the banking results season on Thursday, while the pharmaceuticals giants are also putting the finishing touches to their trading statements, with Glaxo, Astra and Shire all set to give first quarter updates.Anglo-Dutch Footsie heavyweights Royal Dutch Shell and Unilever will be competing for headline space on Thursday morning, while on Wednesday the main focus will be on UK gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the first quarter.Results from Barclays are sure to reignite controversy over the remuneration of "Diamond Bob", its Chief Executive Officer, Bob Diamond.In an effort to stave off further banker-bashing from politicians and the press, Barclays' Chief Executive Bob Diamond and Finance Director Chris Lucas are to link half of their 2011 bonuses to the bank's future returns performance, it was announced on Thursday.According to the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, however, a number of big British pension funds and insurance companies are still planning to launch a protest vote against the banking group's remuneration policy, and will vote against the re-election of the chair of the remuneration committee at the annual general meeting."This would mean between 15% and 20% of voting shareholders would vote against the re-election of Alison Carnwarth as chair of the remuneration committee and a similar proportion would vote against the remuneration report," Peston claims.On Monday, brewer and pubs group Greene King issues a pre-closed period trading update and Peel Hunt warns that, with the group going up against tough comparitives, the strength of like-for-like sales (LFL) growth is likely to be more IPA than Abbot Ale."After an extremely strong fourth quarter [Q4] in 2011, when LFL sales ran at +7%, the managed pubs will do well to achieve +2% growth this Q4, after +8.2% last time the company reported (for the 7 weeks to 15 January), bringing the 51-week LFL to around +4%," Peel Hunt said.As for the tenanted division, Peel Hunt thinks LFL sales will actually decline year-on-year, by as much as 1%, in the final quarter of the financial year.Monday April 23INTERIMSEgdon Resources, Imperial Innovations Group, Lok'n Store GroupQUARTERLY PAYMENT DATEAlpha Pyrenees Trust Ltd.GMSBaobab ResourcesFINALSAlexander David Securities Group, Eurasia Drilling Co Ltd GDR (Reg S), JSC Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System GDR (REG S)SPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEOld MutualUK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSTrends in Lending (09:30)FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEIDOXTRADING UPDATE Greene KingTuesday April 24INTERIMSAssociated British Foods, Next Fifteen Communications, Smiths NewsINTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEBritish Sky Broadcasting GroupINTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSConsumer Confidence (US) (15:00)Industrial New Orders (EU) Industrial New Orders (EU) (10:00)New Homes Sales (US) (15:00)GMSPostNL NVFINALSLiDCO Group, Netplay TV, O'Key Group GDR (Reg S) (WI), Surgical Innovations GroupIMSSFiltrona PLC, Reed ElsevierEGMSSouth African Property Opportunities plcAGMSBBA Aviation, Central Rand Gold Ltd, EMIS Group, EP Global Opportunities Trust, Filtrona PLC, Law Debenture Corp., Microgen, Modern Water, Shire PlcTRADING ANNOUNCEMENTSCarpetrightUK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSHouse Price Index (US) (15:00)Public Sector Finances (09:30)FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEAthelney TrustQ1Torchmark Corp.Wednesday April 25INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEClose Brothers GroupINTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATEMcbride, Wetherspoon (J.D.)INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSCrude Oil Inventories (US) (15:30)Durable Goods Orders (US) (13:30)FOMC Interest Rate (US) (17:15)MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00)FINALSAseana Properties Ltd., Carpathian, Johnston Press, Polymetal InternationalANNUAL REPORTPolski Koncern Naftowy Orlen S.A. GDR(Reg S)IMSSCapital Shopping Centres Group, International Ferro Metals Group, Standard LifeSPECIAL EX-DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEFidessa GroupAGMSAgriterra LD, Altin AG (Reg S), Bodycote, GlobeOp Financial Services SA (DI), Premier Energy & Water Trust, Reed Elsevier, Sable Mining Africa Ltd. (DI), SocialGoUK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSCBI Distributive Trades Surveys (00:00)CBI Industrial Trends Surveys (00:00)GDP (output, income & expenditure) GDP (output, income & expenditure) (09:30)Gross Domestic Product: Preliminary Estimate (09:30)Index of Services (09:30)FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATEAutoclenz Holdings, Balfour Beatty, Brady, Centrica, Drax Group, DRS Data & Research Services, Fiberweb, Fidessa Group, Fresnillo, GKN, Greggs, H.R. Owen, Impax Environmental Markets, Invesco Perpetual UK Small Companies Inv Trust, Kentz Corporation Ltd., Kingspan Group, Lookers, Lupus Capital, M. P. Evans Group, Man Group, Morgan Sindall Group, National Express Group, North Midland Construction, Playtech Ltd., Portmeirion Group, Rathbone Brothers, Reed Elsevier, Regus, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Tesco, Total Produce, Tullett Prebon, ZotefoamsQ1ARM Holdings, GlaxoSmithKline, Talvivaara Mining Company, Virgin Media Inc.Thursday April 26INTERIMSCharacter Group, Namakwa Diamonds Ltd. (DI)INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEProduce Investment, Renewable Energy Generation Ltd.QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATELand Securities GroupINTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSBloomberg Consumer Confidence (US) (14:45)Continuing Claims (US) (13:30)Economic Sentiment Indicator (10:00)Initial Jobless Claims (US) (13:30)Pending Homes Sales (US) (15:00)Q3Aquarius Platinum Ltd., Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd GDR (Reg S)FINALSCamellia, Hasgrove, Mail.ru Group GDR (Reg S), OSJC Center for Cargo Container Traffic Transcontainer GDR (Reg S), Vectura Group, WhitbreadIMSSBarclays, British American Tobacco, Cobham, COLT Group SA, Go-Ahead Group, Howden Joinery Group, Meggitt, Taylor WimpeyEGMSAlpha Bank GDR (Reg S) USD, Open Joint Stock Company Inter Rao Ues GDR RegSAGMSAdmiral Group, Advance Developing Markets Fund Ltd., Alpha Pyrenees Trust Ltd., AstraZeneca, Berendsen, Bouygues SA, British American Tobacco, Cobham, COLT Group SA, Croda International, Groupe Eurotunnel SA (DI), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, Meggitt, New Europe Property Investments, New World Resources A Shares, Powerflute Oyj (DI), SpaceandPeople, Talvivaara Mining Company, Taylor Wimpey, Tomco Energy, Torchmark Corp., Ubisense Group Plc, Wolfson MicroelectronicsUK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSBBA Mortgage Lending Figures (09:30)Business Climate Indicator (10:00)FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEAnglo American, BlackRock World Mining Trust, Ladbrokes, Maintel HoldingsFINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATEPowerflute Oyj (DI)Q1AstraZeneca, Royal Dutch Shell 'A', Royal Dutch Shell 'A', Royal Dutch Shell 'B', Shire Plc, Telekomunikacja Polska S.A GDR (Reg S), UnileverFriday April 27INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEAbbey, Air Partner, Henderson EuroTrust, Plexus HoldingsINTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTSGDP (Advance) (US) (13:30)GFK Consumer Confidence (GER) (07:00)PMI Retail (EU) (09:00)PMI Retail (GER) (08:55)U. of Michigan Confidence (Final) (US) (15:00)ANNUAL REPORTPetropavlovskIMSSAegis GroupEGMSFlying Brands Ltd UnitsAGMSAlliance Trust, Alternative Energy Ltd. (DI), Argo Group Ltd., Asian Plantation Ltd. (DI), Barclays, Espirito Santo Financial Group SA, Hexaware Technologies Ltd. GDS (Reg S), MHP SA GDR (Reg S), Pearson, Progressive Digital Media Group, Senior, Symphony Environmental Technologies, Ultra Electronics HoldingsTRADING ANNOUNCEMENTSWPPFINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATEDragon Oil, Hammerson, Law Debenture Corp., LSL Property Services, Maven Income and Growth VCT 5, Moneysupermarket.com Group, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd. (DI), PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, SpaceandPeopleQ1Bank Millennium SA, Norsk Hydro ASA, Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen S.A. GDR(Reg S)