Trading in London kicks off next week with annual earnings from British banking giant HSBC on Monday, set to provide more clues on the health of the financial sector amid persistent eurozone debt worries.
HSBC, Europe's biggest bank, publishes its results for 2011 following a week in which Britain's state-rescued Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group unveiled huge annual losses. London's FTSE 100 index of top shares closed at 5,935.13 points on Friday, up 0.51 percent from a week earlier, as investor sentiment was boosted by news of a second eurozone bailout for crisis-hit Greece.
With HSBC avoiding a state rescue, the bank is likely to produce rosier earnings compared with RBS and LBG, as did Barclays earlier this month.
Aside from banks, next week sees annual earnings from International Airlines Group (IAG) - parent group of British Airways and Iberia - as well as full-year numbers from Financial Times publisher Pearson and advertising giant WPP.