Industry sources are hopeful that, with a slight upwards adjustment, that could be settled soon too.From steel to spiel, and Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP, the world’s second-largest advertising group, will give an update on trading at its AGM on Tuesday. WPP, which owns the Ogilvy & Mather, JWT and Grey agencies, is expected to unveil organic revenue growth ahead of its original 4 to 5 per cent guidance for 2006. Analysts believe the World Cup effect could have pushed growth nearer to 6 per cent. Jitters over the prospect of inflation-driven increases have been causing ructions in global markets for more than a month.The Fed is expected to raise rates by a quarter of a point this week, taking them to 5.25 per cent. What the market will want to know then is whether that will be the end of the increases.In corporate news, the battle for control of Arcelor continues with the steel giant’s board meeting today to consider the latest developments.

Unions from Indonesia, Uganda and the US are set to converge on the AGM to protest against what they claim are human rights abuses being perpetrated by G4S’s global subsidiaries. The company has long disputed the claims and points to its strong relationships with unions around the world, including the GMB, with which it is hosting a joint parliamentary reception the night before. But less harmonious is the relationship between the GMB and Asda. The supermarket giant, owned by America’s Wal-Mart, is bracing itself for a five-day strike over a long-running pay dispute with its employees at distribution depots.

The action starts on Friday and could hit stock levels in stores.
Away from the spats, the big event for the markets will be the US Federal Reserve’s latest decision on interest rates. Anyone who ignores this will neither make money nor keep it.Christopher.walker tiscali.co.uk. Security specialist Group 4 Securicor meets its shareholders for its annual general meeting this week – but investors won’t be the only people turning up. It employs around 80 bankers but analysts are concerned about the admission from Jerry Dansker, the 87-year-old chairman, that the bank really only has one and a half lenders because, ultimately, the biggest decisions came down to just him and his son (the half).In the world of finance and business, talented individuals are crucial.

Succession planning is becoming big in the Square Mile, and not before time. It is still much more common in industry, but even there it is reported that 54 per cent of employers among the FTSE 350 still do not have plans in place for replacing top staff.From the investor’s point of view, key person risk should be a big factor in assessing a company’s worth. I was fascinated reading about a company called Intervest Bancshares, which has carved out a niche in the New York lending market with $1.7bn (£935m) in assets. All of this was played out in the press.It isn’t just the “stars” who are seen as indispensable. With the increasing use of complex financial instruments, the technical “geeks” are also becoming more important.