Heavyweight corporate results will continue to come thick and fast this week.

Annual figures from former British Steel company Corus on Thursday come at a time of change, with Mittal Steel plotting a hostile takeover of rival Arcelor and buoyant demand for metals driving prices relentlessly higher.

Consolidation and the rapid rise in demand from China and India has boosted Corus shares, returning the company to the FTSE 100 Index after an absence of nine months.

Jeremy Batstone, of Charles Stanley, said: "Operationally, Corus needs to prove to investors that it can build on its Restoring Success cost-cutting initiative."

Because lower-cost producers are grabbing market share from traditional operators, Corus has focused on innovation such as rails that are twice as thick as usual and make train journeys smoother for passengers.

According to Mr Batstone, Corus should post pretax profits of £575 million for 2005 compared with £536 million a year earlier.

At Prudential, new chief executive Mark Tucker may announce more details on the synergies he expects following the full acquisition of online banking operation Egg. The Pru has already said it will look for £40 million of cost savings by the end of 2007, as it seeks to co-ordinate activities such as customer service, IT and marketing.

Barclays Stockbrokers expects the Pru to post profits for 2005 of £1.59 billion on Thursday, against £1.24 billion a year earlier, while a day later Legal & General is tipped for a figure of £974 million, compared with £764 million in 2004.

The success of French Connection's controversial £2 million advertising campaign - featuring a lesbian kiss - will be gauged tomorrow when the high street retailer updates the market at its preliminary results.

The highly-stylised advert, which shows two immaculately dressed women kung fu fighting before they embrace, was launched in February following a period of stagnant sales.

It remains to be seen if the campaign, which drew 127 complaints from offended viewers, has been enough to turn the company's fortunes around, which analysts say are down to overpriced and unoriginal products in a fiercely-competitive market.

A consensus of analysts predicts pretax profits will drop from £33.7 million to £12.3 million for the year ending January 31 as consumers show signs of tiring of the FCUK logo.

The suggestive abbreviation of French Connection United Kingdom, though successful for several years, is now considered an old joke.

Deutsche Bank said: "We expect 2006 to be another challenging year for French Connection, as management seeks to rebuild consumers' confidence in the ranges and brand."

Meanwhile, on Friday Midlands cooker maker Aga announces its 2005 results.

The group reported strong trading in both the first and s econd half. Sales are expected to increase from £425 million to £484 million; broker Brewin Dolphin reckons profits should rise from £38.6 million to £41.6 million.