Half-year results from online retailer Ocado come after the group's recent coup in securing a 25-year, £170 million deal with Morrisons to enable the supermarket to sell food on the web.

The move angered its largest supplier and rival Waitrose, which has since appointed lawyers to study the agreement between Morrisons and Ocado. But it was applauded by investors, sending shares rocketing to an all-time high of 351p in May and defying doubters of the group.

Ocado, which employs around 6000 people, also said in May it had seen a strong start to the year, setting the scene for a decent set of interim results. Underlying earnings are expected to rise by a fifth to £18.1m in the first half, thanks to a forecast rise in net revenues to £355.8m.

The group is predicted to sink into the red on a pre-tax basis, with £2.4m of losses after notching up £400,000 in underlying profits a year earlier.

Government support for the housing market should help housebuilder Persimmon report more strong growth when it updates on recent trading on Tuesday. Britain's housebuilders have been on a roll in recent months, boosted by state stimulus aimed at getting more people on the housing ladder and spurring a construction recovery.

That has underpinned a share price surge which recently returned the York-based company to the FTSE 100 Index after a five-year absence. In April Persimmon said more potential buyers have been flocking to its developments and websites, and the City expects this interest to translate into higher sales and reservations.

Fellow housebuilder Taylor Wimpey is also set to confirm improving market conditions when it updates on trading on Thursday.

The Buckinghamshire-based company has seen rising reservations as Government stimulus drives a housing market recovery. By April its total order book was up 18% to £1.2bn over the same time in 2012, with prices and margins improving.

Analysts expect the builder to report more growth – and Citigroup believes it could even be close to returning money to shareholders. They said: "We expect the group to continue to make good progress with margins."