Watch two sides of Europe unfold

Hello and welcome to the work week.

We begin the next seven days with memories of how Europe has united and divided, becoming both more prosperous and more dangerous in the post-WWII period.

On the one hand, Monday marks the 77th anniversary of the 1950 Schuman Declaration, when then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman called on France, Germany and other European countries to pool their coal and steel production as the “first concrete basis of a European federation”.

However, attention is more likely to be focused on the celebrations of Russia’s Victory Day in Red Square. This began as a commemoration of Soviet success against Nazi aggression, but is set to be used this year by President Vladimir Putin as a demonstration of motherland power in the face of a Ukrainian invasion that did not go according to plan. The question was whether the destruction of Mariupol – or perhaps neighboring Moldova – will be presented as evidence of the Russian army’s continued power, or whether a new, more catastrophic attack is planned. There seems to be little hope that Monday’s only fireworks display will be those at the end of the Moscow military train.

Putin will no doubt be interested in this Friday’s debate in the Swedish parliament on joining NATO. And so should you. Support for it in the country is more than 50 percent, although experts wonder if this will help or not.

As this newsletter noted earlier in the year, 2022 can be viewed as a series of significant elections. This week it’s the turn of the Philippines, where former dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ son, Ferdinand Jr., in a “couldn’t have dreamed it up” moment, is leading the presidential race and vowing to restore the “golden age.” . the rule of his late father.

Whatever the outcome, this is a remarkable turning point for a family who were pariahs (albeit very wealthy) when Marcos Sr. was overthrown in 1986. It also shows that the rise of populists is still underway around the world today. As I read this week’s analysis, I wonder if the comments that Filipinos are among the world’s biggest users of social media – with all the problems in public discourse blamed on Twitter – helped revive the country’s authoritarianism to have.

Elsewhere in the Pacific region, voting begins for Australia’s general election – more on that in the coming weeks. On Tuesday we have the aftermath of an already held election when South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will officially take office – here’s the FT’s guide to the new leader of the world’s 10th largest economy.

Following the UK local elections, the legislative agenda for Boris Johnson’s government will take center stage at the state opening of the new parliamentary session, which the Queen plans to lead despite recent concerns over mobility issues, having missed just two in her 70-year reign. The monarch is expected to announce the plan to privatize Channel 4, legislation to facilitate money laundering of Putin’s allies in the UK and post-Brexit changes to UK border rules in Northern Ireland. However, she will not announce any powers for Britain’s new digital media regulator to police the big tech companies after that ambitious plan was dropped last week.

Cast your vote – your opinion on this week’s news mix, what you like and dislike about The Week Ahead – by sending me a message at [email protected]

economic data

Following last week’s interest rate decisions by central banks, this week we have the economic data that underscores why monetary policy is likely to become much tighter in the coming months. Watch for inflation reports from the US, India, China and eurozone countries, as well as a first quarter GDP estimate for the UK. The impact of sanctions on Russia will be revealed on Friday when the country’s inflation and GDP numbers are released.

company

The winners of Covid-19, who became losers in the return to post-lockdown normalcy, has been a theme of this reporting season. On Wednesday the Walt Disney Company announces second-quarter results, raising questions about whether its Disney+ streaming service has managed to continue strong growth from the first quarter or whether it has suffered a Netflix-like collapse in subscription numbers.

The Japanese automobile industry will come into force on the forecourt, with Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Honda and Suzuki all unveil their latest earnings results in another busy week for earnings. Expect questions about semiconductor supply and the impact on auto production.

It also gives me an excuse to plug in Tuesday’s FT online future of car summit, where Elon Musk will be beamed onto the screen to be interviewed by Richard Waters, the FT’s US West Coast editor. Register by clicking here.

Finally, pay attention to the first quarter results Foxconn technology on Thursday. These shed light on the extent of the problems in the tech supply chain and whether the Covid lockdowns in China will further undermine the situation and hit consumer electronics manufacturers worldwide.

Important economic and company reports

Here’s a more complete list of what to expect this week in terms of corporate reports and economic data.

Monday

• China, trade balance figures

• France, trade balance figures

• Indonesia, GDP and Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for Q1

• Japan, Bank of Japan to release March monetary policy meeting minutes, April Composite Index and Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data for Services Index

• Results: IAK Q1, Infineon Technologies Q2

Tuesday

• Germany, ZEW expectations survey

• Hungary, April CPI figures

• Spain, Vice President of the European Central Bank, Luis de Guindos Jurado, speaks at a banking industry event organized by IESE Business School

• UK, Michael Saunders, Member of the Bank of England‘s Monetary Policy Committee, speaks at an event hosted by the Resolution Foundation think tank

• Results: Bayer Q1, coin base Q1, Fox Corporation Q3, Mitsubishi engines GJ, Nintendo GJ, Nippon steel GJ, Pirelli Q1, Sony GJ, Sumitomo Corporation GJ

Wednesday

• China, April CPI and Producer Price Index (PPI) data

• Germany, April CPI data

• TP ICAP Trading update Q1

• US, April CPI data

• Results: compass H1, Continental Q1, aeon Q1, itv Q1, Manulife Financial Corporation Q1, Medioba Q1, panasonic GJ, Suzuki Motor Corp GJ, takeda GJ, ThyssenKrupp H1, Toyota GJ, TUI Travel H1, Walt Disney Company Q2

Thursday

• India, April CPI data

• Japan, trade balance figures

• Opec Monthly Oil Market Report

• UK, Q1 GDP estimate, Recruitment & Employment Confederation-KPMG monthly jobs report plus construction figures

• US, April PPI data

• Zurich Insurance Q1 update

• Results: 3i GJ, aegon Q1, alliance Q2, Bouygues Q1, BT group GJ, Commerzbank Q1, Foxconn technology Q1, Geox Q1, Hargreaves Lansdown Q3, Nissan engine GJ, NTT GJ, RWE Q1, Siemens Q2, soft bank GJ

Friday

• EU, industrial production figures for March

• France, April CPI figures

• Russia, Q1 GDP and April CPI data

• Results: Bank Generali Q1, Deutsche Telekom Q1, Honda Motor Company GJ, Mazda Motor Corp GJ, sage H1, Toshiba GJ

world events

Finally, here is a rundown of other events and milestones from this week.

Monday

• Australia, early voting centers open for 2022 general election

• Europe Day to commemorate the Schuman Declaration in 1950. French President Emmanuel Macron will address an EU conference on the future of Europe in Strasbourg to mark the occasion.

• Ireland, International Aviation Finance Conference in Dublin

• Philippines, Presidential Election

• Russia, Victory Day marked with a World War II anniversary parade in Red Square in Moscow

• USA, Pulitzer Prize Winners and Nominated Finalists Announced

Tuesday

• EU, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, holds its 31st Annual Meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco

• South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol is installed as the country’s new president

• UK, State Opening of Parliament

• US President Joe Biden receives Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the White House

• The Bob Dylan Center, which explores the life of the seminal American music artist, opens to the public in Tulsa

Wednesday

• India hosts the annual Thrissur Pooram Elephant Festival

• Spain, the European Gas Regulatory Conference, also known as the Madrid Forum, kicks off in the Spanish capital

• UK, the All-Energy Exhibition and Conference bringing together participants from the renewable energy sector opens in Glasgow

Thursday

• Meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Weissenhaus, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

• UK, A Gallop through History, an equestrian performance featuring more than 500 horses and 1,000 performers, takes place in Windsor as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations

• US hosts global summit to discuss how to end Covid crisis including current G7 President Germany, G20 President Indonesia, African Union Chair Senegal and Caricom Caribbean Chair Grouping Belize

• The US hosts a summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Washington

Friday

Saturday

• International Dylan Thomas Day, which occurred on the day Under Milkwood was first read on stage at the Poetry Center in New York in 1953

• The final of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest, one of the biggest television events in the world, will be hosted by last year’s winner Italy at the PalaOlimpico Arena in Turin

• Austria, opening night for the 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play, a production which is performed every 10 years but is delayed by the Covid pandemic restrictions

• Germany, informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers begins in Berlin

• Iceland, local elections

• Japan, Sanja Matsuri Summer Festival with parades and floats

• The football clubs of Great Britain, Chelsea and Liverpool play for the FA Cup final, the oldest associated football cup competition in the world, at London’s Wembley Stadium

Sunday

• Total lunar eclipse (blood moon) visible from all of North and South America and parts of Europe and Africa

• Israel, Palestinians mark the Nakba, or disaster, as they were driven from their villages or fled in the war that surrounded Israel’s founding in 1948

• USA, Billboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas