Seven days of important birthdays

Hello and welcome to the working week.

The second week of December is a collection of birthdays, and this year the stars are lining up in such a way that some take important milestones.

Monday is the centenary of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which ended the War of Independence and set the terms for the division of the island of Ireland – find out how it was done and its consequences in this excellent read from FT weekend.

Ireland has been a country transformed culturally and economically since the days of the founding of the Irish Free State. The same goes for the UK, of which Northern Ireland is still a part. The two sides are still working on their relationship, now in the context of Brexit, and economically last year has been a relatively good time for Northern Ireland, as the Office for National Statistics noted last month .

Tuesday marks 80 years since the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan, which dragged the United States into World War II. Expect a substantial analysis of relations between the two countries, which have improved dramatically on this key event since Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the site of the attack five years ago.

Sometimes seven days is not enough. Now that December is upon us, I look forward to 2022 and the events that lie ahead. What are the most important milestones you face in the coming year? It can be global or local, economic or political. Email me at [email protected]

Economic data

Inflation is a constant in a changing world, it seems. The FT even produced a useful tracking tool for you to compare countries. This week we will have more updates with the Consumer Price Index data for the United States and China.

The Fed will enter purdah ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, which begins on December 14. But central bankers will meet in Australia, Canada and India. These committees are unlikely to increase their rates, but that could be another story in Brazil, which has entered a recession while struggling to contain a rapidly rising cost of living.

Also research German factory orders, production and trade figures, UK monthly gross domestic product, British Retail Consortium production and retail sales, as well as trade balance and bid data. Jolts Jobs in United States.

Companies

In a slim week for income calls, a company whose brand is all about aspire to be slim. Lululemon Athletica has had a good pandemic, and analysts expect the good news to continue when the company releases its third quarter results on Thursday.

Defense companies are leading a rearguard action against socially conscious investors, who demand greater transparency over their weapons manufacturing as well as their carbon footprint, as my colleague Sylvia Pfeifer reported last week. Babcock International, Britain’s second-largest entrepreneur, which publishes interim results on Tuesday, included an FAQ for shareholders on nuclear weapons for the first time in its latest Annual Report. This week, investors will seek indications of the progress of Babcock’s divestments as well as how the company is facing other challenges.

Main economic and corporate reports

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

On Monday

• Euro zone, France, Germany, United Kingdom: IHS Markit Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data

• Italy, retail sales figures

• Germany, industrial orders data

• United Kingdom, Bank of England Deputy Governor, Monetary Policy Ben Broadbent delivers speech at Leeds University titled “Growth, Inflation and Monetary Policy Outlook”

Tuesday

• Australia, spot rate target

• British American Tobacco commercial update

• China, France, Japan, United States: monthly trade balance figures

• EU, revised third quarter GDP data

• Germany, industrial production figures and Zew economic climate survey

• Japan, Q3 GDP figures

• Monthly House Price Index in UK and Halifax

• Consumer credit figures for the United States and the Federal Reserve

• Results: ashtray T2, Babcock International H1

Wednesday

• Brazil, Canada, Poland: interest rate decisions

• EU, Quarterly General Assembly of the European Systemic Risk Council

• Poland, meeting of the Monetary Policy Board of the National Bank of Poland

• UK, BRC-KPMG Monthly Retail Sales Report

• Jobs in the United States, Jolts

• Results: Berkeley Group H1, Tui Travel EF

Thursday

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

• Germany, trade balance figures

• Japan, PPI data

• Mexico, CPI data

• UK RICS House Price Balance plus Confederation of Recruitment and Employment and KPMG Employment Report

• Results: Wholesale Costco Q1, Lululemon Athletica T3

Friday

• Associated British foods AGM

• Germany, India, United States: monthly CPI figures

• Italy, monthly industrial production figures

• United Kingdom, monthly GDP, industrial production and construction data plus trade figures and services index

Global events

Finally, here’s a look at other events and milestones this week.

On Monday

• Centenary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created the Irish Free State of 26 counties

• The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency responsible for maritime transport safety and marine pollution prevention, begins biennial meeting in London

Tuesday

• Italy, start of the opera and ballet season at La Scala in Milan

• United States, Pearl Harbor 80th National Remembrance Day

Wednesday

Thursday

• Tanzania, Uganda: 60 years after the proclamation of independence

• Switzerland holds indirect presidential election

Friday

• Norway, Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Oslo

• UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss Hosts G7 Foreign Affairs and Development Ministers Summit in Liverpool

Saturday

Sunday

• United Arab Emirates, Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit

• Sixth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on climate change negotiated by the UN

If you want to keep up with the day’s headlines every day, there’s a podcast to help you out. Click on here to listen to Top Stories Today, an audio news digest that gives you the latest news in under three minutes.