Hello and welcome to Workweek.

Groundhog Day is almost here. I know. Have we escaped the pandemic since it hit?This week’s headlines must feel oddly familiar: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the rope, Ukraine and Russia are on the brink of conflict.We really have to witness a Return of the Soviet Empire?

Luckily, there’s reason to celebrate Lunar New Year Tuesday this week – from this FT video.

Changes are also being made as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted in France, England and Scotland, making an Old Firm football match in Glasgow, played in front of huge crowds at Celtic Park for the first time, feels like Wednesday’s age.

Are you grateful for the certainty or are you hungry for some change?Email me [email protected].

Economic data

It’s been a busy week for economic news, with inflation and unemployment in the developed world getting further hints with the release of Purchasing Managers’ Index data to provide some international comparisons.

The UK interest rate decision is due on Thursday and is expected to rise, Although last week’s data Point to an economic slowdown. After the Bank of England’s communications fiasco late last year, it decided to respond by saying less, not more. The rate hike would be the first consecutive monetary tightening since 2004, adding to expectations for follow-through monetary policy.

company

We’re in the middle of our quarterly earnings with more big tech and bank results. These industries have been among the winners of the pandemic, but they are now facing challenges as advanced economies emerge from the crisis.

YuanThis Parents of Facebook and Instagramreported Wednesday, has Find new revenue streams Power its future growth. It’s also been hit by recent content moderation and privacy scandals that have eroded the popularity of its main social networking product, threatening its $85 billion-a-year ad-based business model.

Many automakers will come to the frontcourt of Wall Street, and analysts will be watching to see if they are closer to a technological breakthrough, such as a potentially overhyped one self-driving car.

General MotorsThe company is still funding the transition to electric vehicles, even as analysts expect lower revenue and earnings in the fourth quarter, it reported on Tuesday.

The company said last week it would spend more than $4 billion to convert a Michigan plant to make electric pickups and spend another $2.6 billion with LG Chem to build a battery factory.

Analysts polled by FactSet forecast fourth-quarter earnings of $1.16 a share for the automaker, down from $1.93 a year earlier, as revenue fell 5% to $36 billion in the same period.

Major Economic and Company Reports

Here’s what to expect in terms of company reports and economic data this week.

on Monday

• EU, Italy, Mexico: Q4 GDP data flashes

• Evraz Fourth Quarter Trading Update

• Germany, preliminary consumer price index (CPI) data for January

• Italy, Japan: Monthly Unemployment Data

• UK, quarterly estimates of government deficit and debt plus UK Retail Federation’s monthly economic briefing

• result: KPN the fourth quarter, Mitsubishi Motors the third quater, Ryanair In the second quarter, UBS fourth quarter

Tuesday

• Australia, RBA hold monthly meeting

• Central Bank of Brazil Monetary Policy Committee meeting begins

• Canada, monthly GDP data

• France January CPI provisional data

• Eurozone, France, Germany, Italy, UK, US: IHS Markit Manufacturing PMI data

• EU, ECB Q4 Eurozone Quarterly Bank Lending Survey and Eurostat Unemployment Data

• Germany, monthly labor market data

• India, Union Budget

• UK, Bank of England monthly monetary and credit data

• result: letter the fourth quarter, Exxon Mobil the fourth quarter, General Motors the fourth quarter, Lundin Energy wind and cloud, Starbucks the first season, Tele2 the fourth quarter, ups fourth quarter

Wednesday

• EU, Eurozone monthly inflation data

• Italy, monthly CPI data

• UK, National House Price Index

• Vodafone Q3 Trading Update

• result: AbbVie the fourth quarter, Santander Bank wind and cloud, Ferrari wind and cloud, Yuan the fourth quarter, Novartis the fourth quarter, Matsushita the third quater, sony the third quater, Spotify the fourth quarter, Telenor fourth quarter

Thursday

• Compass Group Q1 Trading Update

• EU, Frankfurt ECB monetary policy meeting, key euro zone refinancing rates plus retail data

• Eurozone, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US: IHS Markit Services PMI data

• South Korea, Turkey: CPI data

• UK, Bank of England bank rate decisions plus corporate bond and gilt purchase targets

• result: As shown the fourth quarter, Amazon the fourth quarter, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria the third quater, British Telecom the third quater, ConocoPhillips the fourth quarter, Dassault Systèmes the fourth quarter, Eli Lilly the fourth quarter, Ernel wind and cloud, ice the fourth quarter, Infineon Technologies the third quater, ing the fourth quarter, Merck & Co. the fourth quarter, Nintendo the third quater, Nokia wind and cloud, NortonLifeLock the third quater, OMV the fourth quarter, Prudential Financial the fourth quarter, Ralph Lauren the third quater, Roche wind and cloud, shell the fourth quarter, Skanska wind and cloud, Takeda the third quater

Friday

• Canada, monthly unemployment data

• France, Industrial Production Index

• Germany, monthly factory orders data

• Eurozone, France, Germany, UK: IHS Markit Construction PMI Data

• United States, monthly auto sales, wages and unemployment data

• result: Aon the fourth quarter, Bristol-Myers Squibb the fourth quarter, Carlsberg wind and cloud, united sao paulo wind and cloud, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals the fourth quarter, Sanofi-Aventis the fourth quarter, Sumitomo the third quater, Suzuki the third quater

world events

Finally, here’s a rundown of other events and milestones this week.

on Monday

• Norway, annual Arctic Frontiers conference begins in Tromso

• Office workers in the UK and Scotland will be allowed to return to their desks, and care home visits in England will be unrestricted as lockdown rules ease

Tuesday

• Austria, mandatory vaccination law comes into force

• Chinese New Year celebrations, marking the beginning of the Year of the Tiger

• Myanmar, anniversary of military overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government

• Russia holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council

• UK, 50th Costa Rican Book of the Year winner announced in London

• National Freedom Day commemorates Abraham Lincoln signing the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery

Wednesday

• France, where most of the country’s remaining Covid restrictions are expected to be lifted, including reopening of nightclubs

• England, Glasgow’s Celtic vs Rangers game kicks off at Celtic Park in the first old-school derby since fan limits were lifted in mid-January

• Groundhog Day is celebrated in the town of Pukesutoni, Pennsylvania, USA

Thursday

• Bafta announces EE BAFTA nominations

• Southend West by-election ahead of Conservative MP David Amess, who was killed in October

Friday

• Denmark, Copenhagen’s annual light festival begins

• China, summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing

• UK, deadline for agreement between London mayor and government to make up for revenue shortfall from London transport pandemic

Saturday

• Six Nations Rugby Championship kicks off with Ireland v Wales at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and Scotland v England at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield

Sunday

• Costa Rica, general election

• Queen Elizabeth reigns for 70 years, first British monarch to reach platinum jubilee milestone

Hear the message in three minutes, hear To the FT’s new audio digest, updated 3 times a day, every working day