Hello and welcome to the working week.
This email is all about looking forward, but this week a lot of people will be looking back — in particular at what they were doing on September 11 2001. The Bell of Hope, a gift from London to New York a year after the 9/11 attacks, will ring out at St Paul’s Chapel, Manhattan, at 8:46am, marking the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
It was a day that seemed significant enough at the time, especially for those living in New York — I know because I was one of them. The 20th anniversary on Saturday will have an added significance given the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, itself creating an uncertain future for the US and others.
Companies
Wm Morrison will be back in the news this week and for once it will not be solely about the size of the bidding war between US private equity firms to buy the British supermarket group. The company reports its interim results on Thursday, where at least some of the discussion will be about how this low-margin business can generate additional profits for its new owners.
Economic data
The pandemic’s impact on European economies will be highlighted in a series of purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reports as well as updates on factory orders and retail sales from Germany and Italy respectively.
The UK’s tax body, HMRC, will update on the government’s spending to support jobs during the pandemic, and there will be an update on the British jobs market by a report from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and KPMG.
From North America we will get an update on inflation and consumer borrowing in the US, and the jobs market in Canada.
Key economic and company reports
Here is a more complete list of what to expect in terms of company reports and economic data this week.
Monday
EasyJet and Norwegian Air publish monthly airline traffic figures
IHS/Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data for Asia and Europe
Eurozone, France, Germany, UK: IHS/Markit construction PMIs
Eurozone, IHS/Markit productivity PMI
Germany, monthly factory orders data
Italy, retail sales figures
Italy, OECD survey
UK, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders new car registrations data
Tuesday
Australia, Reserve Bank of Australia monthly board meeting
China, monthly trade figures
EU, Eurostat quarterly GDP figures
Germany, monthly industrial production figures
UK, The British Retail Consortium and KPMG report on monthly sales figures
UK, Halifax monthly and annual house price indices
Results Cairn Energy H1, Exor H1, TP ICAP H1
Wednesday
Canada, Bank of Canada key policy interest-rate announcement
US, Federal Reserve Beige Book of current economic conditions
US, Federal Reserve Consumer Instalment Credit figures
Results Halfords trading update, Tod’s H1
Thursday
China, National Bureau of Statistics consumer and producer price index figures
UK, HMRC publishes Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme statistics
UK, Recruitment & Employment Confederation, with KPMG, jobs report
UK, The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors monthly residential market survey
Results Morrisons H1, Rubis H1
Friday
Canada, Statistics Canada monthly labour force survey
France, monthly industrial production data
Germany, monthly consumer price index data
India, monthly industrial production figures
UK, Office for National Statistics gross domestic product, trade and index of production data
US, Department of Labor producer price indices
World events
Finally, here is a rundown of other events and milestones this week.
Monday
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year celebration, begins
UK, House of Commons returns from summer recess
US, Labor Day public holiday
Tuesday
Germany, International Motor Show Germany starts in Munich
Wednesday
US, New York Fashion Week begins
Thursday
US, start of the 102nd season of the National Football League
Friday
Slovenia, talks between EU finance ministers from the 19 member states that use the euro
Saturday
US, anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks
UK, Last Night of the Proms
Source: Economy - ft.com
