A week of anniversaries

Hello and welcome to the working week.

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to attend a significant anniversary — perhaps, like me, who will be marking my parents receiving a card from King Charles III for their long marriage — will know the mixed emotions of joy at p***ing a milestone together, probably having got through some difficult patches, and the sense we might never celebrate such a moment again. So it is for the US and the UK this week.

America’s Fourth of July holiday this Friday kicks off a year of commemorations leading up to the 250th anniversary of the issuing of the Declaration of Independence by the 13 American colonies of Great Britain.

President Donald Trump is due to address an America250 celebration on Thursday evening at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Expect superlatives — Trump has promised a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion.

This week will also see the anniversary of Labour’s landslide general election victory, sealed on US Independence Day last year. That might not be as significant a milestone as the formation of what is now the world’s most powerful nation — everything is bigger in the US — but it is providing a moment for many in Westminster to ***ess what Labour is actually achieving in office. First, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer must get through Tuesday’s vote on the controversial Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. An almighty climbdown a few days ago has “almost certainly” guaranteed that the legislation will not be defeated, according to FT Inside Politics newsletter writer Stephen Bush, but Starmer has paid a high price.

Do you have questions about this and what the U-turn means for Labour? Stephen and colleagues Robert Shrimsley and Miranda Green will be providing answers this Thursday in a live Q&A on the FT site. Submit your questions in the comments under this article and they’ll respond from 1pm.

The July 4 celebrations, not to mention Canada Day and the start of school summer holidays in France and other parts of Europe from Saturday, mean it is a relatively quiet week for corporate and economic news. But have no fear, there will be plenty to keep our companies desk and economics team busy. Aviva’s acquisition of Direct Line is expected to become effective, there is a changing of the guard among CEOs (including at the FT), plus there will be a run of UK retail results announcements to give a sense of the state of British consumer confidence. We will also get an inflation update from Germany, employment figures from the US and an international comparison of rich nations from the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) surveys. More details below.

One more thing . . . 

It’s a strong week for major sporting contests. The Uefa Women’s Euros football tournament kicks off in Switzerland on Wednesday, then on Saturday the Tour de France, but first on Monday it’s my favourite, Wimbledon. The FT has the perfect guide to the tennis at SW11 and, for those wishing to try their hand at the game, some expert tips on buying a racket.

Have I served you enough information? What are your priorities for the next seven days? Email me at jonathan.moules@ft.com or, if you are reading this from your inbox, hit reply.

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

• John Ridding steps down as Financial Times CEO, to be succeeded by Jon Slade tomorrow. The FT has been part of Japanese media group Nikkei for 10 years

• Austan Goolsbee, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, will participate in a moderated discussion at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, Colorado

• Germany: preliminary June consumer price index (CPI) and harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) inflation rate data

• UK: Q1 national accounts and revised Q1 inward investment figures. Also, Q1 banking sector regulatory capital data

Tuesday

• Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey begins a three-year term as chair of the Financial Stability Board, succeeding De Nederlandsche Bank president Klaas Knot

• Victoria Cleland, executive director, payments, at the Bank of England gives the keynote address at City Week 2025 on “innovation in payments — impact of AI and emerging technologies”

• Direct Line’s acquisition by Aviva expected to become effective, subject to approval at a court hearing today. Shareholders approved the deal at a general meeting in March

• Arthur Hoeld becomes Puma chief executive, succeeding Arne Freundt whose departure was announced in April

• Chad Zamarin becomes Williams CEO, succeeding Alan Armstrong, who in turn becomes executive chair, succeeding Stephen Bergstrom

• Peter Clarke becomes Hiscox chair. He replaces Colin Keogh, who became interim chair after the death of Jonathan Bloomer on the Bayesian superyacht, which sank near Sicily in a storm

• Canada: Canada Day. Financial markets closed

• China, Eurozone, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, UK, US: S&P Global/HCOB June manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data

• EU: June Eurozone inflation rate estimate

• Germany: May labour market statistics

• Japan: June Tankan survey

• UK: Nationwide June House Price index

• US: May Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (Jolts)

• Results: Kitwave HY, Sainsbury’s Q1 trading statement, Supreme FY

Wednesday

• Acquisition of banknote printer De La Rue by Atlas expected to become effective, following approval by shareholders at a general meeting on June 3.

• EU: May unemployment figures

• South Korea: June CPI inflation rate data

• Results: Constellation Brands Q1, Topps Tiles Q3 trading statement

Thursday

• William Eccleshare becomes Great Portland Estates chair, succeeding Richard Mully, who retires at the conclusion of the company’s annual general meeting

• China, Eurozone, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, UK, US: S&P Global/HCOB June services PMI data

• EU: European Central Bank publishes accounts of its last monetary policy discussions

• UK: June International Reserves data

• US: June employment figures

• Results: Bang & Olufsen FY, Currys FY, Great Portland Estates trading statement at AGM, Watches of Switzerland FY

Friday

• Alan Taylor, member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, gives a public lecture at the London School of Economics and Political Science on the natural rate of interest

• EU: Q1 House Price Index and May producer price index (PPI) inflation rate data

• Germany: May industrial orders data

• US: Independence Day, national holiday. Financial markets closed

World events

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

Monday

• Spain: fourth International Conference on Financing for Development begins in Seville, running until Thursday

• Switzerland: World Trade Organization Trade and Environment Week conference begins in Geneva

• UK: Wimbledon Tennis Championships men’s and women’s singles first-round matches begin in London. This year’s tournament will for the first time use electronic line calling rather than line judges

Tuesday

• Denmark ***umes the rotating EU presidency

• France: smoking ban comes into force in public outdoor spaces frequented by children as part of a government push to create a tobacco-free generation

• UK: government faces key vote on its welfare reform bill

• US: deadline to announce the final winner of New York’s Democratic mayoral primary, expected to be outsider Zohran Mamdani

Wednesday

• France: OECD Green Growth and Development Forum begins in Paris. The two-day event will ***ess how forests and agriculture can help meet climate targets

• Switzerland: Euro 2025 women’s football championship kicks off with Iceland playing Finland in Thun. The final will be played on July 27

Thursday

• UK: 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Greater London Authority, consisting of an elected mayor and ***embly, which followed a referendum in May 1998

Friday

• Moldova: European Council president António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, his counterpart at the European Commission, to meet Maia Sandu, Moldovan president, in the capital Chișinău for a summit, discussing the country’s future in the EU and its sovereignty amid Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine

• UK: Britpop band Oasis begin reunion stadium tour of Britain and Ireland with two nights at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff

• US: New York hot dog business Nathan’s annual Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, in which contestants vie for the Mustard Yellow International Belt by eating the most hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes

Saturday

• France: 112th Tour de France cycling race begins with stage one — Le Grand Départ — a 115-mile flat stage starting and finishing in Lille

• Japan: two-day Asian Studies Conference Japan begins at Tokyo’s Sophia University

• UK: anniversary of King Charles III asking Sir Keir Starmer to form a new government following the Labour party’s victory in the general election. Today is also the 80th anniversary of the 1945 general election in which the Labour party under Clement Attlee beat the Conservatives under Winston Churchill in the first national poll following the second world war

Sunday

• OPEC+ monthly online meeting of the eight member countries

• Brazil: 2025 Brics summit begins in Rio, continuing until July 7. Among the 11 member countries are Russia, China, India, Iran, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia and Ethiopia