Hello, welcome to work week.

This is the time for the plaster. Friedrich Merz, in addition to the last-minute explosion, will be confirmed as prime minister on Tuesday, after a press conference a day before ending with rubber stamps for leaders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Melz's cabinet nominations, including Katherina Reiche, senior director of German energy group Eon, head of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, show impatientness and address the economic and political issues facing the country. In the news slot written before Merz's election victory, Football provides a convenient image for the country's new leaders.

Next, meeting. The secret meeting of 135 Catholic Cardinals began Wednesday at Sistine Church - a more inspiring place to vote than the school auditorium and community centers that many of us are used to. Kevin Farrell, the man who led the meeting, was praised for being "very practical" and in the current era, it is indeed highly praised. My colleagues explain here that the next pope will take over the Catholic Church in an interesting moment, besides politics and theology, will face some tricky financial challenges.

It was the 80th anniversary of Thursday's VE Day, and if it weren't for the little Russian invasion of Ukraine, it would be a unanimous celebration of freedom. President Vladimir Putin called a 72-hour ceasefire, which happened to make everything good, pink, when his Victory Day commemoration in Moscow, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not. The conflict cloud in Europe will be heavy on the other side of the war.

Enjoy your last call Skypea groundbreaking Nordic video call service purchased by Microsoft 14 years ago will be closed on Monday. During Trump’s first semester, the big tech groups in the United States achieved good results and he hoped that we all call. Prompt soul searches for European tech startups failure. It's time to read lunch with Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström at the dining table with FT.

Company news will flow freely this week as we further capture the first quarter earnings season. Trump tariffs will be some of the big automakers (Toyota,,,,, Ford and BMW) Report number. Travel trends will be another powerful theme, IAG,,,,, Train line,,,,, Wanhao and IHG All reports are conducted over the next few days. More details below.

This week's economic data report will be produced by interest rate decisions by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England. Want to better understand monetary policy in the Trump era? Join FT Economics Newsletter Writer Chris Giles and his colleagues in Monetary Policy Radar, on Wednesday’s Q&A on how central banks should respond to the new world order. You can leave a question in the comments section here.

There is one more thing. . .

If you are in Washington this Saturday, don't miss the American version of the FT Weekend Festival to celebrate my favorite foot day of the week. Speakers include Pink'un Wine Doyen Jancis Robinson, Skybridge founder Anthony Scaramucci, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and FT Politics, Business and Economics columnist Gloves. Full details here.

And, if you want to know what else to do in the U.S. capital next weekend, read the FT Globetrotter Guide.

What are your plans for the next seven days? Did I miss something? Email me jonathan.moules@ft.com or, if you are reading this from your inbox, hit the reply.

Major Economy and Company Reports

Here is a more complete list of expectations for company reports and economic data this week.

on Monday

• Microsoft closes Skypea groundbreaking video call service obtained for $8.5 billion 14 years ago

• Milken Global Conference Continue in Los Angeles. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

• Canada, United States: S&P Global Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data

• China: Labor Day holiday continues. Financial markets closed

• Japan: Children's Day. Financial markets closed

• Türkiye: April Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Manufacturer Price Index (PPI) inflation rate data

• Korea: The birth of Buddha. Financial markets closed

• UK: Bank holidays in early May. Financial markets closed

• United States: Conference Committee Monthly Employment Index

• result: Clorox Q3, CRH Q1, Cummins Q1, Ford Motor Company Q1, IAC Q1, Los Q1, Mattel Q1, On semiconductors Q1, Tyson Foods Q2, Westpac hy

Tuesday

• China, Eurozone, France, Germany, India, Italy, United Kingdom: Standard & Poor's Global Services PMI data

• France: Insee March Industrial Production Index

• Japan: Greening Day public holiday. Financial markets closed

• Korea: Children's Day. Financial markets closed

• UK: April international reserve data

• United States: March Trade in Goods and Services Figures

• result: Archer Daniels Midland Q1, Arista Network Q1, Axa Q1, mainland Q1, Rattlesnake energy Q1, Duke Energy Q1, Electronic Arts Q4/fy, Embraer Q1, Fortune Brand Innovation Q1, Gartner Q1, Gerberit Q1, Hugo boss Q1, IWG Q1, IQVA Q1, Ledos Q1, Wanhao Q1, Philips Q1, television Q1, Williams Q1

Wednesday

• Eurozone, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom: S&P Global/HCOB Construction PMI Data

• EU: March retail trade figures

• Germany: March industrial order data

• Japan: Au Jibun Banking Services PMI data

• United States: Federal Open Market Commission interest rate announcement

• result: Ahold Delhaize Q1, Arm holding Q4/fy, Axon Enterprise Q1, BMW Q1, Bonge Q1, Card Factory fy, Carl's group hy, CDW Q1, Disney Q2, doordash Q1, Fuss Q1, Confusing entertainment Q1, Johnson Control Q2, Le Grande Q1, National Bank of Australia hy, Pandora Q1, Pitney Bowes Q1, Rhi Magnesita Q1 transaction update, Skanska Q1, Smith News hy, Train line fy, TripAdvisor Q1, Uber Q1, Vistur Q1, Vonovia Q1, JD Wetherspoon Q3 transaction statement, Wolters Kluwer Q1

Thursday

• Maria Ramos becomes Standard charter Chairman, succeeding José Viñals

• Germany: March foreign trade figures

• Japan: March rate setting meeting minutes for published meetings

• UK: Bank of England's interest rate announcements and meeting minutes are released. Also, Halifax Home Price Index

• result: Adecco Q1, akamai Q1, Anheuser-Busch inbev Q1, ANZ Bank hy, Balfour Beatty AGM and transaction statement, Brookfield Q1, conocophillips Q1, Enel Q1, Expedia Q1, Federal Real Estate Investment Trust Q1, Grafton AGM and transaction updates, Heidelberg Materials Q1, Helios Tower Q1, deal with Q1, HGCAPITAL TRUST Q1, IMI Q1 transaction update, Infineon Q2, InterContinental Hotel Group Q1, Lyft Q1, Competition Group Q1, world Q1 transaction update, News Group Q3, Next Q1 transaction statement, Nikon fy, Nintendo fy, The most important Q1, Pinterest Q1, Biaoma Q1, Rathbones AGM and transaction updates, Rennisha Transaction statement, Combe, Switzerland Q1, TBC Bank Q1, Toyota fy, Viator Q1, Warner Bros. Discover Q1, Zurich Insurance Q1

Friday

• Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey delivered a keynote speech at the 2025 Reykjavik Economic Conference, hosted by Northwestern University and the Central Bank of Iceland

• Canada: April labor market figures

• China: April trade figures

• result: Commerzbank Q1, IAG Q1, Macquarie fy, Japanese Steel Q4, Nippon Telegram and Telephone fy, Matsushita fy, RightMove AGM and transaction updates

World Activities

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

on Monday

• France: Rail passengers will be hit by industrial action during public holidays in early May. SNCF's largest union called for indefinite strikes starting today to provide drivers with better salaries

• Italy: The 58th Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank continues to host its first event in Milan, Italy

• UK: Armed Forces members to march from Parliament Square to launch an 80-day anniversary event, including Winston Churchill’s victory speech as Big Ben strikes at noon, and military flights in central London

• United States: The welfare of the Costume Academy, also known as the Metropolitan Ball, is held in front of the camera at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Additionally, the 109th Annual Pulitzer Prize winner and nominated finalists announced online to receive prizes for news, drama, letters and music

Tuesday

• Germany: Friedrich Merz

• Hong Kong: Bun Bun Bind Bind Bind, part of the annual Chau Bun Festival, where contestants try to scale the 14-meter long Bun Tower and promise luck to those who have successfully retrieved the tallest bread

Wednesday

• Denmark: Copenhagen's climate minister, co-chaired by Denmark's Minister of Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard, ambassador appointed by President COP30, André Corrêdo Lago and outgoing COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev. Discussions at the two-day meeting will focus on the implementation of last year’s COP29 plan and key expectations for this year’s COP30

• Russia: Vladimir Putin becomes president for the first time on its 25th anniversary

• Vatican City: Meeting to Election Next Pope Starts

Thursday

• A day celebrated in the Western capital, from Germany to 80 years

• Ukraine: Putin will start production suspension by Russian troops in war with neighboring countries for 72 hours

Friday

• EU: Europe Day marks the 1950 declaration proposed by Luxembourg-born French politician Robert Schuman

• Italy: The 108th annual Giro D'Italia men's cycling race begins, the first grand tour before the Tour de France and Vuelta aEspaña

• Russia: Victory Day, which marked the date when the German army surrendered to the Soviet army in 1945, conducted a military parade in Moscow's Red Square and draped wreaths on the graves of unknown soldiers. Participants this year will include Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Saturday

• UK: Republic is a group that abolishes the British monarchy and will hold a rally with artists, activists and 15-foot fully moving Tyrannosaurus Rex in London's Trafalgar Square

• United States: Washington ft. Weekend Festival

Sunday

• Albania: General election

• Australia, Canada, United States: Mother's Day

• South Korea: Registration deadline for presidential candidates looking to run for June 3 election

• UK: BAFTA TV Awards Ceremony in Central London 2025

• United States: Selectusa Investment Summit is chaired by Maryland's National Ports Department of Commerce to attract foreign direct investment