Are you prepared for Blue Monday, the day that falls this yr firstly of this week, calculated by former Cardiff College psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2005 to be probably the most miserable 24 hours on the calendar

Arnall’s damning conclusion concerning the third Monday of the primary month (which he has since tried to counter) was primarily based on evaluation of knowledge, equivalent to client surveys, divorce filings and climate studies. The principle conclusion that many people draw from this evaluation is that not all tutorial analysis is beneficial to society.

For those who’re a worldwide chief or senior government, you at the very least have the World Financial Discussion board in Davos to distract you from the January blues. The FT Reside workforce can even be within the Swiss resort, internet hosting a number of in-person and digital occasions the place leaders from politics, enterprise and finance will share their views on the massive points being debated. You possibly can view the occasions and register without cost right here

For the remainder of us, we’ll simply need to reside with the grim financial information in 2023 and hope issues can solely get higher.

In case you are within the UK, the prevailing actuality is the mass strike. It is probably not near a second “winter of discontent” but, at the very least in keeping with my colleague Jonathan Guthrie, however one other strike vote amongst paramedics is predicted this week because the College and School Union proclaims a wave of 18 new strikes. days this week protecting 150 UK universities in February and March after its members voted final week to reject their newest wage provide.

Northern Eire Protocol will return to motion with Thursday’s deadline for power-sharing to be restored at Stormont. Do not anticipate this to make you’re feeling higher about cross-border life or politics.

Sunday is the fiftieth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courtroom’s Roe vs. Wade determination that enshrined People’ constitutional proper to abortion. That is, after all, a really full of life debate – which extends into the boardroom – following final yr’s Supreme Courtroom determination to overturn the 1973 determination. -abortion will march by Washington on Friday, prompting contemporary commentary on a elementary political fault line in the USA.

The week will finish with one other synthetic day, this time primarily based on astronomy: the celebration of the Lunar New 12 months. This yr’s large motion of individuals to go to households and buddies celebrating the event will happen within the shadow of rising Covid ranges in China. Issues in regards to the influence on the unfold of the illness are excessive.

One thing to stay up for somewhat additional is a night with FT columnist Martin Wolf. Be a part of Martin and different on-line thought leaders for a subscriber-only occasion on January 31 to debate the most important adjustments wanted on this time of nice international uncertainty. The dialogue coincides with the publication of Martin’s new guide, The disaster of democratic capitalism. Register without cost right here.

Financial information

It will likely be a busy collection of knowledge from China, the UK and the US this week, together with information on inflation, retail gross sales and the Fed’s beige guide on the financial outlook. The European Central Financial institution will launch the minutes of its December assembly on Thursday and varied central bankers will talk about the regional and international economic system in Davos.

The UK inflation charge will probably be up to date on Wednesday. The outlook just isn’t good, particularly after latest feedback from the Financial institution of England’s chief economist, Huw Capsule. Ken Murphy, chief government of the UK’s largest meals retailer, Tesco, even warned that UK inflation might rise additional. Final month’s launch confirmed the price of dwelling as outlined by the buyer worth index was 10.7% in November, down from 11.1% in October.

Corporations

We’re within the thick of the primary earnings season of 2023 and it is an assortment of corporations, significantly from Europe and (when Wall Road returns from the Martin Luther King Day break) the USA.

On-line meals ordering companies Simply Eat Takeaway and Deliveroo will notify traders of their festive gross sales on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Each are underneath stress to enhance their profitability. The top of the lockdown has not been good for meals ordering apps as prospects have opted to return to eating places.

The query now could be whether or not the recession will assist these companies – as extra individuals get takeout as an alternative of eating out – or hit them more durable as prospects reluctantly return to their very own kitchens. Efforts to spice up grocery gross sales, by partnerships with supermarkets and comfort apps like Getir, might additionally give Deliveroo and JET a share of the house cooking market.

Final yr was a yr to neglect for Ocado Retail. The web grocery store, collectively owned by Ocado – which releases figures on Tuesday – and Marks and Spencer, has parted methods with chief government Melanie Smith and has repeatedly warned towards earnings; its gross sales are anticipated to fall for the primary time in its historical past.

In its final replace in September, Ocado stated it anticipated robust buyer development and gross sales development of round 5% for the fourth quarter. It could be much like the expansion posted final week by Tesco and J Sainsbury, after UK customers splashed out for the primary Christmas in two years undisturbed by Covid-19.

U.S. airways report fourth-quarter and full-year outcomes as public consideration focuses on technical points at low-cost service Southwest Airways and the nation’s prime aviation regulator that precipitated excessive profile collapses. However for many airways, the information remains to be prone to be rosy, as (regardless of elevated curiosity in personal jets post-Covid) demand for industrial air journey is driving earnings.

United Airways will report on Wednesday. Count on Chief Government Scott Kirby to have some bitter phrases for the US Federal Aviation Administration, which grounded planes for 2 hours on Wednesday when a broken database file precipitated a key safety system. He stated over the summer time that the company wanted extra air site visitors controllers.