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Money, Markets, & Mayhem - What To Expect In The Year Ahead

If you thought 2016 was full of market maelstroms and geopolitical gotchas, 2017's 'known unknowns' suggest a year of more mayhem awaits...

Here's a selection of key events in the year ahead (and links to Bloomberg's quick-takes on each).

January

Donald Trump will be sworn in as U.S. president on Jan. 20. QuickTakes: Immigration Reform, Free Trade and Its Foes, Supreme Court, Oil Sands, Confronting Coal, Climate Change, Budget Deficit

The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 17-20.QuickTake: Sustainable Investing

Davos, Switzerland.

Finland begins a test of a universal basic income by offering 2,000 unemployed adults 560 euros a month.QuickTake: Universal Basic Income

U.S. companies will be required to disclose pay ratios comparing the compensation of their CEO to the median pay of employees, in the year starting Jan. 1.QuickTake: Executive pay

Cigarette plain-packaging law comes into effect in France.QuickTake: War on Smoking

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision aims to complete an overhaul of capital standards by Jan. 8. QuickTake Q&A: What Global Bank Regulators Are Fighting About

France is gathering dozens of foreign ministers in Paris Jan. 15 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.QuickTake: Israeli Settlements

February

Judges may rule as early as February in a U.S. patent dispute determining who invented the gene-editing technique known as Crispr-Cas9.QuickTake: Gene Editing

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen gives the first of her twice-yearly reports to Congress.QuickTake: The Fed Lifts Off, Barely

Intercontinental Exchange Inc., which runs the daily London gold auction, will start trading a futures contract for the metal in the U.S., part of a battle for control of the world gold market.QuickTake: Gold's Ups and Downs

 The number of influenza cases typically peaks this month in the U.S.QuickTake: The Flu

March

ChemChina aims to complete its $43 billion purchase of Syngenta, a record acquisition by a Chinese company, by the end of the first quarter.QuickTake: China Inc.'s Spending Spree

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May plans to trigger the legal process for Britain’s exit from the European Union, starting a two-year countdown for Brexit.QuickTake: Brexit

Hong Kong’s Election Committee chooses the city's next chief executive.QuickTake: Hong Kong’s Autonomy

SpaceX plans to launch the Falcon Heavy, the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V moon rocket program ended in 1973.QuickTake: Elon Musk

Launch of an earlier Falcon SpaceX rocket.

A general election in the Netherlands will be held March 15.  

Samsung is expected to unveil its Galaxy S8 smartphone.QuickTake: Samsung

India Post is expected to start operations of its postal banking system.QuickTake: Postal Banking

April

The European Central Bank is scheduled to begin scaling back its quantitative easing program, reducing monthly bond buying to 60 billion euros.QuickTake: Europe’s QE Quandary

The French presidential election’s first round is April 23, with the second and final round two weeks later.QuickTake Q&A: Why France’s Surprise Primary Winner Is No Trump

India will introduce its first national sales tax.QuickTake Q&A: How India’s New Tax Might Help Business, Not Hurt

Golf’s Masters Tournament takes place April 6-9 in Augusta, Georgia.QuickTake: Golf in the Rough

May

G-7 meets in Sicily. First meeting for U.S. President Trump.

Iran’s presidential election is May 19.QuickTake: Iran’s Oil

Pope Francis visits Fatima, Portugal, May 13 for the 100th anniversary of the day on which three children said the Virgin Mary first appeared to them.QuickTake: Pope Francis

The Eurovision song contest will be held in Kiev after Ukraine's Susana Jamaladinova, who uses the stage name Jamala, won the contest in 2016.

Ukraine's Jamala reacts on winning the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.

College graduates say farewell to school and, in the U.S., hello to an average of more than $30,000 in debt.QuickTake: Student Debt

June

Deadline for South Korea's constitutional court to rule whether to remove President Park Geun-hye from power, triggering a presidential election within 60 days.QuickTake Q&A: Why South Korea's President Faced Impeachment Vote

Roaming charges for mobile phones will be abolished in the European Union on June 15.

The U.S. Federal Reserve typically releases results of its annual bank stress tests.QuickTake: Stress Tests

The 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War.QuickTake: Two-State Solution

The Confederations Cup, a practice run for hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup, is held June 17 to July 2 in Russia.QuickTake: The World Cup

Spotify plans to sell shares in an initial public offering by mid-year.QuickTake: The Streaming Revolution

July

Canada Day, July 1, marks 150 years since the British colonies were federally united into the Dominion of Canada.QuickTake: Canada

 

The Group of 20 nations meets in Hamburg, July 7-8.QuickTake: Neutral Interest Rates

U.S. banks face a July 21 deadline for divesting their investments in private equity and hedge funds.QuickTake: The Volcker Rule

August

Kenya holds an election Aug. 8.

The Perseid meteor shower will peak Aug. 12 or 13.

Earliest date possible for the German federal election is Aug. 27. In recent years, elections have taken place in September.QuickTake: Angela Merkel

September

Russia will hold its annual strategic military exercises in its western regions.QuickTake: Cool War

Russian officers march during the Victory Day military parade.

Catalonia’s regional president, Carles Puigdemont, has vowed to hold a referendum this month on splitting from Spain.QuickTake: Catalonia

Bloomberg will open its new European headquarters in London before the end of the year. The site includes a museum for the archaeological remains of a temple dedicated to the Roman god Mithras.

London trial opens for six traders accused of manipulating Euribor.QuickTake: Broken Benchmarks

Norway will hold a parliamentary election Sept. 11.

Apple typically unveils new technologies for its iPhones in September. QuickTake: Apple

U.S. meat producer Tyson Foods pledged to end the use of antibiotics in its chickens this month.QuickTake: Antibiotic Resistance

October

Nobel Peace Prize is announced. Colombia’s president won in 2016.QuickTake: Colombia’s Peace Plan

Annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, Oct. 13-15.QuickTake: GDP

Chinese President Xi Jinping may narrow the field of potential successors at the party congress, expected in October or November.QuickTake: China’s Pain Points

November

If the U.S. Affordable Care Act is still in place, its open enrollment period will run from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31, 2018.QuickTake: Health Insurance Exchanges

China celebrates Singles' Day Nov. 11. It’s the largest online shopping day.QuickTake: Alibaba

Singles' Day is a Chinese annual online shopping spree that has been held every Nov. 11 since 2009.

 

New Zealand’s general election must be held by Nov. 18.

Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meet in Vietnam.

December

Deadline to hold South Korean presidential election is Dec. 20.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress will choose a new leader at its party conference to replace President Jacob Zuma.QuickTake: South Africa

Thailand’s junta promises that a new, elected government will be able to assume power this month.QuickTake: Thailand’s Troubled Democracy

A loophole that’s allowed U.S. hedge fund managers to avoid taxes on performance fees parked offshore expires Dec. 31.

New Year’s Eve brings the usual resolutions to lose weight.QuickTake: Obesity