Europe next week: seven things to keep in mind

Monday, 2 November 2026. The week ahead: 2 to 8 November.

Morning. Here is what I would keep an eye on this week in Europe. A few dates worth saving, especially if you are travelling in France or waiting to see what happens with prices and interest rates.

And yes, America is on the list too. What happens there can land quite quickly on our side of the Atlantic.

A busy week between Tuesday and Friday. Editorial illustration.

1. France. Check your plans for Thursday, 5 November.

Schools reopen on Monday after the autumn break, with further demonstrations expected. Thursday is the main date I would save: unions have called for strikes and marches over pay, public services and jobs.

If you have a train, a school run or a visit booked, check the local updates before setting off. A national strike call does not tell us exactly which services will stop. And it does not mean every part of France will have the same disruption.

Four minutes on the ground in Paris from Channel 4 News. Filmed for its 24 October report, so this is background to the continuing protests.

2. Tuesday, 3 November. America votes.

These are the US midterms, so Americans are choosing Congress, not a president. For Europe, I would watch what the result could mean for support for Ukraine, trade and how much room Trump has to get his plans through.

We will hear a lot about it on Wednesday morning. Some close races may take longer to settle. A result can change the political balance without changing every policy overnight.

If you want the deeper election picture, CNN’s Harry Enten goes through the numbers here. Published 31 October. This is his forecast, not a result.

3. Wednesday, 4 November. The next inflation number.

Eurostat is due to publish its first estimate of October inflation for the eurozone. September's annual rate was 3.8%, so this is one to watch after the ECB's warning about energy prices.

In normal language: are prices speeding up again, and what is driving it? A lower inflation rate would mean prices rising more slowly. It would not mean the supermarket suddenly putting everything back to its old price.

4. Wednesday and Thursday. Three interest-rate decisions.

Sweden goes first on Wednesday, 4 November. The UK and Norway follow on Thursday, 5 November.

The decisions are still to come. I would pay attention to what the banks say about the next few months as well as the rate itself. If you have a mortgage or savings there, check what any change means for your own account. It does not always pass through straight away. These are separate currencies and banks, so one decision does not set the rate for all of Europe.

Keeping power and heating running as winter approaches. Editorial illustration.

5. Ukraine. Keep watching the energy situation.

After the attacks reported over the weekend, I would keep an eye on power supplies, repairs and support for Ukraine's energy system as winter gets closer.

This has no neat announcement time to put in the diary. It is an ongoing story about people trying to keep homes, schools and hospitals running. Be careful with claims about a ceasefire too. A local pause is not the same as the war stopping across the country.

A short AP report on what damage to the power grid means on the ground. The footage is from 26 October.

6. Friday, 6 November. Are Europeans still spending?

The next European retail-sales release is due on Friday. It covers September, so it will not tell us what everyone bought yesterday. But it gives another piece of the picture after last week's growth numbers.

For shops and small businesses, this matters. Are people still buying, or cutting back as the bills rise? One month's figure will not answer everything, but it is more useful than guessing from a busy shopping street.

7. Also Friday. The US jobs report can move things here.

October's US employment report is scheduled for 6 November. It can change expectations about American interest rates and move the dollar and wider markets.

Why care from Europe? Currency moves affect what imported goods cost, and US demand matters to European companies selling there. I would watch the result, rather than take anyone's forecast as a fact.

So, a busy middle of the week. US election on Tuesday, inflation and Sweden on Wednesday, France plus the UK and Norway on Thursday, then spending and jobs numbers on Friday.

Save it if it helps. At least the dates are all in one place now. :)