Positive(s):

• US – In the week ending Jan.19, the number of applications for U.S. unemployment benefits in seasonally adjusted initial claims was 330,000, the lowest level since January 2008, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week moving average, a better indication of the underlying trend in labor markets, was 351,750, down from the previous week’s revised average of 360,000.
• US – U.S. leading indicators released Thursday increased 0.5% in December, beating market expectations
• US – preliminary flash manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index for the US rose to 56.1 in January, the highest since March 2011, according to a report released by Markit Thursday
• US – House prices rose 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis from October to November, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s monthly House Price Index released on Wednesday, pointing to a sustained home price appreciation
• US – House Approves Temporary Extension of US Debt Limit — The House of Representatives has passed a Republican bill to suspend the legal limit on government borrowing until mid-May.
• UK – UK unemployment rate falls to 7.7% but wages stagnate below inflation
• Europe – ESM to approve second part of bailout for Spanish banks on Jan. 28 — The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) will approve the second part of the bailout for Spain’s banks on January 28, European sources confirmed to the Spanish agency EFE on Friday
• China – HSBC China Jan. manufacturing PMI preview hits 24-month.The preview for China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) hit a 24-month high to stand at 51.9 in January, compared with a final reading of 51.5 last December, said HSBC Thursday.
• Japan – Japan’s central bank concluded a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday. It decided to double the inflation target to 2%. The bank will also purchase government bonds and other relatively safe assets without setting a deadline starting from 2014
• Thailand – Credit rating unchanged — Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has maintained Thailand’s sovereign credit rating unchanged at BBB+ with a stable outlook, but it warned that political stability and the long-term impact of fiscal programs remain issues to watch.
• Thailand – Exports rise, still below government’s forecast — Thai exports rose for a fourth straight month in December as demand for electronics and auto parts increased, but the whole-year shipments were well below the government’s forecast

Negative(s):

• US – Consumer sentiment drops to one-year low in January – U.S. consumer confidence fell in January to the lowest level in 13 months, as higher payroll taxes kicked in with the new year, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment revealed on Friday
•  US – U.S. existing home sales for December lost 1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.94mn units, weaker than market prediction, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday
• Spain – Spain to fall short of 2012 deficit target – Spain will not fulfill its 2012 deficit target of 6.3% of GDP (excluding banking financial assistance), said the European Commission on Tuesday in a report