The latest data on Initial Jobless Claims has just been released, showing that the number of individuals who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time during the past week was 224K. This figure is in line with the forecasted number, suggesting a steady state in the U.S. job market.
U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected in the year to November, but households still faced affordability challenges as the costs of basic goods and services like beef and electricity soared, posing a political problem for President Donald Trump.
OIL prices ticked down on Friday and were set to close lower for a second straight week, as rising prospects of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal offset concerns over supply disruptions from a blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.
The European Central Bank is widely expected to keep its policy rates steady on Thursday and signal little appetite for cuts in the near term as the euro zone economy holds its ground in the face of global trade shocks and inflation remains stable.
China's new energy vehicle (NEV) retail sales in the first half of December declined year-on-year, marking a rare year-end dip.
China's jobless rate for 16-to-24-year-olds, excluding college students, stood at 16.9% in November, down from 17.3% in the previous month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Thursday.