Daily Market Insight

• US business activity picks up in January; inflation cooling • Euro zone business activity contracts again in January • German business activity deteriorates in Jan • US dollar falls ahead of GDP, inflation data; Fed in focus

• Unemployment rises in nearly a third of US states in December • Japan Jan factory activity languishes, but service sector picks up • Thailand lowers 2024 GDP growth projection to 2.8% • US dollar hits six-week high; yen falls in wake of BOJ decision

• Economists increasingly sure US will avoid recession • Japan shares hit 34-yr highs, yen steady ahead of BOJ decision • China keeps benchmark lending rates steady amid pressure on yuan • US dollar flat as Japan, European policy meetings loom

• US consumer sentiment races to 2-1/2-year high; inflation expectations ease • Fed won't start rate cuts until May, traders now bet • Annual foreign investment flows into China shrinks first time since 2012 • Dollar edges lower but poised for weekly gain as early rate cut hopes dim

• US weekly jobless claims at 16-month low • Euro zone current account surplus shrinks in Nov • Japan CPI inflation falls as expected in Dec, points to ultra-dovish BOJ • Dollar gains for fifth straight session on solid labor data

• Strong US retail sales underscore economy's momentum heading into 2024 • ECB President Lagarde hints at potential summer rate cuts • Japan Nov machinery orders fall more than expected • Dollar holds near one-month peak as dovish Fed bets recede

• Japan's wholesale inflation flat in December, eases pressure on BOJ • China's Q4 GDP grows 5.2% y/y, below market forecast • Oil prices dip as strong dollar, rate fears offset M.East disruptions • Dollar rallies to one-month high as Fed cut outlook dims

• US congressional leaders unveil stopgap bill to avert shutdown • German economy dodges recession despite shrinking 0.3% in 2023 • Japan's wholesale inflation flat in December, eases pressure on BOJ • Dollar little changed on MLK Day, sterling slides in risk-off trading

• US producer prices unexpectedly fall; goods deflation seen persisting • ECB rethinks rate cuts amid positive economic indicators • China's 2023 bank lending at record high, but economy still struggling • Dollar pares gains on soft US inflation data

• US inflation rises 0.3% in December, pushing annual rate to 3.4% • China CPI picks up slightly in Dec, but disinflation remains in play • Thai Dec consumer confidence at high of nearly 4 years on govt measures, tourism • Dollar down on day, but off lows after hotter than expected inflation