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Homebuilding activity in the States blew the doors of economists' forecasts in December, but economists were quick to point out that such strength was just not sustainable and some of the underlying data appeared to point in that direction too.
A key lead indicator for the US manufacturing sector got off to a flying start in 2019, although the details of the survey were perhaps not quite as strong as they appeared to be at first glance.
Shares of Morgan Stanley hit their best levels since late 2007 and overtook those of Goldman Sachs on the back of a fourth quarter surge in sales from fixed income trading.
Retail sales in the US grew more quickly than expected last month, although according to some economists, the details of the report pointed to household spending coming off the boil.
A closely-followed gauge of factory sector conditions in the jurisdiction on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York continued to outperform national manufacturing sector gauges like that from the Institute for Supply Management.
Asset manager Ashmore Group said on Wednesday that assets under management increased $6. 5bn in the three months ended 31 December 2019, reflecting net inflows of $3. 3bn and an investment performance of $3. 2bn.
The cost of living in the US rose as expected last month despite sharp increases in prices for medical care commodities and services, thus eliciting scant reaction from economists.
The latest government data showed that Britain's economy shrank unexpectedly in November, sending the pound lower, but some economists were more upbeat, pointing to upwards revisions to past data to back up their assessment.
The flow of economic data will pick up considerably in all jurisdictions over the coming week, although the signing of the phase-one trade deal between China and the US may steal the spotlight.
The US central bank's second-highest ranking official sounded an upbeat note on the outlook for the US economy on Thursday while signaling that the stance of monetary policy remained "appropriate".
Chief European Union negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier said on Thursday that it was highly unlikely that a comprehensive agreement on post-Brexit trade with the UK will be achieved in the next 11 months.
The number of people claiming unemployment claims for the first time fell by more than expected during the last week, returning to the underlying trend that was in place before a Christmas induced jump due to the difficulty of adjusting for seasonal quirks in the data, economists said.
