After reporting a sharp increase in U.S. existing home sales in the previous month, the National Association of Realtors released a report on Thursday showing existing home sales pulled back by much more than expected in the month of January. NAR said existing home sales plunged by 8.4 percent to an annual rate of 3.91 million in January.

The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing a modest decrease in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended February 7th. The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 227,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level of 232,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to fall to 220,000.

The UK economy expanded only marginally in the fourth quarter as tax hike concerns ahead of the Autumn Budget dampened activity, data from the Office for National Statistics revealed on Thursday. Gross domestic product grew 0.1 percent on a quarterly basis, the same slow pace of increase as seen in the third quarter. Moreover, this was slightly weaker than the forecast of 0.2 percent.

The Japanese yen strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Thursday, following Tokyo's continued intervention threats.

Quarterly national accounts and foreign trade reports from the UK are the top economic news due on Thursday. At 1.00 am ET, current account figures are due from Finland. At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK GDP data for the fourth quarter. The economy is forecast to grow 0.2 percent after rising 0.1 percent a quarter ago.

A closely watched report released by the Labor Department on Wednesday showed employment in the U.S. increased by much more than expected in the month of January. The Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment jumped by 130,000 jobs in January after rising by a downwardly revised 48,000 jobs in December. Economists had expected employment to climb by 70,000 jobs.

The Japanese yen strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Wednesday, following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's overwhelming election victory and foreign inflows into Japanese stocks have raised demand for the Japanese yen (JPY).

China inflation softened in January due to Lunar New Year holiday effects, while producer price deflation softened, official data revealed Wednesday. Consumer price inflation weakened to 0.2 percent in January from 0.8 percent in December, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. Inflation was seen at 0.4 percent. On a monthly basis, consumer prices gained 0.2 percent.

Business inventories in the U.S. crept up by slightly less than expected in the month of November, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday. The Commerce Department said business inventories inched up by 0.1 percent in November after growing by a downwardly revised 0.2 percent in October.

The Commerce Department released a report on Tuesday showing retail sales in the U.S. were unexpectedly flat in the month of December. The report said retail sales came in virtually unchanged in December after climbing by 0.6 percent in November. Economists had expected retail sales to rise by 0.4 percent.

Australia consumer confidence deteriorated in February as the rise in interest rates put renewed pressure on finances, survey data from Westpac showed on Tuesday. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index declined to 90.5 in February from 92.9 in January. The central bank's 25 basis-point rate hike this month has put renewed pressure on finances.

Singapore's economy is forecast to grow more than previous projections this year as the global economy outperformed expectations, and stronger AI-related exports are expected to sustain. The Ministry of Trade and Industry forecast the city-state economy to grow "2.0 percent to 4.0 percent" from "1.0 percent to 3.0 percent."

The U.S. Dollar rebounded during the week ended February 6, buoyed by the boost provided by the appointment of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chairman.

Eurozone investor confidence strengthened significantly in February, reaching a seven-month high, a survey conducted by the behavioral research institute Sentix showed Monday. The investor confidence index rose to 4.2 in February from -1.8 in January. This was the highest since July 2025 and also exceeded the forecast of -0.2. Moreover, this was the third consecutive rise in the index.

UK recruiters reported a softer drop in permanent job placements in January and vacancies continued to fall at a slower pace, monthly data from S&P Global showed Monday. There was another decline in permanent job placements in January amid reports of weak market conditions and employer concerns costs, the KPMG/REC Report on Jobs said. However, the pace of decrease eased to the weakest in 18 month

Australia household spending dropped for the first time since 2024 as consumers brought forward purchases to sales events in October and November, official data showed on Monday. Household spending declined 0.4 percent month-on-month in December, in contrast to the 1.0 percent increase in November, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported. This was the first fall since March 2024.

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. has unexpectedly seen a continued improvement in the month of February, according to preliminary data released by the University of Michigan on Friday. The University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index rose to 57.3 in February after jumping to 56.4 in January. Economists had expected the index to dip to 55.5.

The Reserve Bank of India decided to hold its benchmark rates on Friday, as economic growth momentum is expected to be sustained, with the signing of a trade deal with the EU and the progress made on US trade agreement. At the meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee, governed by Sanjay Malhotra, unanimously decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25 percent. The MPC also voted to conti

Germany's industrial production declined more than expected in December, while exports bounced back on rising shipments to the US and China, official data revealed Friday. Industrial output decreased 1.9 percent month-on-month in December, reversing a 0.2 percent rise in November, Destatis reported. This was much bigger than the expected fall of 0.2 percent.

UK house prices rebounded at a stronger-than-expected pace in January, reaching a record high, data from the mortgage lender Halifax showed Friday. House prices increased 0.7 percent on a yearly basis in January, following a fall of 0.5 percent in December. Year-on-year, growth in house prices accelerated to 1.0 percent.

Industrial production and foreign trade from Germany and house prices from the UK are due on Friday. At 2.00 am ET, Destatis releases Germany's industrial output and foreign trade figures. Economists forecast industrial production to fall 0.2 percent month-on-month in December, in contrast to the 0.8 percent rise in November.

The commodity currencies such as Australia, the New Zealand and the Canadian dollars weakened against their major currencies in the Asian session on Friday, as Asian stock markets traded lower hurt by continued weakness in technology stocks which mirror their peers on the tech-heavy Nasdaq amid concerns about valuations and the impact of artificial intelligence.

A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by much more than expected in the week ended January 31st. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims climbed to 231,000, an increase of 22,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 209,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 212,000.

The European Central Bank on Thursday left interest rates unchanged for a fifth policy session in a row, as expected, despite concerns over a challenging global economy that is pressured by the ongoing trade wars and geopolitical conflicts.

The Bank of England maintained its interest rate in a close decision on Thursday and signaled rate cut as inflation is expected to fall back in the near term. The Monetary Policy Committee, governed by Andrew Bailey, voted 5-4 to hold the bank rate at 3.75 percent, which was the lowest since early 2023. The restrictiveness of policy has fallen as Bank Rate has been reduced by 150 basis points.