Yesterday’s scheduled release of US gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter is still a mystery, courtesy of lingering effects of the partial government shutdown that ended last week. The good news is that whenever the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes the data (the date remains “to be determined”) the results are likely to show that the expected slowdown in Q4 growth was moderate. The question is whether the trend will continue to decelerate this year? The jury’s still out, due to limited 2019 data published so far.
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Fed holds interest rates steady, hints at pausing for near term: Reuters
Investors increasingly focused on Fed’s quantitative tightening policy: NY Times
Fed’s pause eases pressure on emerging markets: Bloomberg
PMI survey: China’s mfg sector contracted for 2nd month in Jan: CNBC
Italy’s economy contracted for 2nd quarter in Q4: Reuters
Senate leader focused on avoiding another gov’t shutdown: Politico
US pending home sales fell 9.8% yoy in Dec–12th straigh annual decline: CNBC
ADP: companies in US expanded payrolls by a strong 213,000 jobs in Jan: MW