Japan Real Wages Rise 1.5%, Supporting BOJ Rate Hikes 
France to Release 10 Million Barrels of Diesel to Ease Fuel Prices 
Asian Currencies Mixed as Yen Weakens, Dollar Holds Firm 
Gold Prices Fall as Stronger Dollar Weighs on Bullion 
Wall Street Falls as Fed Minutes Signal Another Rate Hike 
Mike Rogers Calls for End to US-Canada Tariff War 
S&P 500 Hits Record High as AI Rally Lifts Wall Street 
Deere, CNH and AGCO Stocks Fall as FTC Launches Farm Equipment Probe 
European Stocks Fall as Oil Rises Ahead of Fed Minutes 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Data firm Markit released earlier today showed a slowdown in manufacturing and services activity in the eurozone in January. Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index hit a three-month low at 52.3, while its services PMI reached a 12-month low at 53.6.
Growing concerns about the durability of the US growth outlook and major geopolitical risks around Europe, both external and internal, including the ongoing migration crisis, the Russian-Ukraine conflict, terrorist attacks/threats and rising populists and centrifugal-forces in Europe has cooled the pace of growth in euro area business activity at the start of 2016.
The plunge in the oil price to below $30 per barrel means that CPI inflation could average as little as 0.2 percent this year - well below the ECB's current forecast of 1 per cent. In the current scenario, the ECB looks likely to revise down inflation projections in March from the current level of 1 per cent for 2016 and 1.6 per cent for 2017. Concerns over the poor inflation outlook have certainly increased the chances of the ECB eventually providing more policy support.
