South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
Thailand Inflation Remains Negative for 10th Straight Month in January 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Australia’s December Trade Surplus Expands but Falls Short of Expectations 
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Global Markets Slide as AI, Crypto, and Precious Metals Face Heightened Volatility 
Lots of economic dockets and events scheduled for today and some with high volatility risks associated.
Data released so far:
- Australia: Third quarter house price index rose by 1.5 percent, up 3.5 percent from a year ago. National Australia Business confidence and conditions came at 5 for November.
- China: Retail sales rose by 10.8 percent y/y in November. Industrial production rose by 6.2 percent y/y and urban investments rose by 8.3 percent y/y.
Upcoming:
- Germany: Consumer price inflation numbers will be released at 7:00 GMT, followed by Zew survey report at 10:00 GMT.
- Spain: Inflation numbers for November will be reported at 8:00 GMT.
- Italy: Industrial output for October will be reported at 9:00 GMT.
- United Kingdom: Inflation numbers that include RPI, CPI, PPI, and HPI will be released at 9:30 GMT.
- Eurozone: Employment change report for third quarter and Zew survey for December will be released at 10:00 GMT.
- United States: NFIB business optimism index, and terms of trade for November will be released at 11:00 GMT and 13:30 GMT respectively.
- Australia: Westpac consumer confidence report for December will be released at 23:30 GMT.
- Japan: Tankan manufacturing survey for third quarter will be released at 23:50 GMT.
- Auction: Spain will auction 3-month and 9-month letras today. Germany will auction 30-year bund. US will auction 1-month bills at 16:30 GMT, and 30-year bond at 18:00 GMT.
