In the US session Unemployment Claims and New Home Sales figures were published. In the week ending January 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 259,000, an increase of 22,000 from the previous week's revised level. The 4-week moving average was 245,500, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for this average since November 3, 1973 when it was 244,000.
Sales of newly constructed homes plunged in December as the housing market’s recovery sputtered. New-home sales declined to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 536,000, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That was 10.4% lower than an upwardly adjusted November pace of 598,000 and 0.4% lower than a year earlier. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a 595,000 rate.
There will be no major data releases from Australia tomorrow. In the US session, GDP, Durable Goods Orders and Revised Consumer Sentiment figures will be published. Analysts predict 2.1% growth in GDP, 2.7% rise in Durable Goods Orders and no change in revised Consumer Sentiment figures.
Figures to watch:
Advanced GDP (Friday 14:30)
Durable Goods Orders (Friday 14:30)
Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment (Friday 16:00)
