WSJ Economy

Delayed U.S. jobs and inflation data will be the key focus as investors gauge when the Fed is likely to cut interest rates again. In Europe, eurozone and U.K. GDP data will be watched, while in Asia a week packed with key growth data and political developments lies ahead.

Production declined 1.1% overall in 2025, with economists expecting that to be the bottom of an industrial trough for Europe’s largest economy.

India’s central bank kept its policy rate unchanged on Friday, as a U.S.-India trade deal eased a key economic headwind, for now.

The resignation of Argentina’s statistics chief over delays in updating the inflation index has stirred up memories of price meddling.

Central banker says rate cuts aimed at lifting economy adapting to U.S. trade friction, technological advances might backfire.

The board of governors voted unanimously to leave the overnight interest-rate target at 7.0%.

Ahead of the government’s delayed January jobs report, a mix of other federal and private data points to a rough start to the new year.

The number of open jobs in the U.S. economy fell to just over 6.5 million in December from about 7.5 million at the end of 2024, evidence of how demand for workers has sputtered in an uneven labor market.

Different outlooks for inflation are likely to send the banks in different directions this year.

U.S. jobless claims rose more than expected last week, but still showed no major red flags in the labor market.

Sales fell more than expected in December, as the rebound in household spending that is expected to help the economy in 2026 remains fragile.

Orders climbed 7.8% on month in December, accelerating from November’s rise, a sign that the recent struggles of the country’s industrial sector might be easing.

Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook sees a greater threat to the economy from elevated inflation than from a weakening labor market, a stance that suggests she could be skeptical of supporting a return to rate cuts.

Countless private firms offer a read on the job market, consumers and the economy, but they can’t replace official government statistics.

The pacts seek to establish a “preferential trade zone” that would counter China’s dominance in the sector.

The January jobs report will now be published on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The January consumer-price index will now appear on Friday, Feb. 13.

Banking committee chair Tim Scott seeks to defuse a standoff over a criminal probe of the current Fed chair that is complicating Kevin Warsh’s nomination to the post.

Activity in Canada’s services industry contracted even more sharply to start the new year, extending a downturn as tariffs and broader uncertain continue to weigh heavily, data released Wednesday showed.

The sector added 22,000 jobs last month, the payrolls processor estimated, well below economists’ expectations, as government data is delayed.

Australians are again bracing for rate pain, as an overheating economy forces the central bank to tighten the policy screws