The decision follows a string of reports showing a deteriorating inflation outlook and warnings from the RBA that the economy is starting to grind up against capacity constraints.
High on the to-do list will be ensuring the economy is ready for another round of tussles with the U.S., as signaled by the emphasis Chinese leaders have placed on reducing reliance on foreign technology.
The BLS will skip publication of its delayed report on wholesale-price inflation, and will instead roll those figures into a postponed November report to be published on Jan. 14.
Revised data confirmed that Japan’s economy contracted for the first time in six quarters in the July-September period, but that is unlikely to change expectations that the central bank will raise interest rates soon.
China is swallowing up a growing share of the world’s market for manufactured goods, revealing an uncomfortable truth: Beijing is pursuing a “beggar thy neighbor” growth model at everyone else’s expense.
The Federal Reserve’s decision will take center stage in the coming week, with the central bank widely expected to cut interest rates after recent weak U.S. jobs data.
Canada’s jobless rate fell sharply in November as hiring for a third month running blew past expectations, defying worries there would be widespread layoffs in response to the U.S. tariffs that have dented the economy.
Bank of France Gov. François Villeroy de Galhau said that participants in financial markets are under the impression that 2% is the ECB’s “terminal” interest rate, and borrowing costs won’t be reduced further.
Monthly index of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan rose slightly versus November, but remained much lower than where it began the year.
The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation held below 3% in September, and indicated a moderate month-over-month increase in prices unlikely to block consideration of an interest-rate cut at the central bank’s meeting next week.
