ASIA/PACIFIC
-The Australian stock market ended on a flat note on the last trading day before Christmas but posted its fourth straight weekly gain.
-Asian markets were mixed Friday with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng tumbling following the newly announced curbs aimed at limiting spending on online games.
-Japan’s headline inflation rate slowed to 2.8%, down from 3.3% in October, the slowest pace of inflation since July 2022.
EUROPE
-Major European stock exchanges traded mixed in the premarket on Friday with traders heading into a four-day break for the Christmas holidays.
-Ukraine corn exports set to fall in 2024 amid logistical issues, Platts reported citing trading sources.
-UK GDP shrinks by 0.1% in Q3 and as we head into 2024, the flatlining economy poses a fresh risk of recession.
AMERICAS
-Equities in the U.S. traded with losses in the premarket session on Friday, as investors awaited the latest reports on personal spending, durable goods orders, new home sales, and consumer sentiment.
-The Central Bank of the Republic of Argentina (BCRA) has lowered its benchmark interest rate from 133% to 100%.
-In 2024, Brazil plans a significant increase in its natural gas production by 14 million cubic meters daily.
AFRICA
-Suez crisis: More than 100 ships now rerouted around South Africa – but none of them will dock here, Fin24 reported.
-Egypt’s state grains buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), said on Thursday it was seeking vegetable oils in an international purchasing tender for arrival Feb. 14-29 and/or March 1-15.
-Algeria is planning to build several mobile seawater desalination plants along its shorelines to supply sweet water to the public, Zawya reported.
MIDDLE EAST
-The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has said that despite the continuing global uncertainty and tight monetary stances worldwide, the UAE real estate sector continued its good performance in the period from July to October 2023.
-Israel’s Eilat Port sees 85% drop in activity amid Red Sea Houthi attacks, Reuters reported. Eilat, which primarily handles car imports and potash exports coming from the Dead Sea, pales in size compared to Israel’s Mediterranean ports.
-Countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have been slowly diversifying away from the US dollar, with bilateral trade growing exponentially with other countries — most notably China and India, a new report by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) reveals.
