Quick Overview

• U.S. jobless claims fell 43,000 last week to 440,000
  

• Australia's unemployment rate improved from 5.5% to 5.3% in January.
  

• Spain’s GDP fell 0.1% in Q4 and down 3.1% YoY.
  

• (FT) The world’s largest financial groups, including JPMorgan Chase and HSBC, are rushing to relocate top officials to focus on opportunities in the fast-growing region
  

• (FT) China's leading producer of rare earth metals has been given government approval to build a strategic reserve, exacerbating concerns that Beijing is tightening its grip on the valuable minerals.
  

• (Spiegel) In a vote that American officials are calling a "setback for US-EU counter-terror cooperation," the European Parliament on Thursday voted to reject a deal allowing US terrorism investigators access to international bank transfer information. Europe, however, sees a victory for data protection.