Quick Overview

• Chief executives are optimistic about the direction of the U.S. economy despite high energy prices and rising interest rates, a monthly survey found.
  

• The Conference Board's U.S. index of leading indicators increased 0.5% in November, to 138.8.
  

• U.S. jobless claims were down 13,000 last week to 318,000.
  

• The U.S. Commerce Department said that personal incomes were up 0 .3% in November and consumer spending was up 0.3%. YoY the core rate of personal consumption expenditures index was up 1.9% in November .
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that underground natural gas supplies were down 162 billion cubic feet last week to 2.802 trillion cubic feet.
  

• The U.S. Census Bureau said that 151.5 million bushels of soybeans were crushed in November
  

• Mexican consumer prices rose 0.42 percent in the first half of December.
  
  

• YoY New Zealand's GDP was up 2.7% in the third quarter .
  

• YoY the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics kept its GDP growth estimate unchanged at 1.7% in the third quarter .