Quick Overview

• The number of U.S. workers filing initial unemployment claims fell 36,000 last week to 271,000, the lowest level since April 2000, the Labor Department said.
  

• U.S. New housing starts fell 8.9% in December from November, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. For all of 2005, housing starts were up 5.6% and construction of single family homes hit a new record high of 1.714 million units.
  

• The Philadelphia Federal Reserve said that its index of regional manufacturing dropped from 10.9 to 3.3 in January -- still a sign of growth.
  

• The Federal Reserve has lifted interest rates to more proper levels amid solid growth, policy-makers said on Thursday in remarks that hint the U.S. central bank will only raise rates one or two more times.
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that:
  Supplies of crude oil were up 2.7 million barrels to 321.4 million barrels.
  Supplies of unleaded gasoline were up 2.8 million barrels
  Supplies of heating oil were up 1.0 million barrels.
  Supplies of underground natural gas were down 46 billion cubic feet to 2.575 trillion cubic feet.
  

• YoY Consumer prices in the Euro zone were up 2.2% in December.
  

• YoY Argentina's economy grew 9.1 percent in November, faster than expected.
  
  

• Brazil posted a record current account surplus of $14.19 billion for 2005, up from $11.71 billion in 2004.