10 Things You Need To Know This Morning
Feb 15, 2013, 17:52 IST
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- Asian markets were mixed in overnight trading, with the Nikkei down 1.18 percent ahead of the G20 meeting. Europe is mixed and U.S. markets are up slightly.
- Central bankers and finance ministers from the G20 nations are meeting in Moscow today amid concerns about a sliding yen and a currency war. The officials reaffirmed their promise to "refrain from competitive devaluation" on February 11, which came a day before a statement from the G7 that said exchange rates should not be a policy goal, according to Bloomberg.
- Spanish core inflation (ex-food and energy) unexpectedly climbed 2.2 percent in January. Rising inflation and austerity measures are pushing the country deeper into recession. Europe's youth unemployment nightmare in sixteen charts >
- The Empire State manufacturing index unexpectedly surged to 10.0, crushing expectations for a reading of -2.0. However, January industrial production disappointed, unexpectedly falling by 0.1 percent. Economists were expecting it to climb by 0.2 percent.
- CBS reported fourth quarter net income of $0.60 per share, on revenue of $3.7 billion, missing expectations. It also announced a $1 billion share buyback.
- More than 500 people were reported injured by a meteorite exploding over central Russia on Friday. The explosion shattered windows, caused car alarms to go off, and damaged buildings, and the trail could be seen at a distance of 125 miles, according to Reuters. Watch this video of a meteor tearing over Russia >
- UK retail sales fell 0.6 percent month-over-month in January, missing expectations for a 0.5 percent increase. The drop was attributed to winter and incomes that continued to be under pressure.
- Consumer confidence jumped to 76.3 in January, beating expectations.
- Japan's industrial production climbed 2.4 percent month-over-month in December, down from 2.5 percent the previous month.
- 40,000 people are said to have fled al-Shaddadeh in Syria after three days of fighting between government troops and rebels, according to the UN food agency. This adds to the 2.5 million already said to have been uprooted in Syria.
- Bonus - Mila Kunis is reportedly moving in with boyfriend Ashton Kutcher.
