• Mildly positive economic data around the world are giving risk assets a bid. German unemployment fell by a more than expected 22,000, and the unemployment rate declined slightly to 6.8% from 6.9%. Manufacturing data out of China and the euro zone was also encouraging. The markets await U.S. manufacturing data. From Reuters News.
• Short bets against the Euro increased to record levels last week. The currency suffered a difficult November and December as it moved to a 10-year low against the yen and a one-year low against the U.S. dollar. CFTC data released last week showed shorts ahead of longs by 127,900 contracts. From the Financial Times.
• Maybe there’s some hope for the U.S. equity markets in 2012 as strategists call for the smallest gain in the S&P 500 in 7 years, based on a sampling of 12 Wall Street strategists tracked by Bloomberg. The poll calls for a rise of 7.2% in the S&P for the year. From Bloomberg News.
• Iran’s threat on Tuesday to take action if the U.S. moved a carrier back into the Persian Gulf is lifting oil prices. Iran continues to keep tensions high as the EU moves to increase sanctions by month’s end. From Reuters News.
• U.S. investment giant Fidelity filed a comprehensive SEC document to sell all manor of exchange traded funds. Black Rock, State Street and Vanguard control 82% of the market, currently. Fidelity is certainly late to the party, but this means investment fees for investors are likely to continue heading lower. It’s also more bad news for firms reaping already razor thin margins in equity trading. From the Wall Street Journal.