The partial US government shutdown has led to a backlog of top-tier economic releases, leaving the coming week heavily stacked with data, led by nonfarm payrolls and CPI.

Heading into the weekend, Iranian officials met with US diplomats in Oman. While no concrete resolutions were reached, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the mediated talks as a “good beginning” and said discussions were “exclusively nuclear” in nature. He added that negotiators would now return to their respective countries for consultations. 

In Japan, the gamble on calling a snap election has paid off handsomely for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. ING said the landslide victory would reinforce a policy mix of responsible but expansionary fiscal spending alongside a more domestically focused foreign policy. “Risk-on sentiment will dominate the market for now,” the bank said. (LS – Continue Reading) 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi led her party to a thumping victory in parliamentary elections, handing her a powerful mandate to deepen ties with the U.S. and rev up Japan’s economy. 

The landslide win is a vindication for the 64-year-old conservative, who called the risky snap vote during a snowy Japanese winter only three months after taking office. 

Her gamble was that her straight-talking appeal to voters would cement her grip on power amid challenges including sluggish economic growth and worsening relations with Beijing. (WSJ – Continue Reaidng) 

The UK’s jobs sector is starting to stabilize as businesses emerge from a period marked by speculation of higher taxes, according to a survey that is watched closely by Bank of England rate-setters. 

Employers continued to scale back hiring for permanent roles in January — extending a downturn that goes back to 2022 — but the pace of decline was the softest in 18 months. The survey, conducted by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, also showed that firms boosted temporary staff placements for the first time since October. (BBG – Continue Reading)