U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall To 348,000 Lower Than Expected, Australia Unemployment Rate Eases To 5.1%

New data from U.S. Labor Department we reported, U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Fall To 348,000, Lower Than Expected, U.S. initial unemployment claims fell more than expected according to figures released Thursday by the Labor Department. DOL figures put the new jobless claims at a seasonally adjusted level of 348,000 for the week ending February 11, a drop of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level of 361,000. Hope the next data can be better

Early today, Dow Jones index futures are currently pointing to a roughly flat open for the markets, with the Dow futures up by just 2 points.

From Asian economic news, we reported, Singapore Q4 GDP -2.5% On Quarter, Singapore's gross domestic product was down by a seasonally adjusted annualized 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the previous three months, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Thursday in a final reading.

Meanwhile, from Aussie we reported, Australia Unemployment Rate Eases To 5.1%, The unemployment rate in Australia came in at a seasonally adjusted 5.1 percent in January, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday - topping forecasts for 5.3 percent and down from December's reading of 5.2 percent.

From Brittania we reported U.K. Consumer Sentiment Rises To 5-Month High, Confidence among British consumers climbed in January to its highest level in five months, a survey by Nationwide Building Society showed Thursday.

Updated from Eurozone members, Riksbank Cuts Repo Rate Amid European Woes, The Swedish central bank on Thursday lowered the key interest rate for a second consecutive time as inflation eased and overseas economic developments damped domestic growth outlook. The Riksbank cut the benchmark repo rate by 25 basis points to 1.5 percent after a similar reduction in the rate in December. The decision was expected by economists.

Back to U.S. Latest data, U.S. Producer Price Index Increases 0.1 Percent In January, Less Than Expected, Producer prices for finished goods increased less than expected in January according to figures released Thursday by the Labor Department.