New Zealand Trade Balance NZD (MoM) registered at $-163M above expectations ($-1175M) in November

New Zealand Exports rose from previous $6.5B to $6.99B in November

New Zealand Imports dipped from previous $8.04B to $7.15B in November

New Zealand Trade Balance NZD (YoY): $-2.06B (November) vs $-2.28B

New Zealand ANZ – Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence: 101.5 (December) vs 98.4

United States Total Net TIC Flows dipped from previous $190.1B to $-37.3B in October

United States Net Long-Term TIC Flows came in at $17.5B, below expectations ($122.7B) in October

South Korea Producer Price Index Growth (YoY) increased to 1.9% in November from previous 1.5%

South Korea Producer Price Index Growth (MoM) up to 0.3% in November from previous 0.2%

New Zealand Westpac Consumer Survey climbed from previous 90.9 to 96.5 in 4Q

Argentina Unemployment Rate (QoQ) : 6.6% (3Q) vs previous 7.6%

Argentina Trade Balance (MoM) above expectations ($869M) in November: Actual ($2498M)

Mexico Banxico Interest Rate Decision in line with forecasts (7%)

Here is what you need to know on Friday, December 19:

The Canadian Dollar (CAD) pares some of its earlier gains against the US Dollar (USD) on Thursday as the Greenback stabilises after a brief bout of weakness following its initial reaction to softer-than-expected US inflation data.

Near Protocol (NEAR) is trading at $1.58 at the time of writing on Thursday amid widespread relief rebounds across the cryptocurrency market. NEAR’s intraday gains can be attributed to a key network upgrade that has paved the way for cross-chain interoperability for direct asset swaps.

United States 4-Week Bill Auction down to 3.58% from previous 3.61%

United States Kansas Fed Manufacturing Activity dipped from previous 18 to -3 in December

The European Central Bank (ECB) left policy unchanged as expected, but upward revisions to growth and inflation forecasts triggered a reversal of pre-decision EUR weakness, even as enthusiasm around late-2026 rate hikes remains tentative, TDS' economists report.

GBP/USD surges during Thursday’s North American session as following the release of a benign US inflation report and a “hawkish” rate cut by the Bank of England (BoE). The pair trades at 1.3410 up 0.28% after reaching a daily low of 1.3340.

United States EIA Natural Gas Storage Change came in at -167B, above forecasts (-169B) in December 12

The Euro (EUR) trades on the back foot against the Japanese Yen (JPY) on Thursday, as the European Central Bank’s (ECB) decision to keep interest rates unchanged failed to weaken the Yen, which remains supported by firm expectations of a Bank of Japan (BoJ) rate hike on Friday.

Uniswap (UNI) is trending up above $5.00 at the time of writing on Thursday, as sentiment surrounding the native Decentralised Exchange (DEX) token improves ahead of a much-awaited proposal vote. 

White House Adviser Kevin Hassett said that the core inflation is only 1.6%. He also claimed that we've got high growth and core inflation is about where we should be at a public appearance on Thursday.

The Bank of England (BoE) cut Bank Rate by 25bp to 3.75%, as expected. The 5-4 vote split was also in line with expectations, though markets had probably hoped for a stronger majority after yesterday’s inflation surprise, Rabobank's Senior Macro Strategist Stefan Koopman report.

The Bank of England (BoE) delivered a closely split rate cut as expected, stressing that policy decisions will become more finely balanced as the easing cycle nears its end, with only one more cut likely in early 2026, TDS' economists report.

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), explains the ECB's decision to leave key rates unchanged at the December policy meeting and responds to questions from the press.