Aussie dips lower today after weaker than expected job data. The employment market contracted -12.2k in January versus expectation of -4.7k. Nonetheless prior month's job growth was revised higher fro 37.4k to 42.4k. Meanwhile, unemployment rate rose to 6.4% versus expectation of 6.2%. That's the highest level in 13 years. The participation rate was steady at 64.8%. RBA highlighted the softness in the job market after the rate cut earlier this month. And today's data raised speculations that the central could cut rates again within months. Some analysts even expected a cut as early as in March. AUD/USD is heading back to 0.7625 low and break will extend recent down. Also released in Asian session, Australia consumer inflation expectation rose 4.0% in February. New Zealand business manufacturing index dropped sharply to 50.9 in January. Japan domestic CGPI dropped -1.3% mom, rose 0.3% yoy in January, machine orders rose 8.3% mom in December, machine tools orders rose 22.4% yoy in January. UK RICS house price balance dropped to 7 in January.
Talks between Greece and its creditors failed to reach an agreement in the Eurogroup meeting. The parties were even unable to release a joint statement after the meeting. Market sentiment was dampened with the Athens' General Index losing -4.02%, erasing half of the gains made a day ago. Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, after the meeting with Greece and the EU, indicated that there was progress on talks but not enough to come to a "joint conclusion". Further talks would be carried out on Monday. According to Dijsselbloem, the parties have "explored a number of issues, one of which was the current program". They also "discussed the possibility of an extension" but no conclusion has been reached yet.
Fighting continued in Ukraine although Russian and Ukrainian presidents have been in a meeting in Belarus to try to secure a peace deal. According to BBC, attacks were seen in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions: "Heavy shelling was reported by bloggers in the rebel-held city of Luhansk; a freelance reporter on the ground, Pierre Sautreuil, reported (in French) that a rebel military base seemed to be the target of one bombardment in the south-east of the city; At least one person died when a hospital was shelled in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, bringing the day's toll from shelling there to at least six; Rebel forces near the strategically important town of Debaltseve bombarded government forces with mortars a day after the government reported the deaths of 19 soldiers in the area".
Looking ahead, BoE inflation report is the main focus today. Eurozone will release German CPI and Eurozone industrial production. US will release retail sales, jobless claims and business inventories. Canada will release new housing price index.