Is near at 17-month high: MSCI Asia Pacific regional index up 0,9% today, on the basis of good data for Chinese exports: exports, which in November had risen (on 12 months) by 2,9%, in December saw the increase pass to 14,1%, much higher than the average of 5% calculated on the basis of the expectations of 40 analysts . Data on credit (bank and non-bank) to the economy also marked a sharp increase in December: +28% compared to December 2011.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange rose again on the back of renewed yen weakness, which is approaching the level of 88,15 reached last week. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with the (outgoing) governor of the Bank of Japan and urged him to raise the inflation rate target to 2% (from 1% currently adopted by the central bank).
The euro fell slightly to 1.305 while oil, which smells of better times, rose again to 93,5 dollars/barrel.
