Consumer sentiment in Germany will continue to recover in the new year. A recent survey by the GfK institute showed that the government's actions aimed at mitigating the consequences of soaring energy prices appear to have been effective.
Business confidence in the UK grew at the fastest rate in 20 months. Lloyds Bank Plc's said its UK sentiment index rose from 10% in November to 17% in December.
American lawmakers submitted a draft for 2023, making it possible to cancel most of the oil sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Earlier, the U.S. Congress mandated for releasing fuel from emergency stockpiles in order to sell it on the global market.
Canada and the U.S. reportedly have every chance of setting new natural gas production records in 2023. However, the task could be complicated by declining demand levels, pipeline bottlenecks and a lack of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
High mortgage rates are forcing buyers in the real estate market to negotiate for more and more significant discounts.
The country’s grid operator said that there was little prospect of power cuts in January as nuclear and hydroelectric output had rebounded and electricity demand had lowered.
Due to increasing interest rates and deepening recession, the British property market is experiencing more and more stress. This sphere, which used to be prosperous during the pandemic, might face price decrease by 10% over the next year.
According to the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), in November, American firms raised 9% more loans for equipment investments compared to the same period last year.
U.S. natural gas futures fell about 9% to a seven-week low on Tuesday. This drop occurred amid forecasts about warming in late December and early January. It’s noteworthy that the drop in prices came despite increased demand for heating due to an expected cold snap by next week.
It is noted that retail sales in Canada for October increased by 1.4% compared to September. The figure is lower than analysts' forecasts, which is an increase of 1.5%. However, it is the largest growth in the last 5 months. According to estimated data, November sales may have fallen by 0.5%.
