The lede today is that consumer confidence fell much more than expected, down to 46.0, when the consensus forecast was 55.0, a 10 month low.
Additionally, home prices fell in the 4th quarter, though the housing optimists are noting that the year over year drop is “only” 2½%.
When one considers the fact that the 4th quarter was juiced by tax credits, it’s worse than it looks.
Japan, on the other hand, Japan’s exports grew sharply in the 4th quarter, with a 40.9% year over year, the biggest jump since 1980, largely on increases in exports to China.
Still the dismal consumer confidence numbers put the market in a mind to doubt that there will soon be a robust recovery, which drove oil prices down, and led to a flight to safety which pushed the Yen and the dollar up.