Key Events Around the Globe: Feb 12

U.S. Economy Adds 130,000 Jobs in January, Exceeding Expectations

The U.S. economy added far more jobs than anticipated in January, underlining signs of stabilization in the labor market which could factor into Federal Reserve interest rate decisions later this year. Nonfarm payrolls last month came in at 130,000, well above economists’ estimates of 66,000 and up from a downwardly-revised mark of 48,000 in December. It was the strongest rise in positions since December 2024.

UK Housing Market Shows Early Signs of Recovery, RICS Survey Shows

The downturn in Britain’s housing market abated in January, according to a report published on Thursday by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) which added to recent signs of a recovery. The survey found improvements in RICS’ measures of new buyer enquiries and house prices and followed reports from mortgage lenders Nationwide and Halifax that showed rising house prices last month.

RICS’ house price balance rose to-10%, the highest reading since June and up from a revised 13% in December. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a reading of-11. A gauge of new buyer enquiries rose to-15% from-21%, the highest reading since July.

US January Budget Deficit Falls to $95 Billion as Revenue Gains Outpace Spending Growth

The U.S. government posted a $95 billion budget deficit in January, down $34 billion or 26% from a year earlier as revenue gains including customs duties outpaced growth in outlays, the Treasury Departmentsaid on Wednesday.

Adjusting for routine calendar shifts in benefit payments due to holidays, weekends and other factors in both years, the Treasury said the January deficit would have been $30 billion, a decline of $52 billion or 63% from January 2025. January receipts totaled $560 billion, up $47 billion or 9%fromayearearlier, while outlays totaled $655 billion, up $13 billion or 2%.

Japan Producer Prices Rise 0.2% In January

Producer prices in Japan were up 0.2 percent on month in January, the Bank of Japan said on Thursday- in line with expectations and up from 0.1 percent in December. On a yearly basis, producer prices rose 2.3 percent- again matching forecasts while moderating from 2.4 percent in the previous month. Export prices were up 2.0 percent on month and 4.7 percent on year, the bank said, while import prices rose 1.2 percent on month but dipped 0.2 percent on year.

Source: HSL Prime Daily, 12 Feb 2026