Liu to Washington, U.S. Jobs Ahead, Fed in ‘Good Place’: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Friday, Asia. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help you get through to the weekend:

• China announced that Vice Premier Liu He will travel to Washington to sign the trade deal next week, locking in Beijing’s commitment to the ceremony already announced by President Donald Trump
• The final U.S. jobs report for 2019, due Friday, is forecast to show employers added 160,000 jobs in December -- down from November but still well above population growth
• Fed No. 2 Richard Clarida said U.S. monetary policy is “in a good place” amid solid growth while there is a risk that inflation continues to miss the central bank’s target
• The Bank of Japan has joined other global central banks in studying climate change-related risks, but is unlikely to target bonds supporting environmentally friendly projects anytime soon
• The Bank of England is debating the merits of additional monetary stimulus, according to Governor Mark Carney. This comes as U.K. retailers’ experience bleak holiday sales
• Confidence among Americans surged to the highest level since October 2000 on brighter views of the economy and finances, adding to signs that consumers will continue to underpin the expansion
• Brazil’s disappointing November industrial output points to a bumpy recovery ahead, with investment poised to lag behind consumption
• The World Bank is the first key institution to cut its economic growth forecast for South Africa to below 1% for 2020 due to electricity supply concerns
• Sweden’s Riksbank is running into criticism from economists for not doing enough to explain last month’s decision to end five years of negative interest rates
• Germany’s car-heavy export machine struggled to get into gear, underscoring how weak growth has cast a pall over the region
• Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam met with Beijing’s new liaison to the city, Luo Huining, at her official residence on Thursday. The two are confident “Hong Kong will be able to relaunch itself and open a new page”

To contact the reporter on this story: Alexandra Veroude in Sydney at averoude4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Jackson at pjackson53@bloomberg.net, Michael Heath

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