Alternative Data Show Growth Stumble on Fresh Virus Fear

(Bloomberg) -- The world’s largest advanced economies recovered very slowly after the holiday slump amid stubbornly high Covid-19 infection rates and stricter containment measures. Compared to a year ago, economic activity -- as measured by Bloomberg Economics’ alternative data gauges that integrate measures such as mobility, energy consumption and public transport -- was significantly lower. In the third week of January, economic activity fell in Germany, Italy and Japan, remained relatively stable in the U.S. and the U.K., and showed some signs of improvement in Canada and Sweden.

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