— President Trump said the U.S. will levy 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports starting Feb. 10; Canada provides most U.S aluminum imports, while China has been flooding non-U.S. countries with steel and aluminum.
— The U.S. economy added just 143,000 jobs in January with wages up 4.1% in the past 12 months; healthcare, retail and government had the most new jobs.
— U.S. consumers expect inflation to jump by 1 percentage point, to 4.3%, in the next 12 months, as concern over the impact of tariffs took hold.
— The Bank of England cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points (to around 4.5%) with the UK economy hardly growing in the past year; two more cuts expected in 2025 despite inflation concerns.
— The European Commission said it will invest $439 million in alternative fuels infrastructure projects to decarbonize transport.
