United Kingdom

Who can forget the "doom and gloom" warnings about the fate of the UK should Brexit win? Well, according to the latest confirmation received on Thursday, they were not only wrong but with an ironic twist because according to the Office for National Statistics, the UK economy grew by 0.6% in the Q4 of 2016, more than the 0.5% consensus estimate, and - more importantly - grew by 2% for all of 2016, making the UK the fastest growing economy among the G7 in the past year.

French financial prosecutors said on Wednesday they had opened a preliminary probe into the possible misuse of public funds following a press report about conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon's wife working for him as a parliamentary assistant.

The frontrunner in the April-May election has acknowledged his wife Penelope had worked for him when he was a legislator, but has fiercely denied the report in Le Canard Enchaine that she earned a big salary for work she never did.

The day the Dow crosses 20,000 may finally be here, because with DJIA futures trading 65 points higher in premarket trading, added to yesterday's close of 19,912 and latest record high in the S&P, it means that all it will take is a modest of only 25 points for the critical Dow threshold to be finally breached. Celebrating the upcoming record, world stocks hit a 19-month high on Wednesday, lifted by strong Japanese trade data, strong European company earnings and hopes that U.S. President Donald Trump will press ahead with a large fiscal spending package.

• Dollar steadies after stumble, sterling rides out Brexit ruling (Reuters)
• After U.S. exit, Asian nations try to save TPP trade deal (Reuters)
• U.K. Court Rules Brexit Trigger Needs Parliamentary Vote (BBG)
• Brexit plans unlikely to be slowed by Article 50 defeat (Reuters)
• Health Secretary Nominee Proposed Bill Benefiting Puerto Rico Investments (WSJ)
• How Trump Would Rework Nafta—and What Mexico, Canada Want in Return  (BBG)
• Trump calls for more U.S. auto jobs, factories ahead of CEO meeting (Reuters)

US equity futures were flat, European stocks rose and Asia was mixed after the dollar posted a modest rebound overnight despite Mnuchin's "strong dollar" comments, while oil was flat and gold fell, as investors focused on President Donald Trump’s plans to boost growth. The pound fell after a U.K. court ruled that Parliament must vote on triggering Brexit.