Business Digest, January 18, 2013
The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell last week by 37,000 to 335,000, the lowest level in five years, pointing to further improvement in the labour market.

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell last week by 37,000 to 335,000, the lowest level in five years, pointing to further improvement in the labour market. Meanwhile, other official data showed housing starts climbed 12.1 per cent last month to a 954,000 annual rate, capping the best year for the industry since 2008. Bloomberg
The Ministry of Railways will increase planned investment this year by 30 per cent from last year to 650 billion yuan (HK$810 billion), Xinhua cited Railways Minister Sheng Guangzu as saying at an annual national work conference. Actual rail investment usually turns out higher than budgeted, as Beijing has a tradition of increasing spending on infrastructure to bolster economic growth. AFP