MNI European Morning Briefing

     LONDON (MNI) - Another quiet calendar on Thursday, the European economic

docket is essentially bare but there are several data points released from the

US.

     Proceedings kick off at 0900GMT with the ECB Economic Bulletin.

     At 0930GMT is UK BBA Mortgage Lending data.

     Across the Atlantic the first releases come at 1330GMT. US Advance Trade

Balance, Advance Business Inventories and Weekly Jobless Claims are all

released.

     The level of initial jobless claims is expected to fall by 6,000 to 239,000

in the December 23 week after an increase of 20,000 in the previous week that

lifted the four-week moving average by 1,250.

     The average would rise by 250 in the coming week as a 238,000 level in the

November 25 week drops out of the calculation, assuming the MNI forecast is

correct and there are no revisions.

     At 1400GMT is the US Milwaukee Manufacturing ISM Index.

     The US MNI Chicago PMI report is released at 1445GMT. The index is expected

to dip slightly to a reading of 63.0 in December after falling to 63.9 in

November. Other regional data already released have been mixed, but the flash

Markit data point to faster manufacturing growth.

     Also at 1445GMT is the US Bloomberg Comfort Index.

     US Natural Gas Stocks data is on the schedule for 1530GMT.

     US DoE Weekly Crude Oil Stocks will be published at 1600GMT.

     At 2000GMT US Farm Prices will be released.

     Rounding off the day at 2130GMT is the US Fed Weekly Money Supply data.

--MNI London Bureau; +44 203 865 3809; email: kieran.williams@marketnews.com