Macro Briefing: 18 December 2020

* Second coronavirus vaccine moves closer to approval in US
* Congress still haggling over coronavirus stimulus as gov’t shutdown nears
* Google facing three major antitrust lawsuits
* US set to add dozens of Chinese firms to a trade blacklist
* Deflation deepens in Japan as consumer prices fall at fastest rate in a decade
* Philly Fed Mfg Index continues to reflect solid growth in December
* US housing starts rose in November–third monthly gain
* US jobless claims continue to rise, reaching highest level in over 3 months: