• Gold Weakens - Gold bullion is weakening because of the rising dollar which traded at its highest level in the last decade and record valuations for global equities.

• New Deal for Greece - A new deal was struck last week to keep Greece “safely in the euro” while it builds a long-term recovery plan.

• U.S. Home Sales Fall - According to The National Association of Realtors existing home sales declined 4.9%, the lowest level since April.

• Tsipras Too Ambitious? - European leaders want Greek Prime Minister to “pare back” his objective of reversing the austerity measures that were put into place as a condition of Greece’s bailout.

• Job Growth Best Since 1999 - In January, the U.S. economy added 257,000 jobs, which beat expectations and was the best for job growth since 1999.

• U.S. Stocks Down - U.S. stocks fell a bit as investors contemplated the tensions over Greek debt talks and disappointing Chinese economic data.

• Taiwan Attracting Investors - Taiwan will extend the parameters on daily stock gains and declines to 10% from 7%.

• Gas Prices at Bottom? - After falling over 100 days in a row and more than 55% since its 2014 peak, gas prices bottomed out at a national average of about $2.03 last week.

• New Orders Fall - According to the Commerce Department, new orders for U.S. manufactured goods declined 3.4% as demand fell across industries.

• Challenges for Oilfield Service Firms - The fall in crude oil prices is making investors and lenders cautious which is creating challenges for oilfield service firms.

• France after QE - Last week the European Central Bank (ECB) unveiled a quantitative easing program worth $1.3 trillion, hoping to revive the Eurozone.

• Euro Rebounds - The euro gained from an 11-year low on the rumor that “fallout” from the election in Greece.

• Chinese Stimulus Helps Growth - Industrial production rose 7.9% and retail sales beat economists’ estimates in December due to the start of stimulus efforts in China.

• World Economy Estimates Down - According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the world economy will only grow 3.5% in 2015 and 3.7% in 2016.

• The Gas Price Debate - John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell Oil, is warning drivers that the low gas prices may end sooner than they think.