US claims for unemployment benefits tumbled to lows not seen since 2006. China’s industrial economy showed signs of an upturn. South Korean economic growth slowed slightly in the second quarter. Japan’s trade deficit came in worse than expected, in what’s become an ongoing problem for Abenomics. US new home sales disappointed , though prices are up 5.3% over the last year. After an epic bust, Ireland’s real-estate market is picking momentum, especially in Dublin. The jobless rate in Brazil’s largest city remain low, but work stoppages at the national statistics agency delayed complete national data.