British consumers are their most confident since January 2022 as lower inflation helped them to feel better about their finances, a survey showed on Friday, welcome news for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before a national election expected this year.

Consumer price index inflation in Japan’s capital fell more than expected in January, falling below the 2% level for the first time in 20 months, although a bulk of the decline was driven by government measures to curb utility prices.

U.S. stock futures are muted, with traders looking ahead to crucial economic figures and gauging a stream of company earnings. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) warns that sales growth will be "notably lower" this year, while Chief Executive Elon Musk details plans to roll out a new, cheaper model in 2025. Elsewhere, Boeing (NYSE:BA) shares dip premarket after the U.S. aviation regulator bans the planemaker from expanding production of its best-selling MAX family of jets.

The U.S. economy grew at a faster than anticipated rate in the fourth quarter, as activity remained robust even as it shows signs of slowing back down to a pre-pandemic pace.

Orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods were unexpectedly unchanged in December amid a slump in transportation equipment, but demand elsewhere held up.

Most Asian stocks retreated on Friday as a stimulus-driven rebound in Chinese shares stalled, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid further away from 34-year highs as growing bets on a Bank of Japan pivot spurred more profit-taking.