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Turkey’s retail sector kept its momentum at the start of the year. Retail sales rose 2.4% month-on-month in January and 18.8% year-on-year, up from 16.5% previously, showing domestic consumption remained a major support for activity. The data suggests household demand stayed resilient even as broader macro conditions remained challenging.

Source: Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK / TurkStat).

OpenAI is planning to bring Sora’s AI video-generation features into ChatGPT, according to The Information, as reported by Reuters. The move would fold one of OpenAI’s higher-profile multimodal products directly into its main consumer app and could support a broader push to deepen user engagement inside ChatGPT. Reuters noted that OpenAI launched Sora as a standalone app in September 2025 and that the company is expected to keep the separate Sora app running as well. Reuters also said it could not independently verify the report, and OpenAI did not immediately comment.

The timing matters because Sora’s standalone app appears to have lost momentum after a strong debut. TechCrunch reported in January, citing Appfigures, that Sora installs fell 45% month-on-month in January 2026 to 1.2 million, while consumer spending on the app also declined. That makes a ChatGPT integration look less like a simple feature launch and more like a distribution strategy: putting Sora inside ChatGPT could expose the video tool to a much larger built-in user base.

Source: Reuters; OpenAI; TechCrunch.

Israel’s annualized GDP growth for Q4 was revised to 4.2%, above the 4.0% expectation, though sharply below the previous 12.1% pace shown in the earlier quarter. The update points to continued expansion in late 2025, but with much slower momentum than the strong rebound seen before. The release was scheduled by Israel’s official statistics office for 10 March 2026.

Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

South Africa’s economy kept growing in the fourth quarter, but at a slower pace. Annualized GDP growth came in at 0.4%, slightly below the previous 0.5%, while year-on-year growth slowed to 0.8% from 2.1%. The data points to continued expansion, but with clearly weaker momentum than before.

Source: Statistics South Africa.

Turkey’s industrial production remained under pressure at the start of the year. In January, output fell 1.8% year-on-year, while on a monthly basis it dropped 2.8%, reversing the 1.2% increase seen previously. The figures suggest the industrial sector is still struggling to build consistent momentum.

The combination of annual and monthly contraction points to a weak manufacturing backdrop and a soft near-term activity profile. For investors, the data reinforces the view that Turkey’s production side remains fragile even after some earlier stabilization signs.

Source: Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat / TÜİK).

South Korea’s GDP data pointed to a still-soft growth backdrop. The economy contracted 0.2% quarter-on-quarter in Q1, which was slightly better than the -0.3% forecast but weaker than the 1.3% previous reading. On an annual basis, growth slowed to 1.6%, below the 1.7% expectation and down from 1.8% previously. The figures suggest growth remains fragile even if the quarterly drop was not as deep as feared.

Source: Bank of Korea.

Mexico’s official inflation report showed headline CPI rising 4.02% year-on-year in February and 0.50% month-on-month, up from 3.79% annual inflation in January. Core inflation held at 4.50% year-on-year, while producer prices remained relatively contained, with the official INEGI report showing 1.14% annual growth in February. Together, the data point to firmer consumer-price pressure while upstream inflation stays much milder.

Source: INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía).

Israel’s budget balance moved to a NIS 2 billion deficit in February, reversing the NIS 17 billion surplus seen in January. The shift points to a weaker monthly fiscal position after a very strong start to the year, with the official February budget-execution release published by the Ministry of Finance on March 9.

Source: Israel Ministry of Finance.

Turkey’s treasury cash balance (Feb) recorded a deficit of -₺92.420B, a significant improvement from the prior -₺246.300B. The smaller cash gap suggests reduced near-term funding pressure versus the previous month.

Source: Turkish Treasury / Ministry of Treasury and Finance

Brazil’s auto sector posted a sharp bounce in February. Auto sales (m/m) rose +8.6%, reversing the prior -39.0% drop, while auto production (m/m) jumped +24.9% after -13.5% previously. The swing suggests a strong near-term recovery in volumes, even if part of the move reflects normalization after a weak prior month.

Source: ANFAVEA

Brazil’s industrial production (Jan) surprised to the upside: +0.2% y/y (vs -0.7% expected; prior -0.1%) and +1.8% m/m (vs +0.7% expected; prior -1.9%), indicating a stronger start to the year for manufacturing activity.

Source: IBGE

Brazil’s IGP-DI inflation index (Feb, m/m) fell to -0.84%, reversing from +0.20% previously—a sharp swing that points to a renewed disinflation/price relief impulse in this wholesale-heavy gauge.

Source: FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas)