Global business activity starts 2016 on weak note

Global economic growth began 2016 on a weak note, surveys of business activity suggested on Wednesday, and with inflation remaining low central banks are seen under pressure to keep monetary policies easy. U.S. service sector activity slowed in January, suggesting economic growth weakened at the start of the first quarter even though the labor market remained resilient. The U.S. service sector purchasing managers' index (PMI) from data vendor Markit for Jan fell to 53.2, the lowest since October