US home prices fell for a third straight month as the S&P/Case-Shiller composite index fell 3.7 per cent in November from a year ago. Also, US consumer confidence as measured by the Conference Board declined to 61.1 in January, missing projections. Meanwhile, in Europe, 25 out of 27 states in the European Union agree to the new fiscal compact, while the Eurozone unemployment levels hit record high in December at 10.4 per cent