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Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Alan Bollard on Friday called on the government to gradually begin unwinding stimulus to ease the pressure on monetary policy.

House prices in the U.K. rose 1.2% month-on-month in January after rising an upwardly revised 0.5% growth in December, the Nationwide Building Society said Friday. Economists had forecast house price growth to ease to 0.3% in January. House prices have been rising since May 2009.

Singapore’s manufacturing sentiment is expected to continue improving in the first half of this year, results of a survey conducted by the Economic Development Board showed Friday. Manufactures anticipate their output to increase in the first quarter of 2010.

Nationwide’s house price index for the U.K. and Eurozone consumer prices and unemployment figures are the major statistical reports due on Friday.

Singapore’s manufactured products price index jumped 6.9% year-on-year in December, accelerating from the 2% increase in the previous month, the Department of Statistics reported on Friday. The oil index grew by 49.7%, while the non-oil index slid 2.1%.

Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said on Friday that the central bank is ready to take swift, bold action if financial markets become unstable again.

Industrial production in South Korea climbed a working day adjusted 33.9% year-on-year in December following the 17.9% growth in the previous month, the National Statistical Office reported on Friday, exceeding market expectations for a 30.8% increase.

Automobile production in Japan climbed 8.6% in December from the prior year to 788,067 units, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) reported on Friday. This is the second straight month in which auto production has registered an increase.

British consumer confidence improved moderately in January, a survey conducted by market research firm GfK NOP showed on Friday.

Japan experienced deflation for the tenth straight month in December, while the nation’s unemployment rate edged down, according to official data released Friday.