On Thursday late night, two US economic data releases will take center stage. At 21:30 Beijing time, the initial jobless claims for the week of January 3 and October trade balance data will be released simultaneously, making them among the most closely watched high-impact economic indicators recently.

First, let's look at employment: the initial jobless claims for the previous week were 199,000, at a six-month low, with market expectations of 210,000 for this week. If the actual number continues to decline, it will reinforce the view that US employment resilience still exists. This is crucial for the Federal Reserve's policy stance.

Next, on external demand: the October trade deficit was previously -$52.8 billion, already exceeding market expectations of -$58.9 billion. If the actual figure further widens, it will inevitably trigger a reassessment of the US import-export structure.

These two sets of data may seem independent but are actually interconnected. The marginal change in initial jobless claims directly influences expectations of Federal Reserve policy, while fluctuations in the trade balance could impact the short-term direction of the US dollar index and even commodities. Traders are now all eyes on the countdown, as these numbers often determine the market's mood in the coming days.