US companies add jobs, eurozone unemployment unchanged

Economic data on Wednesday were mostly positive.

In the US, ADP reported that companies added 238,000 jobs in December, the most since November 2012.

In the euro area, unemployment remained a problem with the jobless rate holding at a record high of 12.1 percent in November but retail sales jumped 1.4 percent after two months of declines.

In the euro area's largest economy, Germany, exports rose 0.3 percent in November but imports fell 1.1 percent. Industrial orders rebounded 2.1 percent in November after having fallen by the same amount in the previous month.