Quartz Daily Brief—UK inflation plummets, Penn Station fire, bumper China trade, whale-flavored beer

Daily Brief sponsored by  Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today A global outlook from the World Bank. The organization publishes its twice-yearly review of economic trends and their impact on developing economies. The Global Economic Prospects report is likely to advise using low oil prices as an opportunity to strengthen fiscal buffers. A mood check for small US businesses. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ data for January is expected to show thatsmall and medium enterprises are feeling good about the business conditions for the next six months, although optimism is not yet expected to match pre-financial crisis levels. Chris Christie’s presidential aspirations. The governor of New Jersey could use his annual state of the state address to build momentum for a 2016 campaign. While you were sleeping UK inflation dropped to a 14-year low. Annual price growth fell to 0.5% in December, from 1.1% in November and well below forecasts of a 0.7% rise. Bank of England governor Mark Carney will have to write a letter to the chancellor (paywall) to explain why the rate is so far below the UK’s 2% target. Airbus edged ahead of Boeing. The European aircraft makerrecorded 1,456 airplane orders in 2014, down from the previous year but just ahead of archrival Boeing’s 1,432. But Boeing maintained a solid lead on aircraft deliveries, 723 to 629. A serious fire at Penn Station. The New York City commuter hub wasdisrupted by a three-alarm fire that started overnight at an underground construction site. No one was injured but the incident could result in an ugly morning commute. Germany balanced its books. Strong tax revenues and low interest rates helped the country achieve a balanced federal budget for the first time in 45 years. Some critics called the government’s fiscal discipline an unnecessary “fetish” (paywall). Charlie Hebdo announced a 3 million-copy print run. The French satirical magazine that was attacked by Islamist terrorists last week willput the prophet Muhammad on the cover of a special edition due on Wednesday. The magazine often sells less than 30,000 of its normal copies. A Malaysian bank mega-merger fell apart. The combination of CIMB Holdings and RHB Capital to create the world’s largest Islamic bank is likely to be canceled after executives failed to agree on new terms, according to Reuters. Shares in CIMB, run by the brother of Malaysia’s prime minister, have slumped badly since a preliminary deal was announced in October. China enjoyed bumper trade in December. The country’s trade surplus for the month was a better-than-expected $49.6 billion, the third-highest on record. Exports grew 9.7% from a year earlier and imports fell 2.4%, suggesting an improving global economy but weak domestic demand. SPONSOR CONTENT BY COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL What do your inbox and 401(k) have in common? You should probably check both less frequently. New research from Columbia Business School shows the more investors ignore their portfolios, the better off they are. Read the full article. Quartz obsession interlude Steve LeVine on the figures who will be making headlines in 2015.“Last year, we learned from Russian president Vladimir Putin that European borders can still be changed by fiat, and from Saudi Arabia we discovered that hitherto mighty OPEC can be crumpled up like a wad of paper and tossed in a bin. Momentum alone ought to signal that 2015 will bring new confusion, fresh surprises, and more shredded history. But while the year will deepen our disorientation, and include horrendous tragedies like last week’s massacre in Paris, the surprises are by-and-large likely to be smaller.” Read more here. Matters of debate Don’t sneer at rich kids’ problems. Wealthy US youths are more likely to suffer from drug abuse, depression, and anxiety. Lowering standards could be good for society. Overly strict laws require fully-licensed professionals for mundane tasks. To beat ISIL, win over the Sunni communities that fueled its rise.And yes, that’s as daunting as it sounds. We are the last generation that can do something about climate change. So says UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon. Xiaomi isn’t a smartphone company. The Chinese firm has much bigger ambitions: To sell an entire digital lifestyle. Surprising discoveries Viruses may make us smarter. Endogenous retroviruses buried in our “junk” DNA may contribute to higher brain functions. There are 12 Hasselblad cameras on the moon. Astronauts had to offload weight when they stocked up on moon rocks. The artisanal movement has gone too far. An Icelandic beer is flavored with smoked whale testicles. US Central Command uses Pinterest. It was spared when ISIL hackers broke into its Twitter and YouTube accounts. A Saudi Arabian cleric deemed snowmen un-Islamic. A rare snowstorm has raised a religious question. Angela Merkel was photoshopped out of France’s unity march.An ultra-orthodox Israeli publication erased all women present. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, discarded lunar cameras, and snowman fatwas tohi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.