Euro area private sector contracted for the first time in nearly one-and-a--half years as the ongoing war in the Middle East acted as a drag on services activity, final results of the purchasing managers' survey by S&P Global showed on Wednesday. The composite output index fell to 48.8 in April from 50.7 in the previous month. The reading was moderately above the flash estimate of 48.6.
The Czech Republic's consumer price inflation accelerated as expected in April to the highest level in six months. Consumer prices climbed 2.5 percent year-over-year in April, faster than the 1.9 percent increase in March. Moreover, a similar inflation rate was last seen in October 2025. Energy prices rose 1.5 percent annually in April versus a 1.7 percent fall a month ago.
Sweden's service activity expanded at a slower pace in April amid inflationary pressures caused by the Middle East war along with uncertain global environment. The purchasing managers' index, or PMI, for the services sector dropped to 52.5 in April from 55.9 in March. The sub-index for new orders accounted for the largest negative contribution to the decline in the PMI services.
France's industrial production rebounded at a stronger-than-expected pace in March, data from the statistical office INSEE showed Wednesday. Industrial output grew 1.0 percent on a monthly basis in March, reversing a 0.9 percent drop in February. Production was expected to grow 0.5 percent. Similarly,...
Italy's retail sales increased at the fastest pace in nearly a year in March after a slight decline in February. The sales value rose 0.8 on a monthly basis in March, reversing a revised 0.1 percent drop in February. Sales of food products rebounded 0.9 percent monthly in March, and those of non-food products increased by 0.7 percent.
Russia's service sector activity deteriorated for the second straight month in April amid a renewed fall in new business. The services purchasing managers' index, or PMI, rose to 49.7 in April from 49.5 in March. Nonetheless, any score below 50 suggests contraction in the sector. The sustained contraction in April was attributed to weak client demand and a reduction in new orders.
Sweden's consumer prices decreased for the first time in six years in April amid a sharp fall in food costs. The consumer price index, or CPI, dropped 0.1 percent year-over-year in April, reversing March's increase of 0.5 percent. Further, this was the first decrease since April 2020. On a monthly basis, consumer prices decreased 0.6 percent.
India's services activity expanded at the fastest pace in five months as output and new orders rose at quicker rates. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services PMI climbed to 58.8 in April from March's 14-month low of 57.5. The sales growth was boosted by competitive pricing, e-commerce, and particularly strong customer demand for relocation and logistics services.
Final composite Purchasing Managers' survey results from the euro area and the UK are due on Wednesday, headlining a busy day for the European economic news. At 2.45 am ET, France's statistical office INSEE publishes industrial production data for March. Economists forecast industrial output to grow 0.5 percent on a monthly basis in March, in contrast to the 0.7 percent fall in February.
China's service sector registered faster growth in April, driven by stronger increases in new business despite declining foreign orders, survey results published by S&P Global revealed Wednesday. The headline RatingDog China services Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 52.6 in April from 52.1 in the previous month.
The unemployment rate in New Zealand came in at a seasonally adjusted 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2026, Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday. That was beneath forecasts for 5.4 percent, which would have been unchanged from the previous three months. The employment change was 0.2 percent...
New Zealand will on Wednesday release Q1 numbers for unemployment, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In the three months prior, the jobless rate was 5.4 percent and the participation rate was 70.5 percent. South Korea will provide April numbers for consumer prices, with...
New home sales in the U.S. saw a substantial increase in the month of March, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday. The report said new home sales spiked by 7.4 percent to an annual rate of 682,000 in March after soaring by 8.9 percent to an annual rate of 635,000 in February. Economists had expected new home sales to come in at an annual rate of 668,000.
A report released by the Labor Department on Tuesday showed a modest decrease in U.S. job openings in the month of March. The Labor Department said job openings edged down to 6.866 million in March from an upwardly revised 6.992 million in February.
A report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Tuesday showed a slight slowdown in the pace of growth in U.S. service sector activity in the month of April. The ISM said its services PMI slipped to 53.6 in April after falling to 54.0 in March, although a reading above 50 still indicates growth. Economists had expected the index to edge down to 53.7.
May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.