German consumer confidence is set to drop at the start of the year 2026 as rising inflation fears weigh on income expectations and purchase decisions, monthly survey data published jointly by NIQ/GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions showed Friday. The forward-looking consumer confidence index fell to -26.9 in January from revised -23.4 in December.
Sweden's economic confidence improved for the sixth straight month in December to the highest level in nearly three-and-half years. The economic tendency index rose to 103.7 in December from 101.5 in the previous month. Moreover, this was the highest reading since July 2022. Manufacturing was the sector where the confidence indicator increased the most, rising to 103.8 from 100.8 in November.
Turkish consumers expressed a more pessimistic attitude in December. The consumer confidence index dropped to 83.5 in December from 85.0 in November. A reading below 100 indicates a pessimistic outlook. The index measuring the current financial situation dropped to 67.9 from 69.6 a month ago. Similarly, the outlook for the general economic situation weakened to 78.2 from 79.6 in the prior month.
Sweden's retail sales expanded in November after a slight fall in the previous month. Retail sales rose a seasonally and working-day adjusted 1.1 percent month-on-month in November, reversing a 0.2 percent decrease in October, which was the first fall in five months. Sales of durables grew 1.4 percent over the month, and those of consumables increased 0.7 percent.
Dutch consumers remained equally pessimistic in December compared to the previous month. The consumer confidence index stood at -21 in December, the same as in November. Moreover, the indicator in December was well below the 20-year average of -11 points. The economic climate index dropped to -35 from -34 in November, indicating that households are slightly more negative about the economy.
Retail sales and public sector finance from the UK and consumer sentiment from Germany will be in the spotlight on Friday. At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK retail sales and public sector finance data. Sales are forecast to grow 0.3 percent on a monthly basis in November, in contrast to the 1.1 percent drop in October.
Malaysia's foreign trade surplus decreased markedly in November from a year ago as imports grew much faster than exports. The trade surplus dropped to MYR 6.1 billion in November from MYR 14.8 billion in the same month last year. Similarly, the surplus decreased notably from MYR 20.4 billion in October. Exports rose 7.0 percent annually in November, and imports were 15.8 percent higher.
The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark rate by a quarter-point on Thursday as inflation remains stubbornly above the target. The policy board decided to hike the uncollateralized overnight call rate to "around 0.75 percent" from "around 0.5 percent." Previously, the BoJ had lifted the benchmark...
Overall consumer prices in Japan were up 2.9 percent on year in November, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday. That was in line with expectations and down from 3.0 percent in October. On a monthly basis, inflation was unchanged at 0.4 percent. Core CPI was up 3.0...
The Bank of Japan will wrap up its monetary policy meeting on Friday and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The BoJ is expected to hike its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points, to 0.75 percent from 0.50 percent. Japan also...
Producer prices in South Korea were up 0.3 percent on month in November, the Bank of Korea said on Friday - up from 0.2 percent in October. Among the individual components, prices for agricultural, forestry and marine products were down 2.1 percent on month, while manufacturing products rose 0.8 percent,...
New Zealand posted a merchandise trade deficit of NZ$163 million in November, Statistics New Zealand said on Friday. That beat expectations for a shortfall of NZ$1.175 billion following the NZ$1.598 billion deficit in October. Exports jumped 9.2 percent on year to NZ$6.99 billion, up from NZ$6.44...
The European Central Bank left its key interest rate unchanged for the fourth policy session in a row and raised the growth forecasts for the euro area citing support from domestic demand, but the bank also lifted the inflation projection for next year as policymakers expect services inflation to ease more slowly than expected earlier.
The Treasury Department on Thursday announced the details of this month's auctions of two-year, five-year and seven-year notes. The Treasury revealed plans to sell $69 billion worth of two-year notes, $70 billion worth of five-year notes and $44 billion worth of seven-year notes. The results of...
A report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia on Thursday unexpectedly showed a notable decrease by its reading on regional manufacturing activity in the month of December. The Philly Fed said its diffusion index for current general activity slumped to a negative 10.2 in December from a negative 1.7 in November, with a negative reading indicating contraction.
December 12, 2025 15:14 ET Central bank decisions dominated the economic news flow this week led by the Federal Reserve. Trade data from the U.S. also gained attention. The Canadian and Swiss central banks also announced their interest rate decisions. Inflation data from China was in focus as the country released the latest consumer price and producer price data.