German business sentiment improved in May after falling for two straight months but the index remained at a low level as energy shock triggered by the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz weigh on manufacturing, survey results from the ifo Institute showed Friday. The business climate index posted 84.9 in May, up from 84.5 in April. The reading was also above economists' forecast of 84.2.
Croatia's unemployment rate decreased for the third straight month in April to the lowest level in nearly a year. The registered jobless rate dropped to 3.8 percent in April from 4.3 percent in March. Moreover, a similar rate was last seen in June 2025. There were 67,521 unemployed people in April, down from 75,931 in the prior month.
UK retail sales declined at the fastest pace in nearly a year in April as consumers reduced fuel purchases after the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East. A private survey today showed that British consumer sentiment improved in May but rising inflation and continued uncertainty around the interest rate raised concerns about the sustainability of this improvement.
Greece's current account deficit decreased in March, due to improvements mostly in the goods and services balance and the primary income account. The current account showed a deficit of EUR 2.3 billion in March, down from 3.3 billion in the corresponding month last year. The goods deficit narrowed to EUR 2.6 billion from EUR 3.2 billion as exports grew faster than imports.
The unemployment rate in Taiwan decreased marginally in April. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate came in at 3.34 percent in July, down from 3.35 percent from a month ago. In the same period last year, the rate was also 3.35 percent. There were 402,000 unemployed people in April compared to 403,000 a month ago.
German consumer sentiment is set to improve in June driven by rising income expectations and willingness to buy but the war in the Middle East continues to cloud the outlook, latest results of the NIM Consumer Climate powered by GfK showed Friday. The consumer confidence index rose unexpectedly to -29.8 points in June from -33.1 points in May. The score was expected to fall to -33.7.
Turkey's foreign trade deficit decreased in April from a year ago as exports grew much faster than imports. The trade deficit narrowed to $8.5 billion in May from $12.1 billion in the same month last year. The shortfall totaled $11.2 billion in March. Exports registered an annual growth of 22.3 percent, while imports rose only 3.1 percent.
Denmark's business confidence decreased in May from a 14-month high in the previous month. The overall business confidence index, which combines expectations in industry, construction, retail trade, and services, dropped to 104.1 from 105.5 in April. Among the four underlying confidence indicators, industry and retail trade pull down the overall business confidence in May.
The German economy expanded at a slightly faster pace in the first quarter, as previously estimated, detailed data from Destatis showed Friday. Gross domestic product grew 0.3 percent from a quarter ago, unrevised from the previous estimate and followed fourth quarter's 0.2 percent expansion. "Following...
Quarterly national accounts, business and consumer sentiment survey results from Germany and retail sales and public finance from the UK are the top economic news due on Friday. At 2.00 am ET, Destatis releases Germany's GDP data for the first quarter. The preliminary estimate showed that the largest euro area economy expanded 0.3 percent after rising 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter.
Consumer prices in Japan were up 1.4 percent on year in April, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday. That was in line with expectations and down from 1.5 percent in March. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, inflation was up 0.3 percent - again matching forecasts...
The total volume of seasonally adjusted retail sales was NZ$26 billion, up 0.9 percent on quarter, Statistics New Zealand said on Friday. That was unchanged from the previous quarter, although it beat expectations for a gain of 0.5 percent. The total value of seasonally adjusted retail sales was...
Consumer sentiment in South Korea jumped to optimism in May, the latest survey from the Bank of Korea revealed on Friday with a consumer confidence index score of 106.1. That's up from 99.2 in April and moves back above 100, which signifies optimism versus pessimism. Consumer sentiment regarding...
Japan will on Friday release April numbers for consumer prices, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In March, overall inflation was up 0.4 percent on month and 1.5 percent on year, while core CPI rose an annual 1.8 percent. New Zealand will provide Q1 data for retail sales,...
The Treasury Department on Thursday revealed the details of this month's auctions of two-year, five-year and seven-year notes. The Treasury announced 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...
May 15, 2026 15:25 ET Apart from the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, the main news on the economics front this week included key price data from the U.S. and the first quarter economic growth figures from major economies. Both consumer prices and producer costs have started to reflect the effect of supply shocks due to the Middle East conflict. In Europe, GDP data was in focus, while inflation data from China dominated the news flow in Asia.