The major European stocks closed slightly higher on Monday with investors largely making cautious moves, reacting to the results of the German federal election, and ECB President Christine Lagarde's comments that inflation in the euro area could exceed projections but price increases are likely be temporary.
Olaf Scholz of the center-left Social Democrats defeated Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives in an extremely tight German federal election, setting in motion what could be months of complex coalition talks to decide who will lead Europe's biggest economy.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.