The major European markets closed weak on Thursday, with investors digesting a slew of economic data from the region, as well as data from the U.S. and China, and largely making cautious moves.
Positive reaction to comments from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that the Senators have reached a deal to avoid a government shutdown on October 1 pushed up stock prices early on in the session. However, stocks retreated as the day progressed and the markets eventually settled on a weak note, and snapped a seven-month winning streak in the process.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Market Analysis
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.