Markets in Europe are expected to open on a positive note on Friday amidst renewed hopes of a pause by the Federal Reserve in the review next week, following the surge in the initial jobless claims. The rise in jobless claims which implied a weakening labor market, is seen reducing the headroom available to the Fed to hike rates further aggressively.
Data released on Thursday showed the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits jumping to 261 thousand in the week ended June 3 versus the previous reading of 233 thousand and expectations of 235 thousand.
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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.