Consumer confidence in the euro area strengthened in May to its highest level since early 2022, while wage growth figures lent support to the view that the European Central Bank is set to stop policy easing with the expected interest rate cut in June.
The flash consumer confidence index rose for the fourth month in a row, climbing to -14.3 from -14.7 in April, preliminary results of the monthly survey by the European Commission showed Thursday. Economists had forecast a score of -14.0 for the month.
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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.