European stocks closed lower on Wednesday with investors reacting to a slew of earnings updates and assessing the situation in the Middle East, while awaiting the interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve later in the day, and the monetary policy announcements from the Bank of England and the European Central Bank on Thursday.
Investors also weighed the potential impact of the United Arab Emirates' shock exit from the OPEC oil cartel.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.