European stocks closed higher on Thursday with investors reacting to a slew of earnings announcements and economic data from the region and digested the monetary policy decisions of the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. Concerns about U.S.-Iran tensions continued to weigh, limiting markets' upside.
The ECB and BoE both decided to leave their interest rates unchanged.
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Market Analysis
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.