European stocks traded higher on Thursday as U.S.-China talks got underway and official data showed the U.K. economy grew at a faster pace in the first quarter, driven by contribution from all three sectors.
U.K. GDP increased 0.6 percent sequentially, following the fourth quarter's 0.2 percent expansion. GDP grew at a pace of 0.3 percent in March alone, while economists had forecast a contraction of 0.1 percent.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
May 08, 2026 15:50 ET Manufacturing and services sector survey results and labor market data from main economies were the highlight on the economics news front this week. Factory orders and jobs report dominated the news flow in the U.S. Similarly, industrial production data from German garnered attention in Europe. In Asia, purchasing managers’ survey results from China and the central bank decision from Australia were in focus.