Germany's producer prices increased at the strongest pace in nearly three years in April, data from Destatis showed Wednesday. Producer prices grew 1.7 percent year-on-year in April, reversing a 0.2 percent fall in March. The rate was the highest since May 2023 and marked the first rise since February...
The Malaysian foreign trade surplus increased sharply in April from a year ago as exports grew faster than imports. The trade surplus rose to MYR 28.8 billion in April from MYR 5.1 billion in the same month last year. The surplus also rose from MYR 24.5 billion in March. Exports surged 36.9 percent year-on-year in April, and imports were 20.0 percent higher.
UK consumer price inflation slowed more than expected in April reflecting the fall in energy bills and reduced costs for package holidays, data from the Office for National Statistics revealed Wednesday. Consumer price inflation slowed to 2.8 percent in April from 3.3 percent in March. Inflation...
Dutch consumer price inflation increased slightly as initially estimated in April to the highest level in four months amid higher energy costs.Consumer prices logged an annual increase of 2.8 percent in April, faster than the 2.7 percent rise in March. Inflation based on transportation accelerated to 6.9 percent from 5.2 percent amid a 24.3 percent surge in costs for fuels and lubricants.
Consumer and producer prices reports from the UK are due on Wednesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 2.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK consumer and producer prices for April. Consumer price inflation is forecast to ease to 3.0 percent in April from 3.3 percent in March.
China maintained its loan prime rates unchanged for the twelfth straight month, as widely expected, on Wednesday. The People's Bank of China maintained its one-year loan prime rate at 3.0 percent. Similarly, the five-year LPR, the benchmark for mortgage rates, was retained at 3.50 percent.
The central bank in Indonesia will wrap up its monetary policy meeting and then announce its decision on interest rates, highlighting a modest day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The benchmark lending rate (4.75 percent), deposit facility rate (3.75 percent) and lending facility rate (5.50 percent)...
The National Association of Realtors released a report on Tuesday showing pending home sales in the U.S. jumped by more than expected in the month of April. NAR said its pending home sales index shot up by 1.4 percent to 74.8 in April after surging by 1.7 percent to an upwardly revised 73.8 in March. Economists had expected pending home sales to increase by 0.9 percent.
Portugal's producer prices logged a renewed increase in April at the fastest pace in just over three years amid a surge in energy costs. The producer price index climbed 3.8 percent, following a flat change in March, ending a 14-month period of decline. Moreover, the latest growth rate was the quickest since March 2023, when prices rose 4.6 percent.
Labour productivity in the United Kingdom increased in the first quarter after falling in the previous quarter. The labor productivity, which is measured by output per hour worked, rose 0.9 percent quarterly in the three months ending March, reversing a 0.5 percent decrease in the fourth quarter of 2025. Based on output per worker, productivity also increased 0.2 percent.
Hong Kong's unemployment rate held steady in the three months ending in April. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate came in at 3.7 percent in February to April, the same as in the January to March period. Without adjustment, the unemployment rate edged higher to 3.7 percent from 3.6 percent. The number of unemployed people was 139,200 compared to 136,600 in the January to March period.
Spain's foreign trade deficit decreased in March from a year ago, as exports grew faster than imports. The trade deficit dropped to EUR 4.4 billion in March from EUR 5.5 billion in the corresponding month last year. In February, there was a shortfall of EUR 3.3 billion. Exports climbed 5.1 percent annually in March, while imports grew at a comparatively slower pace of 1.6 percent.
Malaysia's consumer price inflation rose further in April to the highest level in one-and-half years. The consumer price index posted an annual increase of 1.9 percent after rising 1.7 percent in March. That was in line with expectations. Inflation based on transportation quickened to 4.1 percent from 1.6 percent, and that on information and communication rose to 2.0 percent from 1.4 percent.
The UK unemployment rate increased slightly in the three months to March. The jobless rate stood at 5.0 percent in the January to March period, up from 4.9 percent in the previous three-month period. The rate was expected to remain stable at 4.9 percent. The number of unemployed people totalled 1.806 million compared to 1.780 million in the December to February period.
Japan's industrial output decreased slightly less than initially estimated at the end of the first quarter. Industrial production dropped 0.4 percent monthly in March, slower than the 2.0 percent fall in February. In the flash estimate, the rate of decrease was 0.5 percent. Shipments fell 0.9 percent, and inventories and inventory ratios declined by 1.8 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.
May 15, 2026 15:25 ET Apart from the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, the main news on the economics front this week included key price data from the U.S. and the first quarter economic growth figures from major economies. Both consumer prices and producer costs have started to reflect the effect of supply shocks due to the Middle East conflict. In Europe, GDP data was in focus, while inflation data from China dominated the news flow in Asia.