Economy And The Numbers

Ireland's wholesale price inflation eased marginally in February after accelerating in the previous month, data from the Central Statistics Office showed on Wednesday. Output prices in the manufacturing industries rose 3.6 percent year-over-year in February, just below the 3.7 percent rise in January....

Iceland's central bank raised its key interest rate sharply on Wednesday to contain the risk of wage-price spiral in the face of strong demand pressures and the upcoming wage negotiations. The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Iceland decided to raise the benchmark interest rate, which is the rate on seven-day term deposits, by 100 basis points to 7.50 percent.

The euro area current account surplus grew at the start of the year, underpinned by an increase in the surplus on goods trade, the European Central Bank reported Wednesday. The current account surplus rose to EUR 17 billion in January from EUR 13.0 billion in the previous month. The expected surplus...

UK consumer price inflation unexpectedly accelerated in February after slowing for three straight months, adding to the dilemma of the Bank of England policymakers who are set to decide this week whether to raise interest rates this month in the backdrop of the financial market turmoil. Consumer prices increased 10.4 percent annually in February after a 10.1 percent gain in January.

South Africa's composite leading index dropped marginally in January to the lowest level in two years, survey data from the South African Reserve Bank showed on Wednesday. The composite leading index fell 0.1 percent month-on-month to 120.8 in January from 121.0 in December. Further, this was the...

New Zealand's consumer confidence improved in the first quarter but remained at a very low level as households are grappled with skyrocketing living costs, higher mortgage rates and a deepening downturn in the property market, a survey conducted by the Westpac bank and the consultancy firm McDermott Miller showed Wednesday.

Australia's leading index continued to suggest below-trend growth for the coming three to nine months largely due to the lagged effects of rising interest rates, survey data from Westpac showed Wednesday. The six-month annualized growth rate in the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Index rose slightly to -0.94 percent in February from -1.04 percent in January.

The Netherlands' consumer confidence continued to improve marginally for the fifth successive month in March, as consumers' expectations for the economy and their willingness to buy goods improved somewhat since February, data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday. The consumer...

Consumer and producer price figures from the UK are due on Wednesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 3.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics releases UK consumer and producer prices for February. Consumer price inflation is forecast to rise to 9.9 percent from 10.1 percent in January. Output price inflation is seen at 12.4 percent versus 13.5 percent in January.

New Zealand will on Wednesday see Q1 results of the consumer sentiment index from Westpac Bank, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. In the previous three months, the index score was 75.6. Australia will see February figures for the leading economic index from the Melbourne...

A report released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday showed existing home sales in the U.S. rebounded by much more than expected in the month of February. NAR said existing home sales spiked by 14.5 percent to an annual rate of 4.58 million in February after falling by 0.7 percent to a rate of 4.00 million in January.

Hong Kong's current account surplus decreased considerably in the final quarter of 2022, figures from the Census and Statistics Department showed on Tuesday. The current account surplus declined to HK$63.8 billion in the December quarter from HK117.1 billion in the September quarter. The surplus also...

Poland's retail sales decreased for the second straight month in February, and at a faster-than-expected rate, figures from Statistics Poland showed on Tuesday. At constant prices, retail sales contracted 5.0 percent year-on-year in February, much faster than a 0.3 percent fall in January. Further,...

German economic confidence declined sharply in March reflecting the turmoil in the global financial markets, a closely-watched survey showed Tuesday. The ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment declined to 13.0 in March from 28.1 in February, the Mannheim-based think tank said.

Eurozone construction output rebounded sharply in January and at the fastest pace in nearly two years amid robust growth in both building construction and civil engineering, data from Eurostat revealed on Tuesday. Construction output rose 3.9 percent month-on-month in January, reversing a 2.3 percent...