South Africa's jobless rate increased in the first quarter of 2026. The jobless rate rose to 32.7 percent in the first quarter from 31.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. The number of unemployed people increased to 8.14 million in the first quarter from 7.84 million in the previous three-month period.
UK retail sales declined in April due to the change in the timing of Easter and weaker consumer confidence, data from the British Retail Consortium showed Tuesday. Total retail sales decreased 3.0 percent year-on-year in April, in contrast to the 7.0 percent increase in last April. Food sales...
Latvia's consumer price inflation moderated in April after rising in the previous month. The consumer price index rose 2.9 percent year-on-year in April, slower than the 3.4 percent increase in March. The slowdown in inflation was mainly driven by a 0.3 percent fall in costs for food and non-alcoholic beverages, which grew 1.1 percent in March.
German economic confidence unexpectedly improved in May as financial experts anticipate an end to the Iran war, survey results from the Mannheim-based Centre for European Economic Research, or ZEW, showed Tuesday. The ZEW indicator of economic sentiment rose to -10.2 in May from -17.2 in the previous month. The score was forecast to fall to -19.1. However, the index remained negative.
Switzerland's producer and import prices increased for the second straight month in April. The producer and import price index posted a monthly increase of 0.8 percent in April, following a 0.2 percent increase in March. The rise in April was mainly driven by higher costs for petroleum products as well as petroleum and natural gas.
Italy's industrial production expanded for the second straight month in March. Industrial production rose 1.5 percent year-on-year in March, following a 0.4 percent rebound in February. Unadjusted industrial production also grew 4.1 percent from the last year. During the first quarter of 2026, total industrial output contracted 0.2 percent compared to the previous three-month period.
Indonesia's retail sales decreased for the first time in three months in April. Retail sales fell 1.9 percent year-over-year in April, reversing a 3.4 percent growth a month ago. The decline was influenced by the normalization of public demand following the national religious holidays of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.
Germany's consumer price inflation accelerated to the highest since late 2023 in April as energy prices surged due to geopolitical tensions, final data from Destatis showed Tuesday. Consumer price inflation rose to 2.9 percent in April from 2.7 percent in March. The rate came in line with the estimate...
Economic sentiment and final inflation from Germany are due on Tuesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 2.00 am ET, Destatis is scheduled to release Germany's final inflation figures for April. The flash estimate showed that consumer price inflation rose to 2.9 percent from 2.7 percent in March.
The foreign trade deficit of Cyprus widened in March from a year ago as imports grew faster than exports. The goods trade deficit increased to EUR 703.8 million from EUR 609.7 million in the same month last year. Meanwhile, the shortfall decreased from EUR 876.1 million. Total exports of goods rose 6.7 percent annually in March, and imports logged a double-digit growth of 11.6 percent.
The Czech Republic's retail sales expanded at an accelerated pace in March. Retail sales, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles, rose a calendar-adjusted 4.9 percent year-on-year in March, faster than the 3.7 percent increase in February. The annual sales growth in food, beverages, and tobacco accelerated to 4.8 percent in March from 0.9 percent.
Latvia's foreign trade deficit increased in March from a year ago, as imports grew faster than exports. The trade deficit rose to EUR 394.6 million in March from EUR 270.1 million in the corresponding month last year. In February, the shortfall was EUR 334.2 million. Exports climbed 6.0 percent annually in March, and imports were 11.4 percent higher.
Denmark's consumer price inflation increased in April to the highest level in four months. The consumer price index rose 1.4 percent year-over-year in April, faster than the 1.2 percent increase in March. he upward trend in inflation was driven by a 3.3 percent growth in transport charges, mainly driven by a surge in fuel costs, which surged 19.3 percent.
Turkey's retail sales growth accelerated in March to the highest level in more than two years. The volume of retail sales surged 21.2 percent on a yearly basis in March, faster than the 15.6 percent increase in February. Moreover, this was the fastest growth since February 2024, when sales rose 25.8 percent.
Romania's foreign trade deficit increased in March from a year ago as exports grew faster than imports. The trade gap rose to EUR 2.93 billion in March from EUR 2.86 billion in the corresponding month last year. In February, there was also a shortfall of EUR 2.42 billion. Exports climbed 6.2 percent year-on-year in March, and imports rose by 5.3 percent.
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.