Norway's central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Thursday but signaled future hike to tackle rising inflation fueled by the Middle East conflict. The Monetary and Financial Stability Committee of Norges Bank decided to hold the policy rate at 4.00 percent. The bank had reduced the rate by 25 basis points each in September and June.

German consumer sentiment is set to deteriorate in April due to economic concerns over the war in Iran, survey results published jointly by NIQ/GfK and the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions showed Thursday. The forward-looking consumer sentiment index fell to -28.0 in April from -24.8 in the previous month. The score was forecast to fall moderately to -27.3.

Partly reflecting a significant rebound in prices for fuel imports, the Labor Department released a report on Wednesday showing U.S. import prices increased by much more than expected in the month of February. The Labor Department said import prices jumped by 1.3 percent in February after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.6 percent in January.

UK consumer price inflation remained stable in February, but potential spikes in inflation may prompt the Bank of England to keep the interest rates on hold for an extended period. Consumer prices logged a steady growth of 3.0 percent in February, the Office for National Statistics said. The rate came in line with expectations.

German business confidence declined to a 13-month low in March as the war in the Middle East weighed on expectations, survey data from the ifo Institute revealed Wednesday. The business climate index fell to 86.4 in March from 88.4 in February. Although the reading was slightly above the forecast of 86.2, this was the lowest since February 2025.

Consumer prices from the UK and business sentiment from Germany are due on Wednesday, headlining a busy day for the European economic news. At 3.00 am ET, the Office for Statistics releases UK consumer and producer prices. Inflation is seen unchanged at 3.0 percent in February. Output prices are expected to climb 2.6 percent in February after rising 2.5 percent in January.

The UK private sector registered a marked slowdown in business activity growth in March due to adverse impact of the war in the Middle East, survey results from S&P Global showed Tuesday. The flash composite output index fell more-than-expected to 51.0 in March from 53.7 in February. The score was expected to climb to 52.8.

The euro area private sector growth eased to a ten-month low in March amid a reduction in new orders, and input cost inflation reached the strongest in over three years following the outbreak of war in the Middle East, data published by S&P Global showed Tuesday. The flash composite output index posted 50.5 in March, down from 51.9 in February. The score fell below forecast of 51.0.

Europe's new car registrations recovered in February driven by higher demand for battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA, said Tuesday. Car registrations grew 1.4 percent year-on-year in February, in contrast to the 3.9 percent fall in January.

Flash Purchasing Managers' survey data from the euro area and the UK are the top economic news due on Tuesday. At 4.15 am ET, S&P Global is scheduled to issue France's flash manufacturing and services PMI survey results. The factory PMI is expected to fall to 49.4 in March from 50.1 in February. Likewise, the services PMI is seen falling to 49.2 from 49.6.

Construction spending in the U.S. unexpectedly decreased in the month of January, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Monday. The report said construction spending fell by 0.3 percent to an annual rate of $2.190 trillion in January after climbing by 0.8 percent to a revised rate of $2.198 trillion in December.

The U.S. dollar dropped against major currencies during the week ended March 20 despite escalations in the Middle East war and the fears of a protracted energy price shock. The Dollar's weakness came amidst the Federal Reserve holding rates steady as well as retaining the rate cut projections made in December.

The antipodean currencies such as the Australia and the New Zealand dollar weakened against other major currencies in the European session on Monday, as European stocks fell sharply to hit a four-month low, as further escalation in the U.S.-Iran war spurred inflation concerns.

Russia's central bank cuts its interest rate for the second straight time this year despite rise in oil prices amid conflict in the Middle East. The Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia decided to cut its interest rate by 50 basis points to 15.00 percent. The outcome of the meeting came in line with expectations. The bank had previously reduced the rate by 50 basis points in February.

Public sector finance from the UK and foreign trade from the euro area are the top economic news due on Friday. At 3.00 am ET, the Office for National Statistics publishes UK public sector finance data. Government borrowing is seen at GBP 8.7 billion in February compared to a surplus of GBP 30.4 billion in January.

The European Central Bank left its key interest rates unchanged on Thursday, as expected, for a sixth policy session in a row amid the significant uncertainty caused by the war in the Middle East and raised the inflation forecasts for euro area as policymakers remain concerned about the impact of surging crude oil price, and expressed their readiness to act if needed.

A report released by the Conference Board on Thursday showed a modest decrease by its reading on leading U.S. economic indicators in the month of January. The Conference Board said its leading economic index edged down by 0.1 percent in January after dipping by 0.2 percent in December.

Wholesale inventories in the U.S. unexpectedly decreased in the month of January, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Thursday. The report said wholesale inventories fell by 0.5 percent in January following a revised 0.1 percent dip in December.

A report released by the Commerce Department on Thursday showed a much steeper-than-expected drop in new home sales in the U.S. in the month of January. The Commerce Department said new home sales plunged by 17.6 percent to an annual rate of 587,000 in January after tumbling by 6.8 percent to a revised rate of 712,000 in December.

Manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region continued to expand in the month of March, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia on Thursday. The Philly Fed said its diffusion index for current general activity rose to 18.1 in March from 16.3 in February, with a positive reading indicating growth. Economists had expected the index to pull back to 10.0.

The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing an unexpected dip in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended March 14th. The report said initial jobless claims fell to 205,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 213,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 215,000.

The Bank of England maintained its key interest rate but signaled it is prepared to increase rate to bring inflation back to the target. The Monetary Policy Committee, governed by Andrew Bailey, voted unanimously to maintain Bank Rate at 3.75 percent. The current rate was the lowest since June 2023. Previously, the BoE had reduced the rate by 25 basis points each in August and November last year.

The Swiss franc weakened against other major currencies in the European session on Thursday, after the Swiss National Bank decided to hold its benchmark rate and signaled increased willingness to intervene in the foreign exchange market to counter the excessive appreciation of currency amid the conflict in the Middle East.

The Swiss National Bank decided to hold its benchmark rate and signaled increased willingness to intervene in the foreign exchange market to counter the excessive appreciation of currency amid the conflict in the Middle East. The central bank left its policy rate at zero percent on Thursday, in line with market expectations.

The Bank of Japan maintained its interest rate on Thursday, as widely expected and signaled policy tightening if economic activity and inflation evolve as estimated. The policy board, headed by Ueda Kazuo, decided by 8-1 majority vote, to hold the interest rate at around 0.75 percent. The outcome widely matched expectations. The lone dissenter, Takata Hajime proposed to raise the inteest rate.