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.

Following a two-day monetary policy meeting, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced its widely expected decision to once again leave interest rates unchanged. The Fed said it decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3.50 to 3.75 percent after also leaving rates unchanged after its last meeting in January.

A report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed a slight increase in new orders for U.S. manufactured goods in the month of January. The Commerce Department said factory orders crept up by 0.1 percent in January after falling by 0.4 percent in December. The uptick matched economist estimates.

Producer prices in the U.S. increased by much more than expected in the month of February, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Wednesday. The Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand advanced by 0.7 percent in February after climbing by 0.5 percent in January. Economists had expected producer prices to rise by 0.3 percent.

The Bank of Canada on Wednesday announced its widely expected decision to leave interest rates unchanged for the third straight meeting. The Canadian central bank said it decided to maintain its target for the overnight rate at 2.25 percent, with the Bank Rate at 2.5 percent and the deposit rate at 2.20 percent.

Iceland's central bank decided to raise the interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday as inflation expectations increased amid the escalation of the conflict in the Persian Gulf. The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Iceland decided to raise the seven-day term deposit rate by 25 basis points to 7.50 percent.

Final inflation from the euro area is the only major economic report due on Wednesday.
At 4.00 am ET, final inflation data is due from Austria. The flash estimate showed that consumer price inflation eased to a 13-month low of 2.2 percent in February from 2.0 percent in January.

A report released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday unexpectedly showed a significant rebound by pending home sales in the U.S. in the month of February. NAR said its pending home sales index jumped by 1.8 percent to 72.1 in February after tumbling by 1 percent to a revised 70.8 in January. Economists had expected pending home sales to slump by another 1 percent.

German investor confidence declined significantly in March as the escalating Middle East tension challenges economic recovery and poses risk to inflation. The investor sentiment index declined to -0.5 from +58.3 in February. The score hit the lowest since April 2025 and remained well below the expected score of +38.7.

The New Zealand dollar weakened against most major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday, due to the possibility of an extended war in the Middle East.

Economic confidence from Germany and final inflation from Italy are the top economic news due on Tuesday. At 3.30 am ET, the Federal Statistical Office publishes Swiss producer prices for February. At 5.00 am ET, Italy's statistical office ISTAT is scheduled to release flash inflation data for February. The preliminary estimate showed that consumer price inflation rose to 1.6 percent from 1.0 pe

The Reserve Bank of Australia lifted its benchmark rate for the second straight time as the conflict in the Middle East poses material risk to inflation. In a close call, the policy board, governed by Michele Bullock, decided to hike the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.10 percent. The decision was made by a majority vote, with five members voting to raise the rate.

The National Association of Home Builders released a report on Monday showing a modest improvement in U.S. homebuilder confidence in the month of March. The report said the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index inched up to 38 in March from an upwardly revised 37 in February.

A report released by the Federal Reserve on Monday showed industrial production in the U.S. increased by slightly more than expected in the month of February. The Fed said industrial production rose by 0.2 percent in February after climbing by 0.7 percent in January. Economists had expected industrial production to inch up by 0.1 percent.

New York manufacturing activity was little changed in the month of March, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday. The New York Fed said its general business conditions index fell to a negative 0.2 in March from a positive 7.1 in February, with a negative reading indicating contraction. Economists had expected the index to drop to 3.2.

The U.S. Dollar surged further during the week ended March 13, amidst safe haven demand triggered by the Middle East war.

China's industrial production and retail sales growth exceeded expectations in the January to February period before the war in the Middle East began, official data revealed Monday. Industrial output increased 6.3 percent on a yearly basis, stronger than the 5.2 percent rise in December, the National Bureau of Statistics said. Moreover, the rate exceeded economists' forecast of 5.3 percent.