| Time | Country | Event | Period | Previous value | Forecast | Actual |
|---|
| 09:00 | Eurozone | Industrial confidence | April | -0.5 | 0.1 | -2.6 |
| 09:00 | Eurozone | Consumer Confidence | April | -19.1 | -17.5 | -17.5 |
| 09:00 | Eurozone | Economic sentiment index | April | 99.2 | 99.9 | 99.3 |
EUR strengthened against most of its major rivals in the European session on Thursday as markets continue to contemplate the potential size of the European Central Bank's next interest rate hike.
The latest set of economic reports from the euro area, indicating a stabilization in economic sentiment in the region in April along with a moderation in inflation expectations, did not provide a clear answer on the question of whether a rate increase of 25 basis points or 50 basis points is to be approved at the ECB next week’s meeting.
The European Commission reported earlier today that its economic sentiment index edged up to 99.3 this month from 99.2 in March, reflecting improvements in morale among service providers, retailers, and consumers, which were offset by a deterioration in confidence among industrial producers. Economists, however, had expected the indicator to rise to 99.9 in April.
The report also revealed the measure of consumer inflation expectations in the eurozone decreased to 15.1 in April from 18.8 in the previous month. That was the lowest reading since December 2020, but still elevated.