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April 23, 2026
First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose in the week ending on April 18, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday. The initial jobless claims climbed to 214,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week’s 208,000.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also crept up to 210,750, an increase of 750 from the previous week's average of 210,000. Continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance, also rose by 12,000 to 1.821 million in the week ending on April 11.
The four-week moving average of continuing claims also inched up to 1,812,250, an increase of 1,250 from the previous week's average of 1,811,000. 04/23/2026 - 09:33:00 (RTTNews)
Euro traded at 1.1709 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
The euro area private sector contracted in April as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East deepened the economic woes. The composite output index fell to a 17-month low of 48.6 in April from 50.7 in March.
The index fell below the 50.0 no-change mark for the first time in 16 months in April. The fall in output was centered on the service sector as the activity shrank for the first time in almost a year and at the steepest pace since February 2021.
Meanwhile, manufacturing output continued to grow, expanding for the fourth consecutive month and at the fastest pace since last August. The services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) registered 47.4 in April. In contrast, the manufacturing PMI rose to 52.2 from 51.6 in the previous month.
New orders fell for the second month in April, and at the fastest pace for almost a year and a half. Business sentiment continued to wane after having hit a 21-month high in February. Sentiments reached their lowest since November 2022. Inflationary pressures strengthened further, with both input costs and output prices rising at the sharpest rates in more than three years.
The war in the Middle East caused substantial supply chain delays in the Eurozone manufacturing sector. While output and new orders dropped in April, firms reduced employment at a marginal pace.
The fall in output was broad-based across the region. In Germany, business activity decreased for the first time in 11 months, while output in France fell at the sharpest pace since February 2025. Germany's composite output index dropped to a 16-month low of 48.3 in April from 51.9 in the previous month. The score was the lowest since December 2024.
The downturn was driven by a marked reduction in service sector business activity, which registered its worst slump in almost three-and-a-half years. The services PMI declined to 46.9 from 50.9 a month ago. At the same time, manufacturing activity growth dropped moderately in April. The corresponding index posted 51.2 to 52.2 the previous month.
France's private sector shrank the most since early 2025 in April, reflecting deterioration in the service sector as manufacturing output grew at the strongest pace in over four years. The flash composite output index fell to a 14-month low of 47.6 in April from 48.8 in March.
The services PMI dropped to 46.5 in April from 48.8 a month ago. The reading was seen at 48.5. On the other hand, the manufacturing PMI posted a 47-month high of 52.8, up from 50.0 in March. 04/23/2026 - 08:25:00 (RTTNews)
French manufacturing confidence rebounded slightly in April and returned to its long-term average. The manufacturing confidence index rose to 100.0 in April from 99.0 in March.
The increase in April was driven by the rebound of the balances on past production and on global order books. The balances of opinion associated with the overall order books improved to -16 from -18.
The opinion regarding past production also strengthened, and the index rose to 3 from -2 in March. Meanwhile, the indicator for personal production expectations eased to 7 from 9, and that for general production outlook turned more negative and fell to -18 from -10.
The overall business confidence index, which is calculated from the responses of the business managers from manufacturing, construction, services, retail, and wholesale trade, weakened sharply to 94 in April from 100 the previous month. 04/23/2026 - 07:13:00 (RTTNews)
British Pound traded at 1.3504 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
The U.K. private sector economy gained momentum in April after posting the weakest growth in six months in March, supported by moderate upturns in both manufacturing production and service sector output.
The composite output index posted 52.0 in April, up from 50.3 in March. A score above 50.0 indicates expansion. Higher levels of output have been recorded in each of the past twelve months, and the latest expansion was slightly stronger than the average over this period.
Manufacturing output returned to growth in April, and business activity in the service economy picked up from March's 11-month low. The services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) climbed to 52.0 from 50.5 in the previous month. At 53.6, the manufacturing PMI hit a 47-month high, up from 51.0 in March.
Total new orders stabilized in April with moderate growth in the manufacturing sector helping to offset a marginal fall in the service economy. Employment decreased for the nineteenth consecutive month in April.
At the composite level, average cost burdens posted the fastest rise in nearly three-and-a-half years. Finally, business optimism fell to its second weakest since December 2022 due to concerns about rising price pressures and the impact of the war on supply chains. 04/23/2026 - 09:03:00 (RTTNews)
Hong Kong's consumer price inflation held steady in March after rising to a 9-month high in the prior month. The consumer price index (CPI) climbed 1.7% year-over-year in March, the same as in February.
Food inflation remained steady at 0.9%, while utility costs grew at a faster pace of 3.9% versus a 3.5% increase in February. Inflation based on transportation slowed to 3.9% from 4.3%, and that on housing eased slightly from 1.1% to 1.0%.
Netting out the effects of all governments' one-off relief measures, the underlying inflation also climbed to 1.6% in March from 1.3% in the previous month. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the average monthly rate of increase in the composite CPI for the 3-month period ending March was 0.2%.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 3.7% for January to March from 3.8% in the December to February period. The unadjusted jobless rate rose to 3.6% from 3.5%. There were 136,600 unemployed people compared to 134,700 in the December to February period. 04/23/2026 - 08:37:00 (RTTNews)
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