Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), explains the ECB's decision to leave key rates unchanged at the April policy meeting and responds to questions from the press.

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), explains the ECB's decision to leave key rates unchanged at the April policy meeting and responds to questions from the press.

Russia Central Bank Reserves $ down to $771.7B from previous $779.5B

ING’s James Smith notes that the Bank of England (BoE) kept rates at 3.75% in April but is moving closer to tightening as the Middle East crisis persists. ING now expects a single June rate hike, with UK inflation seen peaking slightly above 4% this year.

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), explains the ECB's decision to leave key rates unchanged at the April policy meeting and responds to questions from the press.

EUR/JPY declines and trades around 183.60 at the time of writing, after hitting two-week highs above 187.50, amid mixed pressures from European monetary policy and rising intervention risks in Japan.

The Australian Dollar (AUD) reflects a mixed performance against its major currency peers, trading 0.5% higher to near 0.7150 against the US Dollar (USD) during the early North American session on Thursday.

Inflation in the United States (US), as measured by the change in the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, climbed to 3.5% in March from 2.8% in February, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Thursday. This print came in line with the market expectation.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) reported on Thursday that the number of US citizens filing new applications for unemployment insurance falls to 189K for the week ending April 25, while they were expected to have remained steady at 215K from the previous week's revised level.

The US economy is expected to have expanded at an annualised rate of 2.0% in the first quarter of 2026, according to data released Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), missing market forecasts, although coming up from the prior 0.5% expansion.

United States Personal Consumption Expenditures Prices (QoQ) rose from previous 2.9% to 4.5% in 1Q

United States Gross Domestic Product Price Index below expectations (3.8%) in 1Q: Actual (3.6%)

United States Continuing Jobless Claims below forecasts (1.82M) in April 17: Actual (1.785M)

Commerzbank’s strategists report that Gold has faced pressure from higher Oil prices and shifting US rate expectations, even briefly dipping below USD 4,500.

United States Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (QoQ) registered at 4.3% above expectations (4.1%) in 1Q

United States Gross Domestic Product Annualized below forecasts (2.3%) in 1Q: Actual (2%)

United States Personal Consumption Expenditures - Price Index (YoY) meets expectations (3.5%) in March

United States Core Personal Consumption Expenditures - Price Index (YoY) meets expectations (3.2%) in March

United States Personal Consumption Expenditures - Price Index (MoM) meets forecasts (0.7%) in March

United States Core Personal Consumption Expenditures - Price Index (MoM) in line with forecasts (0.3%) in March

United States Personal Spending meets forecasts (0.9%) in March

United States Personal Income (MoM) above forecasts (0.3%) in March: Actual (0.6%)

United States Employment Cost Index above expectations (0.8%) in 1Q: Actual (0.9%)

United States Initial Jobless Claims 4-week average fell from previous 210.75K to 207.5K in April 24

United States Initial Jobless Claims registered at 189K, below expectations (215K) in April 24

Canada Gross Domestic Product (MoM) meets expectations (0.2%) in February

Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey is addressing a press conference and responding to media questions, explaining the reasons behind the central bank’s decision to hold the benchmark policy rate at 3.75% in an 8-1 vote split following the April monetary policy meeting.

TD Securities reports the Bank of Canada (BoC) left rates at 2.25% with a cautious tone, highlighting trade uncertainty and a soft labour market while modestly upgrading 2026 growth. The team expects no policy changes through 2026 and two hikes in 2027.

Eurozone ECB Main Refinancing Operations Rate meets forecasts (2.15%)

Eurozone ECB Rate On Deposit Facility meets forecasts (2%)