On Friday, the spotlight will be on economic indicators from the UK and France, showcasing retail sales, public sector finance data, and business confidence metrics amid a relatively light European economic news day.
At 2:00 AM ET, the UK's Office for National Statistics will release the latest figures for retail sales and public sector finance. Retail sales are anticipated to increase by 0.3% month-on-month in August, following a 0.5% rise in July. Concurrently, the budget deficit is expected to expand to GBP 12.1 billion in August, up from GBP 2.18 billion in the previous month.
Simultaneously, Destatis is set to publish Germany's producer price data for August. Economists predict a 1.0% annual decline in producer prices, following a 0.8% decrease in July.
At 2:45 AM ET, France's statistical office INSEE will report on business confidence through its latest survey data. The manufacturing sentiment index is projected to remain steady at 99 in September.
Later, at 10:00 AM ET, the European Commission will release the euro area flash consumer sentiment survey data. The confidence index is expected to improve slightly, from -13.5 in August to -13.0 in September.
