The KOF Swiss Economic Institute's economic barometer increased to 98 points in May from the revised 97.8 points in April, according to a Friday release.
Analysts expected 98 points for the month.
KOF said the figure, which remains below the indicator's medium-term average, reflects a "muted" Swiss economy.
Chinese export prices rose 5% in April, their sharpest increase since April 2023, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing raw data from the General Administration of Customs released Thursday.Prices of petroleum exports were among those that gained the highest, rising 22% year over year, while fertilizers, dependent on natural gas, grew 17%, the report said.Electronics export prices jumped by more than 20%, the report said.The increase reflects spillover effects from the Iran war, according to the news agency.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)
France's monthly household consumption declined 0.5% in April, following a revised 0.9% growth in March, according to data from statistics agency Insee published Friday.Analysts expected a 0.1% decrease for the month.
France's private nonfarm payroll employment fell 0.1% in the first quarter, consistent with the prior three-month period, final data from statistics agency Insee showed Friday.The final reading confirms the preliminary data.On a yearly basis, private payroll employment in France was down 0.3%.