The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, comes to a close after drawing a raft of business leaders, politicians, central bankers and campaigners.
U.K. retail sales disappointed Friday, coming down by 3.2% in December, significantly more than expected.
It was the largest monthly fall since January 2021, when pandemic measures restricted sales, the Office for National Statistics said.
The technology sector drove a solid rally Thursday, after Bank of America analysts upgraded their Apple rating to "buy."
Asia-Pacific stocks were also higher, with TSMC surging and Japanese inflation cooling to its lowest level since June 2022.
Persons:
Read
Organizations:
Economic, European Central Bank, National Statistics, U.S, Congress, Bank of America
Locations:
Davos, Switzerland, Asia, Pacific