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Sentiment across the European economy weakened again in March, with confidence in services and retail slumping. The euro area’s index fell to 95.2, deepening doubts over recovery momentum.View on euronews

Wall Street's main indexes took a step back on Friday, as fresh data highlighted an uptick in underlying price pressures that surpassed expectations, igniting concerns that the Trump administration's tariff strategies might further fan the flames of inflation. A Commerce Department report showed the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price index rose in line with what economists polled by Reuters were expecting. Equities have endured pronounced downturns over the past month, fueled by apprehensions that President Donald Trump's policies could usher the economy into an era of elevated inflation and sluggish growth, potentially casting a shadow over the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.

“If you believe the latest survey data…you would think the economy is on the cusp of a recession,” said Jeffrey Roach, LPL Financial chief economist.

Americans just feel like they can’t catch an financial break. You know the feeling. You go to the grocery store, you look at the prices and want to channel your inner Vince Lombardi: “What the [heck] is going on out here?”

(Bloomberg) -- Oil headed for a third weekly advance as the market braced for more tariffs from the Trump administration due early next week.Most Read from BloombergWhy Did the Government Declare War on My Adorable Tiny Truck?Gold-Rush Fever Returns to Historic New Zealand Mining TownHow SUVs Are Making Traffic WorseTrump Slashed International Aid. Geneva Is Feeling the Impact.These US Bridges Face High Risk of Catastrophic Ship StrikesBrent traded near $74 a barrel after closing 0.3% higher on

LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices were set for a third weekly gain on Friday as the U.S. ramped up pressure on Venezuela and Iran, though worries over whether Washington's tariff war could curb demand weighed on markets. U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced new 25% tariffs on potential buyers of Venezuelan crude, days after U.S. sanctions targeting China's imports from Iran. The order compounded uncertainty for buyers and saw trade of Venezuelan oil to top buyer China stall.

Richmond Federal Reserve President Tom Barkin said he did not expect consumers to face the full brunt of the 25% tax the Trump administration has set on imported cars, but added firms will have difficult choices ahead on pricing and profit margins. "My instinct is that the blunt top line number will not be the number that is faced by consumers," Barkin said. For the Fed that could mean spillovers to the job market if firms try to limit price hikes by shedding workers.