Federal Reserve WILLIAMS said it is difficult to detect fundamental shifts in productivity in real time.

Sweden's prime minister said he will meet Ukraine's president on Thursday and will announce aircraft-related news then.

U.S. new single-family home sales fell 6.2% in April from March to a 622,000 annualized pace, below economists' 660,000 forecast, government data showed on Thursday. The drop at the start of the spring selling season indicates builders' incentives and more lower-priced construction have not offset rising mortgage rates, leaving affordability stretched for lower-income buyers. The result underscores that the U.S. housing market remains mired in a roughly three-year slump.