Euro zone consumers raised their inflation expectations in March for the first time since the autumn, even as the rate of price growth fell and the European Central Bank kept raising interest rates, an ECB survey showed on Thursday.

European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos on Thursday singled out the rising price of services as his top concern in the ECB's fight against inflation, saying they were being driven up by higher wages.

China's securities watchdog on Thursday said that it was willing to work with its counterparts in the United States to promote regulatory cooperation on audits and safeguard the rights and interests of global investors.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped to a 1-1/2-year high last week, pointing to cracks in the labor market as demand slows, potentially giving the Federal Reserve room to halt further interest rate increases next month.

An extended period of high interest rates and an inverted yield curve could put more stress on banks, but would be necessary if inflation stays stubbornly high, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said on Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that a U.S. debt default prompted by failure to raise the country's debt ceiling would have "very serious repercussions" for the U.S. economy as well as the global economy, including likely higher borrowing costs.