Equity markets in the US finished higher over the week as the Middle East conflict continued to dominate headlines. President Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday, insisting that the US would achieve its goals for the war “very shortly”, but vowing to hit Iran “extremely hard” over the coming weeks. On the macro front, JOLTS data showed that US job openings fell more than expected in February, with hiring dropping to the lowest level in almost six years. Nonfarm payrolls data showed that the US economy added 178,000 jobs in March, surpassing the 60,000 consensus forecast.

In the Eurozone, a preliminary estimate showed that inflation increased to 2.5% in March, driven higher by soaring energy prices. In the UK, Q4…