German Gloom Dampens Stocks as Fed, ECB Meetings Beckon

A passerby walks past an electric monitor displaying various countries' stock price index outside a bank in Tokyo, Japan, on March 22, 2023. Issei Kato/Reuters

LONDON—A stagnant German economy and sliding yen overshadowed buoyant tech earnings to send shares lower on Friday, with investors betting that next week’s batch of central bank meetings will point towards a levelling off in interest rates.

Oil headed for a second week of declines after data on Thursday showing the U.S. economy slowing more than expected in the first quarter.