British retail sales stagnated in March despite high inflation easing recently, representing the first time that they have not grown in monthly terms since December, the Office for National Statistics said.
Most Asian stocks rose on Monday, rebounding from steep losses in the prior week amid growing bets that a conflict between Iran and Israel will not worsen, although sentiment still remained on edge.
Oil prices fell at Asia's open on Monday, dragged down by a renewed focus on market fundamentals, as Israel and Iran played down the risks of an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East after Israel's apparently small strike on Iran.
The euro and yen were relatively steady in early Asian trading on Monday and the U.S. dollar stayed near its highs after last week's hectic policy and geopolitical developments.
Most Asian stocks fell sharply on Friday after reports of Israeli strikes on Iran further ramped up concerns over worsening geopolitical conditions in the Middle East, while persistent warnings on U.S. interest rates also battered sentiment.
Britain's latest wage growth and services price inflation data is too high for the Bank of England to consider cutting interest rates, BoE policymaker Megan Greene said on Thursday.