West Texas Intermediate (WTI) – the US oil benchmark – has opened the week with a bullish gap, climbing roughly 8%, looking to retarget the $100 threshold.
USD/JPY extends its winning streak for the third successive day, trading around 159.80 during the Asian hours on Monday.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the “Forces will start blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on Monday, 10 AM ET” (14:00 GMT).
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said early Monday that “Iran engaged with the US in good faith to end the war.”
EUR/USD weakens on risk-off sentiment, which could be attributed to the United States (US)-Iran peace talk failure. The pair is trading around 1.1670 during the Asian hours after opening at a gap down on Monday.
Citing officials and people familiar with the situation, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Monday that White House advisers are considering resuming limited military strikes in Iran along with the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a way to break a deadlock in peace talks.
AUD/USD recovers slightly after a gap-down open but remains in negative territory, trading around 0.7010 during the Asian hours on Monday.
New Zealand Business NZ PSI declined to 46 in March from previous 48
Here’s all you need to know about the developments in the Middle East war that took place over the weekend, which are expected to have a significant impact on the markets in the upcoming week.
ING’s Chief Economist for Greater China, Lynn Song, notes that China’s CPI inflation eased to 1.0% year-on-year after Lunar New Year, while PPI turned positive for the first time since 2022.
DBS Group Research expects Malaysia’s 1Q26 advance Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow 5.5% year-on-year, slightly below 6.3% in 4Q25 but still robust. Growth is seen supported by export-oriented electrical and electronics manufacturing, global AI tailwinds, construction and domestic demand.
TD Securities expects China’s March exports to normalize after a strong Jan–Feb report, while imports could surprise on the upside as authorities stockpile key goods and commodities during the US–Iran conflict. Rising input costs may slow production and weigh on exports.
