Market News

NZD/USD surged and is now trading near the 0.5750 price region, starting the Asian session with a bullish bias on Wednesday.

United States API Weekly Crude Oil Stock registered at 10.263M above expectations (-1.3M) in March 27

MUFG’s Senior Currency Analyst Michael Wan highlights that higher Oil prices and potential energy shortages are increasingly weighing on Asian FX.

UOB reports that the central bank of Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) expects 2026 headline inflation to average 1.5%-2.5%, with core inflation at 1.8%-2.3%.

The USD/CHF pair retreats on Tuesday after hitting a year-to-date (YTD) high at 0.8042, hovering below the 0.8000 figure amid growing speculation of a de-escalation of the Middle East conflict. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 0.7997, up 0.01%.

The US Dollar Index (DXY) fell to near the 100.00 region on Tuesday, holding a weak tone as the US Dollar (USD) lost its safe-haven demand amid growing hopes of a de-escalation of the war in the Middle East.

Standard Chartered’s Senior Economist Tommy Wu revises Taiwan’s 2026 macro outlook as higher Oil and LNG prices from Middle East tensions lift import costs. The bank now sees CPI inflation at 2.1% instead of 1.5%, and trims GDP growth to 7.6% from 8.0%.

Commerzbank’s Dr. Henry Hao notes that China’s March PMIs show manufacturing back in expansion, supported by restocking, government spending and resilient exports, while non-manufacturing also edges above 50.

Gold (XAU/USD) price recovers some ground on Tuesday, rallying nearly 3% as the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hinted that the regime is ready to end the war.

According to Societe Generale’s Dev Ashish, higher Oil prices improve Colombia’s outlook, with growth expected to move back toward potential in 2026–27. Inflation expectations are stabilizing, though Oil passthrough could generate temporary upside.

National Bank of Canada (NBC) economists Matthieu Arseneau and Alexandra Ducharme say Canada’s real GDP started 2026 on a firmer footing, with January growth beating expectations and preliminary data pointing to a solid Q1 gain.

Jeffrey Schmid, President of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Kansas City, said on Tuesday that inflation is the more salient risk for the Fed. He added that there is a real risk inflation will get stuck closer to 3%, in a speech to the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City.