AUD/USD trades around 0.6920 on Thursday at the time of writing, down 0.35% on the day, and remains close to its monthly lows amid a bearish consolidation phase. The pair struggles to stage any meaningful rebound as the US Dollar (USD) continues to draw solid support.
United States EIA Natural Gas Storage Change below forecasts (-49B) in March 20: Actual (-54B)
ING strategists Michiel Tukker and Benjamin Schroeder note that markets continue to price two to three European Central Bank (ECB) rate hikes in 2026, with April odds still elevated. They stress that the ECB must balance data dependence with managing expectations along the curve.
BNY’s Head of Markets Macro Strategy Bob Savage notes that the central bank of Germany, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel has opened the door to an April European Central Bank (ECB) rate hike if Middle East‑driven energy prices elevate inflation risks.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the Greenback’s value against a basket of six major currencies, holds firm on Thursday as the US Dollar remains well supported amid ongoing geopolitical tensions surrounding the US-Israel war with Iran.
TD Securities’ Senior Commodity Strategist Daniel Ghali warns that Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs) are likely to sell Gold unless prices stage a strong rebound in the coming week.
HSBC Global Research expects New Zealand Dollar (NZD) to stay under pressure versus USD in coming weeks, even as markets price further Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) tightening over 12 months.
South Africa SARB Interest Rate Decision meets expectations (6.75%)
ING’s Ewa Manthey and Warren Patterson note that NYMEX WTI and ICE Brent are up around 2% after sharp volatility around $100/bbl as markets react to conflicting US‑Iran ceasefire signals.
Russia Central Bank Reserves $ dipped from previous $803.2B to $776.8B
Nordea's Chief economist Kjetil Olsen and Senior Macro and FX Strategist Sara Midtgaard note that the central bank of Norway, Norges Bank now signals a policy rate hike to 4.25% at an upcoming meeting, with the new path pointing to 4.25–4.50% by year-end.
Brown Brothers Harriman’s (BBH) Elias Haddad notes USD/JPY is trading just below 160.00 as the Bank of Japan (BoJ) releases new underlying CPI indicators, which remain below the 2% target but are converging toward it.
