Federal Reserve (Fed) Richmond President Thomas Barkin said on Friday that it is prudent to keep interest rates steady for now, as policymakers await greater clarity on the economic outlook.
EUR/USD edges higher on Friday after early weakness, as the US Dollar (USD) pulls back from intraday highs, offering some support to the Euro (EUR). At the time of writing, the pair trades around 1.1545, recovering from a daily low at 1.1501.
ING notes that ECB officials have offered little resistance to hawkish market pricing as Oil rises, reinforcing front-end EUR rate expectations.
Thu Lan Nguyen at Commerzbank has revised Gold forecasts higher, now seeing USD 5,000 per ounce by end-2026 and USD 5,200 next year, despite a recent 15% drop.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) economists Claire Fan and Abbey Xu expect Canadian GDP to be essentially flat in January after December’s 0.2% gain, with weakness concentrated in autos and housing but offset by energy and retail.
Silver (XAG/USD) trades around $68.50 on Friday at the time of writing, up 0.59% on the day, supported by renewed investor interest. Despite this uptick, the white metal remains within a broadly sideways trend, as market participants stay cautious amid an uncertain macroeconomic environment.
Scotiabank strategists Shaun Osborne and Eric Theoret report EUR/USD has slipped slightly below yesterday’s low as Dollar strength persists. ECB data show moderating inflation expectations, while President Lagarde signaled caution on rate moves given energy-price risks.
ING’s Chris Turner notes that Banxico’s 25 bp rate cut to 6.75% came with largely unchanged inflation forecasts and a projection of a return to target in early 2027.
GBP/JPY trades flat on Friday after slipping earlier in the European session, as the Japanese Yen (JPY) strengthened amid rising intervention fears. The move comes as USD/JPY trades within striking distance of the 160.00 level, a key zone that previously prompted action from Japanese authorities.
United States UoM 1-year Consumer Inflation Expectations above forecasts (3.4%) in March: Actual (3.8%)
United States UoM 5-year Consumer Inflation Expectation in line with forecasts (3.2%) in March
United States Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index came in at 53.3 below forecasts (54) in March
