Author: admin

United States (US) President Donald Trump just confirmed on Truth Social that US representatives are going to Islamabad, where negotiations with Iran will take place on Monday. However, he also ranted on Tehran’s decision to re-close the Strait of Hormuz, and once again, threatened to destroy all Iranian power plants and bridges.Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They…

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India has opened an exclusive foreign exchange window for supplying dollars to state-run refiners, easing pressure on the spot exchange rate, currency analysts, bankers and traders told ET. It’s likely routed through state-run lenders such as the State Bank of India, they said.The central bank has used this strategy previously to ease pressure on the rupee–during the socalled taper tantrum of 2013, the Russian-Ukraine war and on occasions when demand from oil companies added to pressure on the currency.“On an average, daily dollar demand from oil companies is around $500-550 million,” said Anil Bhansali, head…

USD/CHF finishes the week on a lower note, down 0.87% for the week and 0.27% in the day, as markets turn optimistic about a possible US-Iran deal over the weekend. In the meantime, the technical picture remains bearish, as the pair tumbled below key moving averages, hitting a five-week low at 0.7775.USD/CHF Price Forecast: Technical outlookThe daily chart shows the pair ended the day below the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 0.7825—the last of a group of four that included the 20-, 100-, and 200-day SMAs —, opening the door for further downside. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is…

US President Donald Trump said he can trust Iranians, according to an interview with ABC News. Trump added that talks will take place only in Islamabad and resume over the weekend.He added that he doesn’t think there are many significant differences, while saying that the US will be working with Tehran to remove its enriched uranium. Trump added that Iran would not be receiving money for the exchange, commenting that reports of a $20 billion payment are “fake news.”Key highlights:Steve [Witkoff] and Jared [Kushner] will be going out, and maybe J.D. [Vance]. Haven’t spoken to J.D. about that yetIslamabad only.…

DBS Group Research expects Singapore’s March 2026 core and headline inflation to rise to 1.6% and 1.8% year-on-year, from 1.4% and 1.2% in February. The report links this to imported energy price pressures after the Middle East conflict. Higher costs are likely in transport and travel services, while electricity, gas and food price pressures remain contained for now.Energy-driven uptick in March inflation”Singapore’s inflation data for March 2026 will likely reflect the initial impact of the energy shock stemming from the Middle East conflict.””We expect core and headline inflation to rise to 1.6% yoy and 1.8% yoy, respectively, in March, up…

UBS Chief Economist Paul Donovan assesses how Artificial Intelligence (AI) may affect productivity and whether the European Union (EU) could gain an advantage over the United States (US). He notes that AI’s productivity impact remains largely potential, but argues that education structures and skill distributions across workforces in the US, key European economies and the United Kingdom (UK) could shape relative competitiveness as AI adoption spreads.AI productivity and education-driven edge”The potential for the shiny new toy of artificial intelligence to generate productivity is still more an ideal than a reality.””But adopting any new technology should eventually improve economic efficiency (otherwise,…

Silver (XAG/USD) price surges over 4% on Friday, reclaiming $81.00 a troy ounce as the Greenback gets battered on positive news around the Middle East conflict. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a second round of talks between the US and Iran pushed precious metals higher, and the white metal is no exception. At the time of writing, the XAG/USD pair trades at $81.82.XAG/USD Price Forecast: Technical OutlookThe white metal advanced steadily on Friday, rallying for the fourth straight week and reaching a five-week high at $83.06 before retreating to $81.00. Price action seems constructive, and if Silver…

DBS Group Research economists highlight that China’s Q1 2026 GDP growth accelerated to 5.0% year-on-year, driven by strong external demand and resilient industrial production, while domestic demand in consumption, investment and credit stayed weak. Improving PPI and CPI readings reduce urgency for aggressive monetary easing, leading DBS to scale back its 2026 1Y LPR cut forecast to 10 basis points.External resilience, softer domestic momentum”China’s economic growth accelerated from 4.5%yoy in Q4 2025 to 5.0% in Q1 2026, started of with a solid footing. Industrial activity remained well supported by strong external demand, while domestic momentum stayed uneven, with consumption, investment,…

Gold (XAU/USD) price rallies on Friday ahead of the weekend, breaking past the $4,850 level and rising more than 1.50%, as the US-Iran conflict seems to be de-escalating after Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, easing inflationary pressures worldwide. Energy prices tumble, with WTI, the US crude oil benchmark, down more than 9%, while the US Dollar falls to a seven-week low.Bullion rallies as falling Oil revives Fed cut hopes for 2026Middle East news remains the focus for market participants, who tend to react strongly to headlines suggesting the conflict may end. The source was different: the Iranian Foreign Minister…

MUFG’s Senior Currency Analyst Lloyd Chan notes that improved diplomatic signals in the Middle East have boosted risk sentiment, softening the US Dollar (USD) and supporting Asian FX. However, high US front-end yields still underpin the Dollar, and bond markets remain cautious. Chan highlights that Asian currencies have rebounded on expectations of a quicker resolution, but warns recent gains could prove vulnerable if diplomacy stalls.De-escalation narrative lifts Asia FX”FX-wise, the USD has also softened on improved risk appetite, but still-high US front end rates are keeping a supportive carry backdrop for the dollar, with the US 2-year yield remaining above…