Asia Roundup: Dollar climbs, Asian stocks slide, Gold set for weekly drop -March 13th ,2026

Market Roundup

 • New Zealand Business NZ PMI (Feb): 55.0, 55.1 previous

 • New Zealand Permanent/Long-Term Migration (Jan): 4,460, 3,600 previous

 • New Zealand External Migration & Visitors (Jan): 4.10%, 7.00% previous

 • New Zealand Visitor Arrivals (MoM): 0.9%, 1.6% previous

Looking Ahead Economic Data (GMT)  

 • 07:00 UK GDP (MoM) (Jan): 0.2% forecast, 0.1% previous

 • 07:00 UK Manufacturing Production (MoM) (Jan): 0.2% forecast, -0.5% previous

 • 07:00 UK Industrial Production (MoM) (Jan): 0.3% forecast, -0.9% previous

 • 07:00 UK Monthly GDP 3M/3M Change (Jan): 0.2% forecast, 0.1% previous

 • 07:00 UK Trade Balance (Jan): -22.20B forecast, -22.72B previous

 • 07:00 UK Trade Balance Non-EU (Jan): -10.99B previous

 • 07:00  German WPI (YoY) (Feb): 1.2% previous

 • 07:00  German WPI (MoM) (Feb): 0.3% forecast, 0.9% previous

 • 07:00 Construction Output (MoM) (Jan): 0.0% forecast, -0.5% previous

 • 07:00  Manufacturing Production (YoY) (Jan): 1.5% forecast, 0.5% previous

 • 07:00  U.K. Construction Output (YoY) (Jan): -0.1% forecast, -0.3% previous

 • 07:00  U.K. Industrial Production (YoY) (Jan): 0.6% forecast, 0.5% previous

 • 07:00  U.K. GDP (YoY) (Jan): 0.9% forecast, 0.7% previous

 • 07:00  U.K Index of Services (Jan): 0.3% forecast, 0.0% previous

Looking Ahead Events And Other Releases (GMT)  

 •No Events Ahead

Currency Forecast

EUR/USD : The euro edged lower  on Thursday as dollar was supported by safe-haven demand as the Middle East conflict showed no signs of easing.The U.S. dollar has become the safe-haven of choice during the tumult, putting most other currencies under pressure. The dollar was set for a second consecutive week of gains and is up 2% since the war broke out at the end of February.Oil prices remained close to the closely watched $100 per barrel level, although they eased a bit in early trading on Friday after U.S. issued a 30-day license for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea. Investor focus will switch to a slate of policy meetings next week with the Fed, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England all due to meet, with most expected to keep rates unchanged. The Reserve Bank of Australia is broadly expected to hike rates next week.Immediate resistance can be seen at 1.1521(38.2%fib), an upside break can trigger rise towards 1.1618(50%fib).On the downside, immediate support is seen at 1.1475(Lower BB), a break below could take the pair towards 1.1403(23.6%fib).

GBP/USD: The pound edged lower on Friday   as dollar was supported by safe-haven demand as the Middle East conflict showed no signs of easing. The United States and Israel launched air attacks on Iran almost two weeks ago that killed the nation's supreme leader, prompting retaliatory strikes from Tehran that have expanded the conflict and halted almost all shipping from the Persian Gulf.U.S. President Donald Trump said that he thinks new Supreme Leader Khamenei, the son of the slain head of state, is alive but "damaged," after Iranian state television described him as war-wounded.The spectre of rising inflation has led markets to rapidly reprice what they expect from central banks this year, with traders now anticipating just 20 basis points of easing from the Federal Reserve compared to 50 bps of cuts priced in last month. Immediate resistance can be seen at 1.3372(Daily high), an upside break can trigger rise towards 1.3417(50%fib)).On the downside, immediate support is seen at 1.3286(Lower BB), a break below could take the pair towards 1.3240(61.8%fib).

AUD/USD: The Australian dollar eased on Friday   as escalating tensions in the Middle East rattled investors and heightened risk aversion.Markets remained tense as Iran ramped up attacks and vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, raising oil supply fears.Brent crude surged above $100 a barrel, marking its first close above this level since August 29, 2022, amid heightened geopolitical tensions.The Reserve Bank of Australia’s monetary policy meeting is due on March 16–17 is anticipated to see a 25-basis-point rate hike to 4.10%, in line with market expectations.  Investors are eyeing the U.S. Q4 GDP update and January Core PCE data, with Reuters polls expecting a 0.4% month-on-month rise, which could influence Fed policy expectations.  Immediate resistance can be seen at 0.7092(Daily high), an upside break can trigger rise towards 0.7139(23.6%fib).On the downside, immediate support is seen at 0.7038(38.2%fib), a break below could take the pair towards 0.6981(50%fib)

USD/JPY:  The US dollar edged higher on Friday the dollar continued to strengthened as surging oil prices raised inflation concerns . The war, less than two weeks old, has triggered global economic turmoil, leaving policymakers uncertain whether to tighten or ease policy.  The conflict-driven fuel surge adds to higher import costs from the weak yen, pushing firms to raise prices and keeping inflation above the BOJ’s target for nearly four years.Speaking days after the February 28 U.S. strike on Iran, Kazuo Ueda said the conflict could hurt Japan’s economy by worsening its terms of trade, but warned it could also lift underlying inflation. The BOJ is expected to keep rates unchanged next week, while Ueda is likely to reaffirm the bank’s commitment to further rate hikes and signal room for near-term action. Immediate resistance can be seen at 159.68(23.6%fib) an upside break can trigger rise towards 160.00(Psychological level) .On the downside, immediate support is seen at  156.72(38.2%fib)  a break below could take the pair towards 155.44 (SMA 20).

Equities Recap

Asian stocks fell on Friday  as fading hopes for a U.S.–Israel–Iran war resolution kept oil prices high, fueling inflation concerns..

Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up by  0.33% ,  Hang Seng was up at  1.70 %, China A50 was up at 0.22 %

Commodities Recap

Gold was set for a second straight weekly loss, despite rising Friday, as higher energy prices from the Middle East war reduced expectations for near-term U.S. rate cuts.

Spot gold was up 0.3% at $5,095.55 per ounce, as of 0633 GMT on Friday. U.S. gold futures for April ​delivery fell 0.1% to $5,100.20.

Oil prices were set for weekly gains on Friday, despite the U.S. issuing a 30-day license allowing countries to buy stranded Russian oil and petroleum products.

Brent crude for May rose 0.1% to $100.56 a barrel, on track for a ~9% weekly gain, while U.S. WTI for April slipped 0.2% to $95.57 but remained set for a ~7% weekly rise.