AUD/USD halts its five-day losing streak, trading around 0.6860 during the Asian hours on Tuesday. The pair advances as the Australian Dollar (AUD) receives support after the Reserve Bank of Australia released its March Meeting Minutes.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) published the Minutes of its March monetary policy meeting this Tuesday, which showed that board members agreed that further tightening would likely be needed.
OCBC notes that the Malaysian Ringgit has weakened alongside regional peers despite Malaysia’s commodity‑exporter status.
Commerzbank highlights that Thailand’s February manufacturing output was flat year-on-year, hurt by refinery maintenance and softer external demand linked to a strong Thai Baht (THB). Authorities have cut fuel subsidies and excise taxes as Oil prices surge, but fiscal space is constrained.
MUFG’s Senior Currency Analyst Lloyd Chan highlights that prolonged US–Iran tensions and potential damage to Middle Eastern energy infrastructure are increasingly weighing on Asian currencies.
John Williams, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Fed), said that monetary policy is well-positioned for any unusual circumstances. He told Reuters that the job market is still sending out mixed signals on Monday.
HSBC Asset Management highlights that Emerging Markets have weathered higher Oil prices and a stronger Dollar better than in past cycles, thanks to stronger policy frameworks and diverse country exposures.
DBS Group Research economists analyses Asia’s bond markets under the current geopolitical shock. The note says India and Indonesia have seen yields rise but less dramatically than Western peers, while South Korea faces greater volatility.
BNY’s Head of Markets Macro Strategy Bob Savage highlights that improving regional PMI momentum, South Korea’s WGBI inclusion and solid export data support growth across Asia-Pacific, but geopolitical uncertainty and higher Oil prices weigh on FX.
ING’s Frantisek Taborsky expects a risk-off tone in CEE markets as higher Oil prices and geopolitical tensions test already elevated central bank hike pricing.
Societe Generale economists expect Euro area headline inflation to rise sharply in March, driven by higher energy costs, while core inflation eases slightly.
Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell said that there is tension between the Fed's two objectives, while participating in a moderated discussion at the Harvard University Principles of Economics Class in Cambridge, per Reuters.
Stephen Miran, a member of the Federal Reserve (Fed), said that inflation expectations have not been affected yet by higher Oil prices. He told CNBC on Monday that he is still concerned about the labor market, even though the Fed can accommodate that.