ING’s Chief Economist for Greater China, Lynn Song, notes that Taiwan’s April trade data showed slower export and import growth versus expectations, with the trade surplus easing to USD14.35bn.

Standard Chartered’s Aldian Taloputra notes Indonesia’s GDP growth accelerated to 5.6% year-on-year in Q1 2026, driven by front-loaded fiscal stimulus, seasonal festival spending and limited pass-through from higher Oil prices.

MUFG economists Lin Li, Michael Wan, Lloyd Chan and Khang Sek Lee outline a base case where the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by end‑May eases pressures on Asian currencies.

United Kingdom CFTC GBP NC Net Positions down to £-63.9K from previous £-60.6K

United States CFTC Gold NC Net Positions climbed from previous $159.6K to $163.3K

United States CFTC S&P 500 NC Net Positions fell from previous $-101.4K to $-103.9K

United States CFTC Oil NC Net Positions dipped from previous 191.9K to 178.8K

Australia CFTC AUD NC Net Positions: $78.7K vs $71.9K

Eurozone CFTC EUR NC Net Positions dipped from previous €35.7K to €32.2K

Japan CFTC JPY NC Net Positions increased to ¥-61.7K from previous ¥-102.1K

Commerzbank’s Thu Lan Nguyen argues that any relief from a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for Aluminium will likely be short‑lived.

ING’s Peter Virovacz notes that Hungary’s inflation accelerated in April but remained a positive surprise versus expectations, with headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) at 2.1% year-on-year and 0.4% month-on-month.

DBS Group Research economist Radhika Rao assesses how a projected below normal monsoon in India, linked to a strong El Niño, could affect growth and inflation.

Wells Fargo Economics expects April U.S. CPI to firm, with headline inflation rising toward 3.8% year-over-year and core near 2.9%.

Nomura’s analysts see the Iran war keeping UK inflation above target until mid-2027 and weakening the 2026 growth outlook beyond Q1. UK GDP growth slowed to 0.1% q-o-q in both Q3 and Q4 2025.

In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said that the job market is "pretty stable."

ING’s Carsten Brzeski highlights that German industrial production weakened further in March, with a 0.7% monthly decline leaving first-quarter output more than 1% below late 2025 levels.

Commerzbank strategists expect Brent to retain a significant risk premium even if a US–Iran agreement is reached and the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

Turkey Treasury Cash Balance increased to -251.242B in April from previous -279.58B

Nomura’s George Buckley and team argue that even a swift resolution to the US-Iran war and reopening of the Strait would not necessarily stop the European Central Bank (ECB) from raising rates in June.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) economist Claire Fan notes that Canada lost 18,000 jobs in April, bringing total job losses in 2026 to 112,000, while the unemployment rate rose to 6.9%. Hours worked were flat and participation increased.

American consumer confidence is expected to have deflated in early May, as households have been growing more pessimistic about current conditions and the broader economic outlook, according to preliminary data from the University of Michigan.

United States UoM 1-year Consumer Inflation Expectations down to 4.5% in May from previous 4.7%

United States UoM 5-year Consumer Inflation Expectation declined to 3.4% in May from previous 3.5%

United States Michigan Consumer Expectations Index climbed from previous 48.1 to 48.5 in May

United States Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index below forecasts (49.5) in May: Actual (48.2)

United States Wholesale Inventories came in at 1.3%, below expectations (1.4%) in March

Commerzbank’s Bernd Weidensteiner notes that United States (US) employment rose by 115,000 in April, beating expectations and signaling a recovery after prior weakness. The six‑month average of job gains is picking up again, supported by strong corporate profits and favorable financing conditions.

ING’s Frantisek Taborsky reports that the Czech National Bank and National Bank of Poland kept rates unchanged but signalled different risk balances. He sees limited scope for further tightening in Czech Republic and a prolonged hold in Poland with conditional tightening risks.

TD Securities strategists Robert Both and Emma Lawrence note that weaker Canadian employment in April, including job losses and a higher unemployment rate, is unlikely to bring the Bank of Canada (BoC) closer to rate cuts.