During an address broadcast by Iranian state TV, President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to the neighbouring countries for attacks launched following US-Israel strikes but asserted that Tehran will not strike "unless they attack first".
ING economists Lynn Song and Min Joo Kang expect China’s February CPI inflation to pick up to 1.0% year-on-year, mainly due to Lunar New Year effects, while the impact of higher Oil prices should appear later.
OCBC strategists Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong note that USD/CNH has traded higher as Iran-related geopolitical tensions support the Dollar. Beijing has been setting a stronger CNY fix, which has helped stabilise the Renminbi and partially offset broader Asian FX softness.
UOB Global Economics & Markets Research, through Associate Economist Jester Koh, judges that Singapore’s GDP exposure to the Middle East conflict is modest under a short-lived shock scenario.
BNY’s Head of Markets Macro Strategy Bob Savage notes a sharp divergence between CNY forwards and spot, suggesting hedge unwinding alongside asset outflows. CNY has outperformed peers, yet the bank questions its safe haven role as spot flows show large outflows tied to expatriation.
Beth Hammack, President of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Cleveland, said that inflation is too high, adding that inflationary pressures are broad-based at the the United States (US) Monetary Policy Forum in New York City on Friday.
OCBC strategists Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong report that USD/MYR is consolidating near recent highs after an early-week run-up, supported by broader USD strength and soggy risk sentiment. Geopolitical headlines around Iran and energy markets are seen as key drivers.
Susan Collins, President of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Boston, said that to cut interest rates again, the Fed needs to see clear evidence of inflation ebbing, adding that she sees no need to change the monetary policy stance urgently at a gathering in Springfield, Massachusetts on Friday.
ING economists Lynn Song and Min Joo Kang anticipate an upward revision to Japan’s 2025 Q4 GDP, supported by stronger winter bonuses and improving real cash earnings as inflation cools.
Isabel Schnabel, European Central Bank (ECB) member, said that the ECB’s is still in a good place even though the Iran war created some upside inflation risks at the 2026 United States (US) Monetary Policy Forum in New York on Friday.
Stephen Miran, Federal Reserve (Fed) governor said that he is hesitant to read too much into one month’s job report and that policy, adding that if anything, it biases him towards an even more dovish policy in an interview with CNBC on Friday.
ABN AMRO expects China’s CPI inflation to rebound to around 1% year-on-year in February, driven by Lunar New Year spending and base effects after a 0.2% reading in January.
MUFG analysts note that Asia FX will stay driven by the US-Israel conflict with Iran and related energy disruptions, while macro policy divergence also gains importance.
Commerzbank Senior Economist Dr. Christoph Balz notes that US employment fell by 92,000 in February, far below expectations, with revisions also lowering prior months. He highlights possible distortions from a strike and cold weather.