Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he has issued an instruction to start direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible”, the Washington Post reported on Friday. However, Netanyahu insisted that Israel’s attacks across the country targeting Hezbollah would continue.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that the government is weighing a plan to release approximately 20 days' worth of additional oil reserves starting from early May onwards, Reuters reported on Friday.

Japan Producer Price Index (YoY) registered at 2.6% above expectations (2.4%) in March

Japan Producer Price Index (MoM) below expectations (0.9%) in March: Actual (0.8%)

Japan Bank Lending (YoY) came in at 4.8%, above expectations (4.4%) in March

US President Donald Trump accused Iran of doing a "very poor job" of handling oil through the Strait of Hormuz and is saying it was "not the agreement we have,” BBC reported late Thursday. Trump further stated that Iran "better not be" charging ships to pass through the key waterway.

The National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS) will publish its data for March at 01.30 GMT. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is expected to show a rise of 1.2% YoY in March, compared to 1.3% in February.

Colombia Consumer Price Index (MoM) registered at 0.78% above expectations (0.69%) in March

Colombia Consumer Price Index (YoY) came in at 5.56%, above expectations (5.47%) in March

New Zealand Business NZ PMI dipped from previous 55 to 53.2 in March

DBS Group Research economist Radhika Rao highlights sharp swings in Indonesian assets, with the Rupiah, bonds and equities rebounding after recent losses.

BNY Strategist Geoff Yu highlights that CNY initially behaved like a secondary safe haven during the conflict, with strong performance and managed volatility, while flows showed an inverse relationship with CGB holdings.

DBS Group Research economist Ma Tieying assesses Taiwan’s 2Q 2026 macro outlook, noting that the economy entered 2026 with strong growth and low inflation, supported by AI-related exports and easing US tariff pressures.

Argentina Industrial Output n.s.a (YoY) declined to -8.7% in February from previous -3.2%

ABN AMRO's Senior Economist Arjen van Dijkhuizen highlights that global manufacturing PMI slipped from 51.8 in February to 51.3 in March, largely linked to the Iran conflict.

United States 30-Year Bond Auction: 4.876% vs 4.871%

United States 4-Week Bill Auction dipped from previous 3.62% to 3.56%

BNY Strategist Geoff Yu argues that European rate markets still discount too many hikes for the European Central Bank (ECB), Bank of England (BoE) and Swiss National Bank (SNB) despite an improvement in global risk sentiment following the U.S.–Iran ceasefire.

United States EIA Natural Gas Storage Change above expectations (41B) in April 3: Actual (50B)

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said on Thursday that central banks should hike interest rates if inflation expectations threaten to de-anchor and ignite an inflation spiral, per Reuters.

OCBC strategists Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong note that USD/CNH has fallen sharply on a stronger Chinese Yuan (CNY) fix and improved risk sentiment following the US-Iran ceasefire.

United States Wholesale Inventories above expectations (-0.2%) in February: Actual (0.8%)

Commerzbank economists Bernd Weidensteiner and Christoph Balz highlight that recent US labor market indicators, especially nonfarm payrolls and hours worked, have become unusually volatile and subject to larger revisions.

Russia Central Bank Reserves $ down to $767.5B from previous $775.4B

The United States' (US) real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded at an annual rate of 0.5% in the fourth quarter, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis' third estimate showed on Thursday.

Inflation in the United States, as measured by the change in the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, held steady at 2.8% in February, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported on Thursday. This print came in line with the market expectation.

According to a report from the US Department of Labour (DOL) released on Thursday, the number of US citizens submitting new applications for unemployment insurance increased to 219K for the week ending April 4.

United States Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (QoQ) meets expectations (2.7%) in 4Q

United States Personal Consumption Expenditures Prices (QoQ) meets forecasts (2.9%) in 4Q

United States Personal Spending in line with expectations (0.5%) in February