ING’s Peter Virovacz expects Hungary’s final 2Q26 GDP release to confirm a weaker-than-hoped quarter, with agriculture and construction dragging and services plus industry providing support. Investment is seen as a significant negative surprise on the demand side.

In an interview with Bloomberg on Friday, Cleveland Federal Reserve (Fed) President Beth Hammack said that it is time for the Fed to act with rate hikes, arguing that waiting will create pain.

TD Securities’ Prashant Newnaha and Howard Du expect the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) to raise the Official Cash Rate by 25 bps to 2.75% in September, in line with market pricing.

Nomura’s Euro area team expects the European Central Bank to raise rates by 25 basis points to 2.50% at the 10 September meeting, citing higher HICP inflation and resilient growth.

Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expands by 0.8% QoQ in the second quarter, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Friday. The economy accelerated significantly from the 0.1% growth recorded in the first quarter, which was revised higher from an initial estimate of 0%.

BNY's Geoff Yu notes that month-end rebalancing flows leave the British Pound (GBP) vulnerable, with GBP seen as particularly exposed after strong performance and stretched GBP/USD levels.

Rabobank’s Senior Macro Strategist Bas van Geffen notes that central bankers and market participants are focused on Jackson Hole, where FOMC Chair Warsh will give the keynote. Report highlights his aversion to forward guidance and suggests he may avoid clear policy signals.

OCBC’s Christopher Wong keeps a firmer tactical bias on Platinum, favouring buy-on-dips despite a recent loss of momentum near 1860–1910. Mild bullish momentum remains intact, with key resistance at 1863–1943 and upside potential towards 2065 on a clean breakout.

Iran strongly condemned the latest economic measures imposed by the United States (US) on Friday, describing Washington's sanctions policy as “state terrorism”, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry cited by Reuters.

The Japanese Yen (JPY) is holding within a narrow trading range against the US Dollar (USD) at around 159.35, but pressures are rising following an acceleration in Tokyo inflation data.

Nordea’s Helge J. Pedersen argues that the Japanese Yen appears significantly undervalued versus the Dollar on both OECD purchasing power parity estimates and The Economist’s Big Mac Index.

US investors will watch on Friday a labor market report that is far less familiar than the monthly jobs release but has gained considerable importance following the spectacular revisions of recent years.

OCBC’s Christopher Wong describes Silver as constructive with room for participation to build, as ETF holdings and managed-money positioning rise from light levels. Technical bias is mildly bullish, but momentum is fading near the 70.60–72 resistance band.

DBS Group strategists Taimur Baig and Nathan Chow expect India’s 1QFY27 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to confirm that the economy has weathered geopolitical disruptions better than initially feared.

MUFG’s Michael Wan reviews recent decisions by Bank of Korea (BoK), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Bank of Japan (BoJ), stressing a shared risk-management approach under uncertainty. BoK and BSP both hiked 25 bps but signalled a slower pace ahead while keeping tightening options open.

USD/IDR loses ground for the second successive day, trading around 17,750 during the early European hours on Friday.

Deutsche Bank strategists note that Nvidia’s post-earnings surge drove a sharp rally in technology stocks, lifting the S&P 500 by 0.72% and the Nasdaq by 1.57%.

GBP/USD inches higher after two days of losses, trading around 1.3600 during the Asian hours on Friday. However, the British Pound (GBP) may encounter headwinds as recent declines in Brent crude oil prices ease immediate inflation concerns.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil price declines after two days of gains, trading around $82.70 per barrel during the Asian hours on Friday. Crude oil prices may regain their footing as intensifying conflicts in Eastern Europe pull market attention away from the Middle East.

Iran’s Security Chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Friday that Tehran is preparing a list of its conditions to open the Strait of Hormuz in response to a request by mediators, adding that conditions include ending the war in the region, Reuters reported, citing an interview on Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated

Japan Tokyo CPI ex Fresh Food (YoY) above forecasts (1.7%) in August: Actual (1.8%)

Japan Tokyo CPI ex Food, Energy (YoY): 2% (August)

The headline Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) for August rose 1.9% YoY as compared to 1.8% in the previous month, the Statistics Bureau of Japan showed on Friday.

Japan Tokyo Consumer Price Index (YoY): 1.9% (August) vs previous 2%

Japan Unemployment Rate came in at 2.4%, below expectations (2.5%) in July

Japan Jobs / Applicants Ratio came in at 1.18, below expectations (1.19) in July

Ireland Consumer Confidence: 63.2 (August) vs 61.6

Geoff Yu at BNY reports that China is opposing potential new U.S. Section 301 tariffs while keeping communication channels open. Beijing has threatened “necessary measures” in response to additional duties but continues high-level engagement ahead of a possible Trump–Xi summit.

BNY’s Geoff Yu highlights that the Bank of Korea’s 25bp hike to 3.00% and upgraded growth and inflation forecasts underline ongoing tightening risks. Robust exports and investment are supporting the economy, though stronger demand could fuel inflation and household debt.

OCBC Bank strategists Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong note that USD/SGD traded slightly firmer as resilient US data halted US Dollar downside pressure, though the pair remains subdued and rangebound ahead of Chair Warsh’s Jackson Hole speech.