The war in the Middle East intensified over the weekend, leading to opening gaps across the FX board.

US energy secretary Chris Wright said that he expects the United States (US)–Israel war with Iran to end within “the next few weeks,” with oil supplies rebounding and energy costs declining afterwards, the Guardian reported on Sunday.

New Zealand Electronic Card Retail Sales (MoM) rose from previous -1.1% to 1.4% in February

New Zealand Electronic Card Retail Sales (YoY) rose from previous 0.4% to 1.5% in February

New Zealand Business NZ PSI declined to 48 in February from previous 50.9

After US President Donald Trump called on allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is planning to announce that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition to escort ships through the corridor.

South Korea’s presidential office said in a statement on Sunday, “we will communicate closely with the US regarding this matter and make a decision after careful review.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the country’s military, said in its social media post on X that Iran continued to launch missiles toward the territory of the State of Israel.

In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, US President Donald Trump commented on the military strikes on the Kharg Island and whether he was prepared to make a deal with Iran while pressing allies once again to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the US struck military targets at a strategic Iranian outpost in the Persian Gulf and warned it could hit oil infrastructure next if Tehran keeps disrupting energy flows in the Strait of Hormuz, intensifying the two-week conflict in the region.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has released a 38-page Mandate outlining its long-term governance approach and role within the Ethereum ecosystem. Published on Friday, the document is intended to serve as a guiding framework for the Foundation as Ethereum continues to evolve.

Ethereum's (ETH) open interest (OI) on Friday has surged to 13.67M ETH, its highest level since January 30 and the same levels as the pre-October leverage flush. Open interest is the total worth of outstanding contracts in a derivatives market.

The Euro finalized the week posting losses of over 1.74% against the Greenback and 0.84% in the day. The EUR/USD posted four bearish days after falling below the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 1.1672, turning the pair bearishly biased. At the time of writing, the pair trades at 1.1414.

An article of the Wall Street Journal mentioned that a Federal Judge threw out a pair of subpoenas that the Justice Department issued to the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Gold price loses some 0.70% on Friday. It seems poised to end the week with losses of more than 2% as the Greenback remains the choice for safety amid the Middle East conflict, which has increased investors' angst over a reacceleration of inflation.

A massive trade on the decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Aave (AAVE) has triggered debate across the crypto industry after a user lost nearly $50 million in a single transaction due to extreme slippage.

United States CFTC Gold NC Net Positions climbed from previous $160.1K to $163.1K

United Kingdom CFTC GBP NC Net Positions down to £-84.2K from previous £-72.7K

United States CFTC Oil NC Net Positions up to 228K from previous 172.2K

Australia CFTC AUD NC Net Positions dipped from previous $67.8K to $54.2K

United States CFTC S&P 500 NC Net Positions climbed from previous $-168.2K to $-134.5K

Eurozone CFTC EUR NC Net Positions declined to €105.1K from previous €136.5K

Japan CFTC JPY NC Net Positions dipped from previous ¥-16.6K to ¥-41.4K

OCBC strategists Sim Moh Siong and Christopher Wong highlight that USD/KRW has pushed toward 1,495, reflecting KRW’s high-beta nature during geopolitical stress and energy price spikes.

The US Dollar (USD) is ending the week on a firmer stance as the US/Israeli war against Iran closes in on two weeks. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has spiked Oil prices, boosting inflation risks and prompting investors to hide in safe-haven currencies like the Greenback.

Commerzbank’s Senior Economist Dr. Henry Hao expects upcoming China data to confirm a structural divergence: Industrial Production around 5.5% year-on-year, supported by a 21.8% export surge in green tech, versus modest 3.0% retail sales and subdued Fixed-Asset Investment near 1.5%.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the Greenback's value against a basket of six major currencies, extends its advance on Friday and is set for a second consecutive weekly gain amid escalating Middle East tensions, which continue to boost demand for the US Dollar (USD).