BNY Strategist Geoff Yu says the Swiss National Bank is prepared to intervene in FX markets as safe-haven flows lift the Swiss Franc, but stresses that real effective exchange rate dynamics give the SNB room to tolerate nominal strength.

Standard Chartered strategist Nicholas Chia now expects the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise the cash rate to 4.10% at the 17 March meeting, reversing a prior call for a hold. The bank still anticipates another hike in Q2, lifting its terminal rate forecast to 4.35%.

Commerzbank strategists note that Oil and Brent prices extended gains even after the IEA agreed a record emergency release, as markets focus on hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz and potential US policy shifts to boost production.

The EUR/JPY cross loses ground to near 183.55 during the early European session on Thursday, pressured by safe-haven flows.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil prices trim a part of strong intraday gains to the $94.75-$94.80 region on Thursday, though the downside seems limited amid supply disruption fears.

Simon Gerovich, CEO of the Japan-based publicly listed investment firm Metaplanet (TYO: 3350), announced the launch of Metaplanet Ventures and Metaplanet Asset Management in an X post on Thursday.

The Chinese government has effectively banned refined fuel exports for March "with immediate effect”, Reuters reported on Thursday. This measure comes as another step to pre-empt a potential domestic fuel shortage caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The USD/CHF pair gathers strength to around 0.7820 during the early European session on Thursday. The US Dollar (USD) strengthens against the Swiss Franc (CHF) as soaring oil prices threaten to spur inflation and force the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to adopt more hawkish policy stances.

Cardano (ADA) is approaching the descending trendline, trading at $0.26 as of writing on Thursday, and a potential breakout would suggest an upside move.

The AUD/USD pair attracts some sellers during the Asian session on Thursday, and for now, seems to have snapped a four-day winning streak to its highest level since June 2022, around the 0.7185 region, touched the previous day.

NZD/USD remains weaker for the third consecutive day, trading around 0.5900 during the Asian hours on Thursday. The pair declines as the US Dollar (USD) remains stronger, as surging energy prices heightened inflationary risks and reduced the likelihood of Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate cuts.

Ripple Labs has reportedly launched a new share buyback program to repurchase up to $750 million in shares from employees and early investors, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

Gold (XAU/USD) trades with a negative bias for the second consecutive day on Thursday, though it lacks follow-through selling and stalls the intraday slide near the $5,125 area.

Gold prices fell in India on Thursday, according to data compiled by FXStreet.

USD/INR continues its winning streak for the third successive session on Thursday.

The AUD/JPY cross attracts some sellers to near 113.40 during the early European session on Thursday. Escalating tensions in the Middle East continue to boost the safe-haven currencies such as the Japanese Yen (JPY) against the Australian Dollar (AUD). 

Bitcoin (BTC) remains resilient near $70,000 amid ongoing Middle East tensions, which are driving oil prices and inflation risks.

Ethereum (ETH) network activity has been clocking new milestones over the past few months, with active addresses, smart contract calls, and transaction counts surging to new highs.

EUR/USD extends its losses for the third successive session, trading around 1.1540 during the Asian hours on Thursday.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), an index of the value of the US Dollar (USD) measured against a basket of six world currencies, currently trades near 99.35 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The DXY edges higher amid further escalation in the Middle East conflict.

The GBP/USD pair attracts sellers for the third straight day and touches a fresh weekly low, around the 1.3370 region, during the Asian session on Thursday. Spot prices, however, recover a few pips in the last hour and currently trade around the 1.3400 mark, down less than 0.15% for the day.

Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Thursday that the central bankn “will conduct appropriate monetary policy while assessing how forex affect the likelihood of our forecasts.”

USD/CAD loses its recent gains registered in the previous session, trading around 1.3580 during the Asian hours on Thursday.

The USD/JPY pair trades with mild losses near 158.85 during the early Asian session on Thursday. The Japanese Yen (JPY) edges higher against the US Dollar (USD) amid escalating war in the Middle East. The US weekly Initial Jobless Claims report is due later on Thursday. 

Iran intensified its efforts to halt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil conduit. The US military has turned down requests to escort tankers or other civilian ships through the strait, with defense officials saying it won't do so until the threat of Iranian fire has eased.

Gold price (XAU/USD) extends its losses for the second successive session, trading around $5,150 during the Asian hours on Thursday. The bullion price slides as surging oil prices heightened inflationary risks and reduced the likelihood of Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate cuts.

The AUD/USD pair attracts some sellers during the Asian session on Thursday, and for now, seems to have snapped a four-day winning streak to its highest level since June 2022, around the 0.7185 region, touched the previous day.