Australia S&P Global Manufacturing PMI down to 51 in February from previous 51.5

Citing a Tehran Times post on X, Reuters reported on Sunday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced via VHF radio that no vessels are permitted to cross the Strait of Hormuz, effectively declaring the critical maritime chokepoint closed.

South Korea Trade Balance registered at $15.5B above expectations ($10B) in February

Early Saturday, United States (US) President Donald Trump announced that the US had begun “major combat operations” in Iran, following Israel’s pre-emptive missile attacks against Tehran.

Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined plans to scale the blockchain's main network through gas reforms, zkEVM integration and new storage models aimed at boosting speed and lowering fees.

Ethereum saw renewed US interest this week, prompting prices to briefly reclaim $2,110 before facing downside pressure.

A red-hot inflation report in the United States and rising tensions between the latter and Iran pushed Gold price higher on Friday, past the $5,260 figure, posting solid gains of over 1.20%.

The US Dollar (USD) lost ground this week amid geopolitical uncertainty and the United States (US) trade policy developments after the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration's tariffs illegal and he responded with a fresh round of levies.

Japan CFTC JPY NC Net Positions down to ¥11.5K from previous ¥13K

United States CFTC Gold NC Net Positions fell from previous $159.9K to $159.2K

Australia CFTC AUD NC Net Positions rose from previous $45.9K to $52.6K

United States CFTC Oil NC Net Positions: 172.7K vs 141.3K

Eurozone CFTC EUR NC Net Positions fell from previous €174.5K to €156.9K

United Kingdom CFTC GBP NC Net Positions: £-57.1K vs previous £-42.4K

United States CFTC S&P 500 NC Net Positions: $-193.5K vs previous $-177.8K

DBS Group Research expects Taiwan’s upcoming January export orders and industrial production to show strong double-digit growth, helped by last year’s low base and robust global AI-driven demand, alongside semiconductor and ICT inventory restocking.

DXY fell about 0.2% on Friday, grinding back into 97.60 after a hotter-than-expected Producer Price Index (PPI) report amplified concerns that inflation is proving stickier than the Federal Reserve (Fed) would like, weighing on growth expectations and dragging the Greenback lower.

Bitcoin (BTC) fell toward $65,000 on Friday as several market experts challenged claims that Jane Street suppressed prices.

Societe Generale’s Kunal Kundu reviews India’s FY27 Union Budget, highlighting policy continuity and fiscal consolidation in a context of geopolitical strains and currency weakness.

The Pound Sterling drops some 0.10% as the Greenback gets underpinned by a hot inflation report in the US, which prompted investors to price in a less dovish Federal Reserve. Also heightened risks in the Middle East weighed in the GBP/USD pair, which trades at 1.3469 at the time of writing.

The Australian Dollar (AUD) trades flat against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday as the Greenback reverses earlier gains despite stronger-than-expected US Producer Price Index (PPI) data. At the time of writing, AUD/USD is trading around 0.7112 and is on track for an eighth consecutive week of gains.

United States Baker Hughes US Oil Rig Count dipped from previous 409 to 407

UOB’s Ho Woei Chen expects China’s National People’s Congress to set a 2026 real GDP growth target of 4.5–5.0%, with actual growth forecast at 4.7%.

DBS Group Research expects Indonesia’s February inflation to rise to 4.1% year-on-year, driven by a low base and fading one-off stimulus in administered prices. While most components should stay subdued, elevated precious metal prices are seen lifting personal care costs.

MUFG’s Senior Currency Analyst Lloyd Chan highlights that an escalation in US–Iran tensions could trigger an Oil price shock, reviving global inflation and hurting Asia’s net Oil importers.

NZD/USD trades around 0.6000 on Friday at the time of writing, up 0.19% on the day, benefiting from a modest pullback in the US Dollar (USD) amid a wait-and-see mood ahead of fresh signals on the outlook for monetary policy in the United States (US).

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 600 points, or 1.15%, tumbling back below 49,000 on Friday, capping off a turbulent final trading week in February. The S&P 500 dropped around 0.7% while the Nasdaq Composite lost roughly 0.9%.