The US military is ready for possible strikes on Iran as soon as Saturday, CBS reported on Wednesday. Nonetheless, US President Donald Trump has yet to make a final decision on whether to carry out an attack.

Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Assistant Governor Karen Silk said in a Reuters interview on Thursday, the next move in interest rates will likely be up.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Oil price edges lower after registering 4.9% losses in the previous session, trading around $65.00 per barrel during the Asian hours on Thursday.

Australia Part-Time Employment dipped from previous 10.4K to -32.7K in January

Australia Participation Rate registered at 66.7%, below expectations (66.8%) in January

Australia Full-Time Employment dipped from previous 54.8K to 50.5K in January

Australia Unemployment Rate s.a. below expectations (4.2%) in January: Actual (4.1%)

Australia Employment Change s.a. came in at 17.8K below forecasts (20K) in January

Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s (RBNZ) new Governor Anna Breman said on Thursday that if the outlook for inflation changes, committee will adjust policy stance to ensure inflation returns to target.

Japan Machinery Orders (MoM) registered at 19.1% above expectations (4.5%) in December

Japan Foreign Investment in Japan Stocks: ¥1B (February 13) vs previous ¥543.2B

Japan Machinery Orders (YoY) registered at 16.8% above expectations (3.9%) in December

ING’s Julian Geib outlines how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping real‑economy sectors in 2026. Data centre construction is booming but faces power and cost constraints, with EU building activity expected to recover.

BNY’s EMEA Macro Strategist Geoff Yu reports that Latin American sovereign debt positioning in global portfolios has climbed to multi-year highs, with combined holdings in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru now above 2023 peaks.

United States Net Long-Term TIC Flows down to $28B in December from previous $220.2B

United States Total Net TIC Flows down to $44.9B in December from previous $212B

Commerzbank’s Volkmar Baur highlights that South Africa’s unemployment has fallen to 31.4%, the lowest since the pandemic, but remains structurally very high. Employment growth lags population gains, and the labour force has shrunk as more people stop job hunting.

ING’s Frantisek Taborsky notes the Hungarian Forint is testing new highs as EUR/HUF trades near two-year lows ahead of expected NBH rate cuts.

Standard Chartered’s Madhur Jha and Ethan Lester highlight that around 80% of global trade moves via sea routes, with Asia, and particularly China, increasingly dominant in port rankings and liner shipping connectivity.

BNY’s EMEA Macro Strategist Geoff Yu notes that FX risk appetite and carry trades have stayed resilient despite weaker global equities, with investors adding to overheld high-yielders such as MXN, BRL and PLN, and some low-yielding Asia-Pacific currencies.

United States 20-Year Bond Auction down to 4.664% from previous 4.846%

Rabobank analysts highlight new US-linked investment projects under Japan’s large trade framework, including LNG and Oil infrastructure, as evidence Washington can steer partner capital into US real assets rather than just stocks or bonds.

Commerzbank’s Tatha Ghose notes Polish forwards have scaled back expected easing to under 25 bps over 3–6 months, even as dovish inflation data and MPC rhetoric point to a March cut.

ING economists Peter Virovacz and Frantisek Taborsky expect the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) to start an easing cycle at its 24 February meeting, cutting the base rate by 25bp to 6.25%.

Rabobank’s Senior US Strategist Philip Marey expects the FOMC to deliver three 25 bps cuts in 2026, but now sees the easing cycle starting in June rather than March. Stronger US labor market data have reduced the urgency for near-term easing, while softer CPI inflation supports cuts later in 2026.

United States Capacity Utilization came in at 76.2%, below expectations (76.5%) in January

United States Industrial Production (MoM) above forecasts (0.4%) in January: Actual (0.7%)

The Minutes of the United States (US) Federal Reserve’s (Fed) January 27-28 monetary policy meeting will be published on Wednesday at 19:00 GMT.

TD Securities analysts note that Canadian January CPI surprised slightly to the downside at 2.3% year-on-year, with core measures also easing. They argue the Bank of Canada is unlikely to overreact but say softer core momentum reduces the bar for policy response to future growth headwinds.

United States Redbook Index (YoY) rose from previous 6.5% to 7.2% in February 13