ING’s Frantisek Taborsky expects a risk-off tone in CEE markets as higher Oil prices and geopolitical tensions test already elevated central bank hike pricing.
Societe Generale economists expect Euro area headline inflation to rise sharply in March, driven by higher energy costs, while core inflation eases slightly.
Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell said that there is tension between the Fed's two objectives, while participating in a moderated discussion at the Harvard University Principles of Economics Class in Cambridge, per Reuters.
Stephen Miran, a member of the Federal Reserve (Fed), said that inflation expectations have not been affected yet by higher Oil prices. He told CNBC on Monday that he is still concerned about the labor market, even though the Fed can accommodate that.
BNP Paribas analysts expect the US economy to grow above potential in 2026, with GDP at 2.7% and inflation at 3.1%, keeping the Federal Reserve on hold with the Fed Funds target range at 3.5%-3.75%.
Societe Generale economists note the United Kingdom (UK) markets still price around 70 bps of Bank of England (BoE) easing in 2026 despite Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) pushback, while the bank’s team expects no cuts this year.
TD Securities analysts anticipate the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) March Summary of Deliberations will maintain a dovish tone, stressing excess supply and disinflation.
Commerzbank’s Senior Economist Dr. Ralph Solveen notes that Germany’s inflation rate rose from 1.9% to 2.7% in March 2026 as energy prices surged due to the war in Iran, while core inflation stayed at 2.5%.
Rabobank’s Senior FX Strategist Jane Foley notes that the Pound has been the second best performing G10 currency after the Dollar since the Middle East conflict, driven by a sharp repricing of Bank of England (BoE) policy expectations.
ING’s Chief Economist Bert Colijn highlights that Eurozone sentiment weakened in March as the Middle East war hit confidence. The economic sentiment indicator dropped from 98.3 in February to 96.6, with businesses and consumers more worried about inflation.
MUFG analysts note that NOK has outperformed most European peers during the Middle East conflict, supported by Norway’s energy exporter status and a hawkish repricing of Norges Bank policy.
Annual inflation in Germany, as measured by the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), climbed to 2.7% in March (preliminary estimate) from 1.9% in February, Germany's Destatis reported on Monday. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose by 1.1% following the 0.2% increase recorded in February.
Societe Generale analysts note the INR rallied over 1% after RBI intervention and new limits on banks’ net open FX positions, but the currency remains down 4% this month amid heavy FPI outflows.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States (US) is engaged in “serious discussions” with what he described as a “new and more reasonable regime” in Iran, while warning that Washington could launch massive strikes on the country’s key energy infrastructure if a deal is not reache
BNY’s Head of Markets Macro Strategy Bob Savage points out that the Euro has been under pressure, with EUR/USD near 1.15 as EU and Euro area economic sentiment indices fall further below 100.
Danske Research Team highlights that escalating Middle East tensions and US policy signals are lifting Oil prices, with Brent Crude trading near 115 USD/bbl in early Asian dealings.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei delivered several statements on Monday reported by Reuters, warning against what he described as a “catastrophic miscalculation” in attempts to link the war in Ukraine to the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
TD Securities strategists Julie Ioffe and James Rossiter argue that the ECB faces a more benign backdrop in 2026 than in 2022.