ING’s Chief Economist for Greater China, Lynn Song, notes that China’s CPI inflation eased to 1.0% year-on-year after Lunar New Year, while PPI turned positive for the first time since 2022.

DBS Group Research expects Malaysia’s 1Q26 advance Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow 5.5% year-on-year, slightly below 6.3% in 4Q25 but still robust. Growth is seen supported by export-oriented electrical and electronics manufacturing, global AI tailwinds, construction and domestic demand.

TD Securities expects China’s March exports to normalize after a strong Jan–Feb report, while imports could surprise on the upside as authorities stockpile key goods and commodities during the US–Iran conflict. Rising input costs may slow production and weigh on exports.

ING’s Min Joo Kang notes that KRW is trading below 1,500, with near-term moves heavily dependent on Middle East developments. The team keeps its 1,450–1,550 trading range, expecting KRW to strengthen rapidly if the war ends.

DBS Group Research expects Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports to rise for a seventh consecutive month in March 2026, accelerating to 10.3% year-on-year from 4.0% in February.

Mary Daly, President of the Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of San Francisco, told Reuters in an interview on Friday that if Iran conflict is resolved quickly and Oil prices come back down, a rate cut may not be out of the question.

Commerzbank’s Dr. Henry Hao sees upside risks to China’s Q1 2026 GDP versus the bank’s 4.6% forecast, supported by resilient exports and front‑loaded public investment. Industrial production is projected to grow 5.5% year‑on‑year, while retail sales slow to 2.5%.

United Kingdom CFTC GBP NC Net Positions: £-56.4K vs previous £-52.7K

United States CFTC Oil NC Net Positions down to 202.2K from previous 213.5K

United States CFTC Gold NC Net Positions: $156.3K vs previous $163.2K

Australia CFTC AUD NC Net Positions dipped from previous $81.5K to $70.8K

Eurozone CFTC EUR NC Net Positions: €-7.5K vs previous €0.5K

United States CFTC S&P 500 NC Net Positions declined to $-45.7K from previous $-42.5K

Japan CFTC JPY NC Net Positions dipped from previous ¥-72.9K to ¥-93.7K

ING’s Chief Economist for Greater China, Lynn Song, highlights that Taiwan’s March trade data far exceeded expectations, with exports and imports surging and the trade surplus more than doubling year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026.

DBS Group Research expects the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to slightly increase the slope of the Singapore Dollar (SGD) Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) policy band at its 14 April meeting, reversing last year’s easing.

United States Monthly Budget Statement registered at $-164B, below expectations ($-156.75B) in March

Iran's ‌parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Friday that two previously agreed measures, a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets, must be implemented before negotiations begin, according to Reuters.

TD Securities strategists Robert Both and Emma Lawrence note that Canadian labour markets showed a modest rebound in March, with 14k jobs added and the unemployment rate steady at 6.7%.

Commerzbank’s Volkmar Baur expects the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to deliver two further rate hikes in 2026, taking policy closer to a rising neutral rate and supporting a modest Japanese Yen appreciation versus Dollar (USD) and Euro (EUR) in the second half of the year.

American consumer confidence deflated in early April, as households grew more pessimistic about current conditions and the broader economic outlook, according to preliminary data from the University of Michigan.

Oscar Munoz and the TD Securities US macro team judge that, although core CPI surprised on the soft side and tariff pass-through moderated, it is too early for markets to extrapolate a dovish signal.

ING’s Senior Economist Min Joo Kang notes that the Bank of Korea kept its policy rate at 2.5% and stressed a data-dependent stance as inflation pressures rise and GDP growth projections weaken.

Commerzbank’s Bernd Weidensteiner notes that U.S. inflation jumped to 3.3% in March, driven mainly by higher gasoline prices linked to the war in Iran, while core inflation remains moderate.

United States Michigan Consumer Expectations Index: 46.1 (April) vs previous 51.7

United States UoM 1-year Consumer Inflation Expectations: 4.8% (April) vs 3.8%

United States Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index registered at 47.6, below expectations (52) in April

United States UoM 5-year Consumer Inflation Expectation increased to 3.4% in April from previous 3.2%

United States Factory Orders (MoM) came in at 0%, above expectations (-0.2%) in February

Royal Bank of Canada’s (RBC) Nathan Janzen notes that Canadian labour market conditions steadied in March, with a modest employment gain and an unemployment rate holding at 6.7%.