Commerzbank notes Bank Negara Malaysia raised its 2026 growth forecast to 4.0–5.0% on resilient domestic demand, with consumption and investment underpinned by wages, labour market strength and government support.

Standard Chartered economists Hunter Chan and Shuang Ding expect China’s Q1 2026 GDP growth to have accelerated to 4.8% year-on-year, supported by robust exports and recovering investment.

MUFG’s Senior Currency Analyst Michael Wan notes that Asian currencies recovered as risk sentiment improved following comments from US President Trump on ending the Iran war, even as Oil prices stayed elevated.

DBS Group Research’s Radhika Rao highlights India’s fiscal response to elevated global energy prices and Rupee weakness.

ABN AMRO's Senior Economist Bill Diviney notes Eurozone inflation rose to 2.5% year-on-year in March, driven mainly by higher petrol and energy prices, while core inflation eased to 2.3%.

Rabobank’s Senior FX Strategist Jane Foley notes that Norges Bank has shifted to a more hawkish stance as Norwegian inflation proves sticky. January and February CPI data surprised on the upside, prompting markets to move from expecting rate cuts to pricing in further tightening.

Deutsche Bank analysts Shreyas Gopal and Sanjay Raja note that UK consumer confidence in March 2026 was surprisingly resilient, sitting between levels seen at the onset of Covid and the 2022 energy shock.

TD Securities analysts expect the March US labor report to show a normalization in Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), with headline gains of 30k, private NFP at 40k and a -10k drag from government jobs.

Commerzbank economists Bernd Weidensteiner and Christoph Balz assess how the recent surge in Brent and WTI prices affects the US economy. They stress that the United States is structurally less vulnerable than in the 1970s thanks to lower oil intensity and higher domestic production.

HSBC’s Willem Sels and Lucia Ku maintain a positive six‑month view on US equities and USD investment grade credit. They highlight the United States’ status as an energy exporter, robust projected earnings growth, and strong technology and AI‑related investment.

ABN AMRO's Senior Economist Bill Diviney argues the ECB is likely to raise rates at its April and June meetings, taking the deposit rate to 2.50% to prevent de-anchoring of inflation expectations.

United States Business Inventories came in at -0.1%, below expectations (0.1%) in January

United States ISM Manufacturing PMI registered at 52.7 above expectations (52.5) in March

United States ISM Manufacturing New Orders Index: 53.5 (March) vs previous 55.8

United States ISM Manufacturing Employment Index: 48.7 (March) vs previous 48.8

United States ISM Manufacturing Prices Paid registered at 78.3 above expectations (73) in March

Rabobank’s Senior FX Strategist Jane Foley argues that higher energy prices and a more hawkish Norges Bank stance are supportive for the Norwegian Krone (NOK). Norway’s strong Oil and gas export position and limited domestic vulnerability to the current energy crisis underpin NOK resilience.

United States S&P Global Manufacturing PMI came in at 52.3 below forecasts (52.4) in March

Canada S&P Global Manufacturing PMI declined to 50 in March from previous 51

Deutsche Bank’s Chief UK Economist Sanjay Raja warns that the UK faces rising recession risks as higher energy prices hit growth. Using Hamilton-based energy shock measures and probability models, he expects United Kingdom (UK) GDP growth to slow to 0.7%, with downside risks increasing.

United States (US) President Donald Trump told Reuters on Wednesday that they are going to be out of Iran "pretty quickly," but refused to give a timeline.

South Africa Total New Vehicle Sales rose from previous 53455 to 58060 in March

MUFG’s Head of Research Derek Halpenny notes that the Japanese Yen was one of the best G10 performers in March and argues it has better prospects than the Pound.

In a speech delivered before a gathering at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, St. Louis Federal Reserve President Alberto Musalem said that the monetary policy is well-positioned and that it should hold in place for some time, per Reuters.

Brazil S&P Global Manufacturing PMI climbed from previous 47.3 to 49 in March

In a post published on Truth Social on Wednesday, United States (US) President Donald Trump said that Iran’s New Regime President, who is "much less radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors," has asked the US for a ceasefire.

Retail Sales in the United States (US) rose 0.6% to $738.4 billion in February, the US Census Bureau reported on Wednesday. This print followed the 0.1% contraction recorded in January and came in slightly better than the market expectation for an increase of 0.5%.

Commerzbank’s Bernd Weidensteiner and Christoph Balz argue that the US economy is better positioned to absorb higher Oil prices than in past crises. Lower oil intensity, near self-sufficiency and experience from the 2022 shock support resilience.

While speaking to Reuters at the Bank of England's (BoE) London headquarters on Reuters, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey argued that markets are getting ahead of themselves by pricing in interest-rate hikes.

Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Tom Barkin told Reuters on Wednesday that he does not see inflation expectations at the risk of breaking out.