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March 16, 2026
The U.S. Dollar surged further during the week ended March 13, amidst haven demand triggered by the Middle East war. The massive surge in crude oil prices adding to price pressures, warranting hawkish monetary policy from the Federal Reserve also weighed heavily on sentiment, boosting the U.S. dollar. The dollar's jump to a ten-month high is despite consumer price and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) based inflation readings from the U.S.
The U.S. dollar recorded a solid two-week winning streak against the Euro, the British pound, the Australian Dollar, the Japanese yen, the Swedish krona, the Canadian dollar as well as the Swiss franc. The Dollar Index, which measures the Dollar's strength against a basket of six specified currencies, rallied by nearly 1.5% during the past week.
The annual headline inflation remains steady at 2.4%. Month-on-month inflation edged up to 0.3%, and its core component edged down to 0.2%. The job openings rose to 6.946 million in January, rebounding from the over-five-year low of 6.550 million in December.
The PCE price index rose 2.8% year-on-year in January, easing slightly from the near two-year high of 2.9% in the last month. The core component edged up to 3.1%. The month-over-month PCE price index rose 0.3% in January, versus 0.4% in December. The core PCE price index, which is the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge of underlying inflation, remained steady at 0.4%.
The six-currency Dollar Index gained 1.38% during the week ended March 13. The index closed at 100.36, versus 98.99 a week earlier. Though the Index had dropped to a low of 98.49 on Tuesday, it climbed to a high of 100.54 on Friday as war clouds deepened in the Middle East and reduced crude oil prices.
Amidst the dollar's demand as it remains the favored safe asset of choice, the EUR/USD pair ended the week on a heavily negative note, plunging 1.74% lower to 1.1416 versus 1.1618 a week earlier. During the week ended March 13, the pair ranged between the high of 1.1669 recorded on Tuesday and the low of 1.1411 touched on Friday.
The GBP/USD pair also slipped 1.39% during the week ended March 13, amidst data showing the U.K.'s GDP stalling month-on-month in January. The British pound declined to $1.3226 from $1.3413 a week earlier, after touching a high of $1.3485 on Tuesday and a low of $1.3217 on Friday.
The Australian Dollar also slipped against the resurgent U.S. Dollar during the week ended March 13. The pair ranged between the low of 0.6956 recorded on Monday, and the high of 0.7192 recorded on Wednesday and eventually closed at 0.6981. The pair was at 0.7030 a week earlier, implying weekly losses of 0.70%.
During the week ended March 13, the Japanese yen plunged against the U.S. dollar. The USD/JPY pair rose 1.2% to 159.73, rising from 157.80 a week earlier. Trading during the week ranged between the low of 157.26 recorded on Tuesday and the high of 159.75 recorded on Friday.
The U.S. dollar is trading on a negative note at the onset of a busy central bank week. Interest rate decisions scheduled for the week include those by the Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, and the Bank of Japan on Thursday. Interest rate decisions by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank are also due on Thursday.
The 6-currency index is currently at 99.97 versus 100.36 at close on Friday. The EUR/USD pair has jumped 0.63% to 1.1488 from 1.1416 on Friday. The GBP/USD pair increased 0.51% to 1.3294 versus 1.3226 at the end of the previous week. Ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's expected rate hike on Tuesday, the AUD/USD pair has jumped more than 1.2% with its rise to 0.7065 from 0.6981 on Friday. Amidst the yen's strength, the USD/JPY pair has decreased 0.39% to 159.10. The pair closed at 159.73 on Friday. 03/16/2026 - 09:46:00 (RTTNews)
China's industrial production and retail sales growth in the January to February period, before the war in the Middle East began.
Driven by robust foreign demand, industrial output increased 6.3% every year, stronger than the 5.2% rise in December. Similarly, retail sales advanced 2.8% year-over-year for the first two months of the year, following a 0.9% rise in December.
At the same time, fixed asset investment climbed 1.8%. On the other hand, property investment plunged 11.1% from last year. The urban unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.3% in the first two months of the year.03/16/2026 - 02:31:00 (RTTNews)
This market update is prepared by Cathay Bank for informational purposes only and does not constitute any form of legal, tax or investment advice, nor should it be considered an assurance or guarantee of future exchange rate movements or trends. This information is provided without regard to the specific objectives, financial situations or needs of any recipient. Cathay Bank does not make any representations or warranties about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of this market update.
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