Daily market news

The GBP/USD trims some of its Thursday’s gains, down by 0.84%, as traders turned risk-averse amid an escalation of the Middle East conflict and priced in no rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2026. At the time of writing, the pair trades below 1.3350 after hitting a daily high of 1.3442.

EUR/GBP edges higher on Friday, recovering losses recorded in the previous day after the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England (BoE) monetary policy announcements.

USD/JPY trades around 158.70 on Friday at the time of writing, up 0.61% on the day, staging a clear rebound after Thursday’s sharp decline. The move comes as the US Dollar (USD) regains traction following a bout of volatility, with markets reassessing the outlook for US monetary policy.

Silver price (XAG/USD) trades in a tight range around $72.80 during the European trading session on Friday. The white metal holds onto Thursday’s recovery move, which was driven by weakness in the US Dollar (USD).

According to MUFG’s Derek Halpenny, the ECB’s communication and achievement of its price stability goal leave it in a relatively better position than the BoE, but he is sceptical that higher front-end Euro yields will sustain Euro strength.

ING’s Francesco Pesole highlights that the ECB’s cautious tone masks a hawkish shift, with officials reportedly considering an April rate hike if inflation overshoots. Markets now price earlier tightening and higher odds of back-to-back moves.

Here is what you need to know on Friday, March 20:

The AUD/USD pair trades with mild gains around 0.7090 during the early European session on Friday. The Australian Dollar (AUD) edges higher against the Greenback, following the hawkish stance from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

The GBP/USD pair trades 0.2% lower to near 1.3400 during the late Asian trading session on Friday. The Cable faces selling pressure as the US Dollar Index (DXY) rebounds after an over-a-percent decline the previous day.