Financial & Forex Market Recap: March 19, 2026.Thursday's session saw gold plunge over 3%, the U.S. dollar post one of its sharpest declines since the Iran war began, as central banks struck hawkish tones.

New Zealand February trade deficit narrows, exports and imports both beat expectations.New Zealand February trade data: balance -NZ$257M vs -NZ$740M expected (prev. -NZ$519M) imports NZ$6.89B vs NZ$6.20B expected (prev.

New Zealand Trade Balance NZD (YoY) down to $-3B in February from previous $-2.3B.New Zealand Trade Balance NZD (YoY) down to $-3B in February from previous $-2.3B

TRADING DAY Bracing for global rate hikes.Wall Street fell on Thursday in highly volatile trading that saw huge swings in world stocks, bonds and oil prices, as traders began to price in global interest rate hikes to counter the inflationary pressures of the Middle East energy crisis.

Crude Oil Price Forecast: Key Support Holds, Short-Term Upside.Crude oil tests support near the 10-day average; short-term bullish momentum may continue if support holds, while a breakdown could signal renewed downside risk.

Natural Gas Price Forecast: Critical Support and Resistance Levels.Natural gas tests support near $2.90–$2.81 while consolidating between trend lines; how price reacts will determine if short-term bullish momentum continues or downside pressure resumes.

Another chaotic post-FOMC session – North American Session Market Wrap for March 19.March 19th 2026 North-American Session Recap – Markets took a totally different direction after yesterday's FOMC and recent announcements. Check up the latest trends and developments, daily asset and FX performance, what changed fundamentally and what's coming up in the session ahead.

US Dollar Forecast: DXY Drops as ECB, BOJ Hold Policy, Fed Fails to Lift Dollar.US Dollar Index drops as ECB and BOJ hold firm, boosting euro and yen while Fed outlook fails to support dollar gains in forex markets.

The US Dollar dives after the FOMC, long-term reversal incoming? – Dollar Index (DXY) outlook.US Dollar (DXY) update: The Petrodollar rally stalls at the top of its July 2025 range as Jerome Powell pushes against further rate hikes during the FOMC meeting. With the Greenback tumbling and its correlation to sideways WTI Crude weakening, a large correction looms.

Argentina Trade Balance (MoM) came in at $788M, below expectations ($971M) in February.Argentina Trade Balance (MoM) came in at $788M, below expectations ($971M) in February

Natural Gas, WTI Oil, Brent Oil Forecasts – Oil Prices Pull Back As IEA Releases Reserves.Oil traders rushed to take profits off the table.

USD/JPY Reversal Drives Broader DXY Sell-Off After Fresh Yearly High.The aftermath of yesterday's FOMC rate decision was a green light for Dollar bulls, as the DXY index continued a rally from support and a falling wedge formation until pushing back into the 100.22 level. But, as I wrote at the time it was USD/JPY that would likely have significant pull on whether the Dollar rally could continue, and at this point, both markets are down on net following a strong and decisive reversal.

U.S. Dollar Retreats As Traders React To Central Banks' Rate Decisions: Analysis For EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/CAD, USD/JPY.The American currency is losing ground as global central banks signal they could raise rates this year.

Europe: Growth resilience versus demographic drag – BNP Paribas.Europe: Growth resilience versus demographic drag – BNP Paribas

ECB expects rate hike talks in April with move more likely in June, sources say.The European Central Bank may need to begin discussing interest rate hikes in April and possibly tighten policy ​at their following meeting in June, unless the Middle ‌Eastern conflict is quickly resolved, three sources told Reuters.

Crude Oil Price Forecast: Analyzing the bullish $150 case and bearish $95 threat.Analyzing the massive oil price rally triggered by escalating Middle East conflict and Iranian threats to major Gulf exporters. We detail the Hormuz risk, the economic fallout, and key technical levels.

ZAR: Structural progress meets carry risks – BNY.ZAR: Structural progress meets carry risks – BNY

Pound Sterling Price News and Forecast: Surges as BoE holds rates, hints inflation risks remain.Pound Sterling Price News and Forecast: Surges as BoE holds rates, hints inflation risks remain

United States 4-Week Bill Auction declined to 3.615% from previous 3.64%.United States 4-Week Bill Auction declined to 3.615% from previous 3.64%

USD/JPY drops even as Fed holds hawkish tone.USD/JPY drops even as Fed holds hawkish tone

March 18 FOMC: Fed Holds, But with a Hawkish Message.This is an analysis of the reaction of gold, USD pairs and US indices to the FOMC decision of 18 March 2026.

Iran war escalation wakes markets up to risks of deeper economic pain.Investors reassessing the potential economic fallout from the war in Iran ​are selling assets across the globe, from government bonds to stocks and gold, reigniting fears that markets ‌may become vulnerable to a bigger dislocation.

The Major Line in the Sand for WTI Crude Oil.For the past day there's been something else for traders to focus on away from the still-brewing conflict in the Middle East, and that's a slew of rate decisions with all of the Fed, BoJ, BoE and ECB announcing their most recent rates decisions. And while no actual adjustments were made, it was all about the innuendo and hints towards what might be down-the-road – and already we've seen fast adjustment in several markets.

GBP: BoE hawkish turn tempers Pound – TD Securities.GBP: BoE hawkish turn tempers Pound – TD Securities

A look around Markets in a scary post-FOMC morning – Market Outlook.The March FOMC created a vacuum in Markets, pulling down Equity Indexes, Cryptos, Metals and general sentiment. Explore reactions from this morning's Post-FOMC Market bloodshed.

Big central banks keep options open as traders suspect war will bring rate hikes.Nearly all major developed market central banks kept rates unchanged this week, but emphasised their readiness to act to curb inflation should the energy shock caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran drive a broader surge in ​prices.

United States EIA Natural Gas Storage Change below forecasts (39B) in March 13: Actual (35B).United States EIA Natural Gas Storage Change below forecasts (39B) in March 13: Actual (35B)

Fed: Prolonged hold with inflation uncertainty – HSBC Private Bank.Fed: Prolonged hold with inflation uncertainty – HSBC Private Bank

Bank of England Review – On Hold in Rare Consensus Decision.The Bank of England (BoE) kept the Bank Rate unchanged at 3.75% as expected. The decision was unanimous, something we have not seen since 2022.

US wholesale inventories for January -0.5% versus 0.2% estimate..Prior month 0.2% wholesale inventories -0.5% versus 0.2% expected. Wholesale sales 0.5% versus 0.3% expected.