Makro

The Pound Sterling (GBP) faces slight selling pressure against its major currency peers after the release of the United Kingdom (UK) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for March. The British currency drops to near 1.3518 against the US Dollar (USD), but still holds little gains.

EUR/GBP extends its losses for the second successive day, trading around 0.8690 during the Asian hours on Wednesday. The currency cross remains subdued ahead of the United Kingdom’s (UK) March Consumer Price Index (CPI) data release.

The European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member Martins Kazaks said on Wednesday that the central bank has ‘luxury’ to wait on interest rate rises.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the United States (US) has suspended shipments of US Dollars (USDs) to Iraq, which were proceeds from Federal Reserve Bank of New York accounts against oil sales, in an attempt to cripple an Iran-backed military group in Baghdad.

EUR/JPY remains subdued for the second successive day, trading around 187.10 during Asian hours on Wednesday. The technical analysis of the daily chart indicates the currency cross is remaining within an ascending channel, signaling a persistent bullish bias.

The NZD/USD pair gathers strength to around 0.5905 during the Asian trading hours on Wednesday. The New Zealand Dollar (NZD) edges higher against the US Dollar (USD) on hotter-than-expected domestic inflation data.

The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the value of the US Dollar (USD) against six major currencies, is holding ground after registering modest gains in the previous day and trading around 98.40 during the Asian hours on Wednesday.

BNY’s Bob Savage notes that New Zealand’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) accelerated to 0.9% q/q, keeping annual inflation at 3.1%, with strong non-tradeable components such as electricity and local authority rates.

Brown Brothers Harriman’s (BBH) Elias Haddad reports that NZD is outperforming after hotter-than-expected Q1 Consumer Price Index (CPI), with headline inflation at 3.1% y/y versus the RBNZ’s 2.8% projection.

Danske Research Team notes that Canadian headline inflation rose to 2.4% year-on-year in March, slightly below expectations, while core measures stayed stable.

The Euro (EUR) posts moderate losses against the US Dollar (USD), trading at 1.1765 ahead of Tuesday's US session opening, after being capped at the 1.1790 area on Monday.

The Pound Sterling (GBP) demonstrates a mixed performance against its major currency peers during the late European trading session on Tuesday.