North American Summary and Highlights 20 Mar
Overview - Rising Middle East concerns lifted the USD and UST yields while equities fell ahead of the weekend.
European and North American sessions
The USD was generally stronger, with yields rising and equities falling, largely on reports of US plans to use ground troops in the war with Iran. USD/JPY advanced above 159 from below 158 while AUD/USD fell to near .70 from, near .71. EUR/USD moves were modest, keeping reasonably close to 1.1550. EUR/GBP rallied to .8670 from .8620 but EUR/CHF was marginally softer at .9110 from .9120. USD/CAD was also relatively stable just above 1.37, seeing AUD/CAD falling to .9620 from .9740. January Canadian retail sales were slightly lower than expected with a rise of 1.1%, but with February provisionally estimated at up a solid 0.9%.