North American Summary and Highlights 11 Mar
Overview - Concerns about the Middle East conflict persist, which lifted both oil and the USD.
European and North American sessions
US CPI was in line with expectations at 0.3% overall, 0.2% ex food and energy, leaving focus on the Middle East. Despite Trump stating that the war would end soon ongoing military Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz suggested that an ending of military strikes on Iran might not bring a return the pre-conflict situation, putting upward pressure on oil prices and the USD.
USD/JPY rose to near 159 from lows below 158 while EUR/USD fell to 1.1570 from a high of a 1.1645. EUR/GBP was weaker at .8625 from .8650. Losses for the commodity currencies were relatively modest, USD/CAD meeting resistance at 1.36 and AUD/USD finding support around .7150.