The Bank of Mexico unexpectedly cut the interest rate. The US natural gas prices rose to 3 dollars per MMBtu

Yesterday, US stock markets were hit by a wave of sell‑offs, completely erasing the previous day’s optimism. By the end of the day, the Dow Jones Index (US30) fell by 1.01%. The S&P 500 Index (US500) declined by 1.74%. The Technology Index NASDAQ (US100) closed lower by 2.38%. Donald Trump effectively disavowed reports of a peace agreement being prepared, stating during a cabinet meeting that the United States does not intend to make concessions to Tehran. This decision, combined with the resumption of US strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, brought back fears of a prolonged war and stagflation. Rising US Treasury yields across the curve triggered a massive investor exodus from the high‑tech and artificial‑intelligence sectors.

On Thursday, the CAD reached its lowest level in the past two months. Despite WTI oil prices holding above 92 dollars per barrel due to the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the commodity linkage of the Canadian currency could not offset the powerful rally of the US dollar. Investors are disappointed by the failure of diplomatic efforts.

The MXN weakened to 17.92 per US dollar, reaching its lowest level since the beginning of the month. The main blow to the currency came from the unexpected decision of the Bank of Mexico to resume the easing cycle: the regulator cut the key rate by 25 basis points to 6.75%. The decision split the board (votes were 3 to 2) and drew criticism from experts, as it was made amid a sharp acceleration of inflation, which jumped to 4.63% in mid‑March (compared to 4.02% in February).

On Thursday, European indices declined. Germany’s DAX (DE40) fell by 1.50%, France’s CAC 40 (FR40) closed down 0.98%, Spain’s IBEX 35 (ES35) dropped by 1.21%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 (UK100) closed 1.22% lower.

The Swiss franc weakened to 0.794 per US dollar, marking its lowest level since January. Despite its traditional status as a “safe haven,” the franc lost ground to the US dollar, which became the main beneficiary of the new wave of market fear. Additional pressure on the franc came from a “verbal intervention” by the SNB. Chairman Martin Schlegel confirmed that the bank is ready to actively sell francs on the market to prevent excessive strengthening, which harms Swiss exporters.

The US natural gas prices rose to 2.99 dollars per MMBtu, approaching the psychological level of 3 dollars. The driver of the increase was the weekly report from the EIA, which recorded a deeper‑than‑expected drawdown in inventories: 54 billion cubic feet were withdrawn from storage versus the expectation of a 44‑billion draw. This figure sharply contrasts with last year, when 33 billion cubic feet were injected during the same period, and with the five‑year average draw of 21 billion cubic feet.

Asian markets also rose mostly yesterday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 (JP225) fell by 0.27%, China’s FTSE China A50 (CHA50) rose by 0.34%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HK50) declined by 1.89%, and Australia’s ASX 200 (AU200) posted a negative result of 0.10%.
The Australian dollar on Friday showed negative dynamics, falling to a two‑month low of around 0.687 US dollars amid growing anxiety over a prolonged energy crisis. At the same time, the rapid rise in fuel prices is creating serious risks for the domestic economy, provoking increased inflationary pressure and forcing households to cut spending. Analysts suggest that if high energy prices persist, the consumer price index could jump to 5% as early as the second quarter of this year.

Offshore yuan quotes (CNY) stabilized around 6.91 per US dollar, holding near their lowest levels in the past three weeks due to persistent investor pessimism caused by contradictory signals from the Middle East. However, the rapid decline of the Chinese currency was limited by the release of encouraging domestic statistics. China’s industrial sector showed an impressive surge at the start of 2026, with total corporate profits for the first two months rising more than 15% year‑on‑year, exceeding one trillion yuan. This dynamic indicates a strong economic recovery after last year’s stagnation.