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US inflation data on Wednesday is the week's centrepiece, but with oil nearing seven-month highs, Bitcoin (BTC) sentiment shifting, and the Australian dollar at three-year highs, traders have plenty to navigate in the week ahead.
Quick Facts
- US inflation rate (February) is the key binary event for rate cut pricing and equity direction.
- Brent crude is trading around US$82–84/bbl, near seven-month highs, with a $4–$10 geopolitical risk premium baked in from Iran/Hormuz tensions.
- Bitcoin is trading above US$70,000 as of 6 March, a potential trend change if it holds through the week.
United States: inflation in focus
Last month’s US inflation reading showed prices rising 2.4% year-on-year, still well above the Fed's 2% target.
February's inflation rate, due Wednesday, will be scrutinised for signs that tariff pass-through or rising energy costs are pushing prices back up, or whether the slow grind lower is still intact.
The March FOMC meeting on 17–18 March is now priced at only an 4.7% probability of a cut. A higher-than-expected inflation print this week could potentially push rate cut expectations further out.
A softer read opens the door to renewed cut pricing and potential relief across risk assets.
Key Dates
- US Inflation Rate (February CPI): Wednesday 11 March, 12:30 am (AEDT)
Monitor
- Core vs. headline inflation divergence as evidence of tariff pass-through in goods prices.
- 2-year and 10-year treasury yield sensitivity to the print.
- USD direction and FedWatch repricing in the lead up to the 18 March FOMC decision.
Oil: elevated and event-sensitive
Brent is currently trading around US$83–85 per barrel, with a 52-week range spanning $58.40 to $85.12, reflecting the dramatic move triggered by the Middle East conflict.
Analysts estimate the geopolitical risk premium already baked into oil at US$4–$10 per barrel, and average 2026 Brent forecasts have been lifted to US$63.85/bbl, up from US$62.02 in January.
The EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook forecasts Brent to average $58/bbl in 2026, well below the current spot price.
The gap between spot and the forecast baseline could be a useful frame for traders this week: any de-escalation signal from the Middle East could rapidly close that gap.
Monitor
- Strait of Hormuz developments and any diplomatic signals from Iran nuclear talks.
- EIA weekly oil inventory data.
- Oil's knock-on to inflation expectations and whether it shifts central bank posture.
- Energy sector equity performance relative to the broader market.
Bitcoin: sentiment watch
BTC has been attempting to stabilise after a brutal 53% correction over the past 17 weeks, fuelled by escalating geopolitical tensions and renewed tariff concerns.
However, yesterday saw a 8% jump back above $72,000, and the crypto “fear and greed index” jumped up to 29 (fear), up from below 20 (extreme fear), where it has been sitting for over a month, indicating a potential sentiment shift.
A cooler-than-expected US inflation print on Wednesday could provide further fuel for the breakout; a hot print risks potentially pulling BTC back below the US$70,000 level it has just reclaimed.
Monitor
- Inflation print reaction on Wednesday as the primary macro catalyst for the move.
- Any rotation into altcoins following BTC strength.
- ETF inflow/outflow data as confirmation of institutional participation.
AUD/USD: Hawkish RBA meets geopolitical crosswinds
The Aussie is trading near more than three-year highs and heading for its fourth consecutive monthly gain, up more than 6% year-to-date, making it the top-performing G10 currency in 2026.
The driver is a clear policy divergence. RBA Governor Michele Bullock signalled the March policy meeting is "live" for a possible rate increase, and warned that an oil price shock from Iran tensions could reignite domestic inflationary pressures.
Market pricing now suggests around a 28% chance of a 25bp hike at the upcoming meeting, while fully pricing in tightening through May, and around a 75% chance of another increase to 4.35% by year-end.
This hawkish read, set against a Fed on hold and facing dovish political pressure, creates a potential structural tailwind for the Aussie.
Monitor
- AUD/USD reaction to Wednesday's US inflation data.
- RBA rate hike probability repricing through the week.
- Iron ore and commodity prices as secondary AUD drivers.
- China demand signals, given Australia's export exposure.
USD – The US dollar index was ultimately firmer in a choppy session where DXY hit a low of 103.18 in the APAC session only to reverse course later hitting a high of 103.71 in the US session. A sour risk environment after some misses in US retail earnings and traders getting long before the FOMC minutes seem to be the key drivers. Reaction to the minutes ended up being muted with a slight pop that retraced in quick time.
DXY now sandwiched between its 200-day SMA and key support level at 103.60 heading into the APAC session. AUD – AUDUSD got off to a flier in the APAC session after what was seen as hawkish RBA minutes released early in the session. The Aussie did fade later as it failed to breach key technical resistance at the 200-day SMA at 0.6590 and finished the session flat.
Key levels to watch today will be 0.6524 to the downside which was the top end of its recent range and the aforementioned 200-day SMA to the upside, Aussie traders will have comments from Governor Bullock later today to watch out for. EUR GBP EUR was the G10 laggard with EURUSD hitting a low of 1.0901 before finding some support at the big figure. ECB president Lagarde did speak but failed to inspire the bulls, also some budgetary issue out of Germany weighed on the single currency.
GBP on the other hand outperformed with cable having a positive session after some hawkish commentary from the BoE. This saw a sharp drop in EURGBP from its resistance at 0.8750 and heading towards its lower trend line support. Gold – XAUUSD broke out, setting new November highs and testing the October highs at 2009 before finding some resistance.
This came despite a stronger USD on the session, which would cheer the gold bulls.
USD continued its recent decline on Tuesday with the US dollar index (DXY) hitting its lowest level since mid-August at 102.60 before finding some support at the 61.8 Fib level. The decline accelerated after voting Fed member Waller who is seen as a hawk, made some dovish remarks regarding rates and inflation namely he was “increasingly confident" policy is well positioned to slow the economy and get inflation back to 2%, he also hinted at rate cuts next year if inflation and the economy continued on its current path. There were also some comments from Fed member Bowman which skewed hawkish, but as she is already considered a hawk there wasn’t a comparable market reaction as to the Waller comments.
Chart Source:TradingView.com JPY was the G10 outperformer benefitting the most from USD weakness and lower US Treasury yields that saw the US 10 year and JGB 10-year yields compress further. USDJPY hitting a low of 147.32 and testing the November lows and support level at 147.27. Today the BoJ's Adachi is due to speak ahead of a raft of Japanese data released during the remainder of the week.
Chart Source:TradingView.com AUDUSD and NZDUSD both hit 3-month highs of 0.6665 and 0.6147 respectively, with broad USD weakness and a risk-on market supporting both cyclical currencies. Strength in the commodity markets and recent hawkish comments from RBA governor Bullock also lending a tailwind to AUD. Both currencies come into Wednesday with key economic readings to navigate, with Aussie CPI, where a drop to 5.2% Y/Y from 5.6% is expected, and a RBNZ rate decision due.
The RBNZ is widely expected to hold rates at 5.50% so it will be the forward guidance kiwi traders will be watching closely. Chart Source:TradingView.com
Markets were predictably quite due to holidays in the US and Japan on Thursday. USD was marginally softer overall with DXY dropping to test the support at the 200-day MA before recovering modestly amid the holiday lull for Thanksgiving. Source:TradingView.com EURUSD managed mild gains with price action choppy around the 1.0900 level but eventually managed to hold that key level.
There were several hawkish leaning comments from ECB officials and ECB Minutes noting that members argued in favour of keeping the door open for a possible further rate. Source:TradingView.com GBPUSD extended on its mid-week bounce and made further progress above 1.2500 after UK manufacturing and services PMI figures beat forecasts. Source:TradingView.com USDJPY ended flat for the session but not before a sharp dip reversed following a bounce off support at 149.00 and seeing the pair again settle above 149.50.
Source:TradingView.com Ahead on Fridays, US traders will be mostly offline meaning another likely low volume session, we do have Manufacturing and Services PMI figures out of the US later today though.
The Euro was softer In Wednesdays US session with EURUSD failing to hold above the psychological 1.10 level with cooler than expected inflation readings out of Spain and Germany weighing on the single currency. EURGBP dropped for the fifth straight session and setting new November lows. Comments from ECB member Stournaras pushing back on April rate cut bets failing to offer much support.
Chart Source: TradingView.com JPY firmed against the USD, USDJPY still playing catch up with US – JP rate differentials. US yields were again lower across the curve putting downward pressure on USDJPY. The Yen did give up some gains after some dovish comments from the BoJ's Adachi regarding the BoJ’s easy money policies.
Chart Source: TradingView.com After a recent tear higher AUD was the G10 underperformer while across the ditch NZD was one of the outperformers. NZDUSD spiking higher following a hawkish hold from the RBNZ where the Central bank left rates on hold as expected, but it raised both its OCR and CPI forecasts and left the door wide open for future hikes if needed. AUDNZD tumbling through its 2023 range midpoint support at 1.07735 and setting new November lows.
Chart Source: TradingView.com Gold rallied for the fifth straight session, despite a bounce in the USD. XAUUSD poking it’s head above 20250 USD an ounce and entering the resistance zone set in April – May before paring some of its gains. The 2047-2067 zone looking a key area to test the rampant gold bull run of the last two weeks.
Chart Source: TradingView.com
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) reported the latest results for the fourth-quarter ending October 29, 2023 and full fiscal 2023 before the market opens in the US on Wednesday. The American manufacturer of farm machinery and industrial equipment beat Wall Street estimates for the fourth-quarter but fell short on future outlook expecations. Company overview Founded: 1837 Headquarters: Moline, Illinois, United States Number of employees: 82,200 (2022) Industry: Agricultural machinery, heavy equipment Key people: John C.
May (Chairman, CEO & President) The results The company reported revenue of $15,412 billion (down by 1% year-over-year) vs. $13.641 billion expected. Earnings per share reached $8.26 (up by 11.02% year-over-year) vs. estimate of $7.462 per share. Full-year revenue reached $61,251 billion, up by 16.49% vs. 2022.
Deere expects revenue of between $7.75 to $8.25 billion for full-year 2024, below $9.31 billion expected. CEO commentary "Deere’s fourth-quarter and full-year results can be attributed to the successful execution of our Smart Industrial Operating Model and the value that customers recognize in our industry-leading products and solutions," John C. May, CEO of Deere said in a statement. "We must also recognize and credit our dedicated employees, dealers, and suppliers, whose hard work and focus have been instrumental to our overall success," May added.
Stock reaction The stock was down by around 3% on Wednesday despite beating analyst estimates for the previous quarter due to future outlook. Stock performance 1 month: -0.80% 3 months: -6.43% Year-to-date: -13.95% 1 year: -15.67% Deere & Company stock price targets Canaccord Genuity: $400 Evercore ISI Group: $424 HSBC: $486 Deutsche Bank: $407 Stifel: $460 Oppenheimer: $458 UBS: $408 Credit Suisse: $551 JP Morgan: $380 DA Davidson: $510 Citigroup: $475 BMO Capital: $425 Deere & Company is the 126th largest company in the world with a market cap of $106.07 billion. You can trade Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD.
GO Markets now offers pre-market and after-market trading on popular US Share CFDs. Trade the pre-market session: 4:00am to 9:30am, normal session, and after-market session: 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Eastern Standard Time. Why trade during extended hours?
Volatility never sleeps. Trade over earnings releases as they happen outside of main trading hours Reduce your risk and hedge your existing positions ahead of a new trading day Extended trading hours on popular US stocks means extended opportunities Sources: Deere & Company, TradingView, MarketWatch, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap, FactSet
The world’s largest supermarket chain Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) released third quarter earnings results before the market opened in the US on Thursday. Walmart beat Wall Street estimates for both revenue and earnings per share (EPS). Company overview Founded: July 2, 1962 Headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas, United States Number of employees: 2.1 million (2023) Industry: Retail Key people: Greg Penner (Chairman), Doug McMillon (President and CEO) The results Walmart reported revenue of $160.804 billion for the quarter (up by 5.2% year-over-year) vs. $159.651 billion expected.
EPS reported at $1.53 per share (up by 2% year-over-year) vs. estimate of $1.522 per share. Walmart raised its full-year net sales growth forecast from between 4%-4.5% to between 5%-5.5%. Adjusted EPS expected to reach between $6.40-$6.48 per share vs. analyst estimate of $6.48 per share.
CEO commentary "We had strong revenue growth across segments for the quarter, and we’re excited to get an early start to the holiday season. From a Thanksgiving meal that costs less than last year, to great prices on fashion, toys, electronics, and seasonal decorations, we’re here to help families from around the world make this a special time. Looking ahead, our inventory is in good shape, the teams are focused, and our associates are ready to serve our customers and members whenever and however they want to be served,'' CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillon said in a letter to investors.
Stock reaction" [insert chart image attached to the email] Shares of Walmart fell by around 7% on Thursday on future outlook despite beating Q3 estimates. Stock performance 1 month: -2.37% 3 months: +0.82% Year-to-date: +10.70% 1 year: +6.05% Walmart stock price targets Jefferies: $195 Stifel: $171 Stephens & Co.: $190 Tigress Financial: $196 Piper Sandler: $210 HSBC: $200 Evercore ISI Group: $177 Citigroup: $180 TD Cowen: $185 Walmart is the 16th largest company in the world with a market cap of $421.71 billion. You can trade Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD.
GO Markets now offers pre-market and after-market trading on popular US Share CFDs. Trade the pre-market session: 4:00am to 9:30am, normal session, and after-market session: 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Eastern Standard Time. Why trade during extended hours?
Volatility never sleeps. Trade over earnings releases as they happen outside of main trading hours Reduce your risk and hedge your existing positions ahead of a new trading day Extended trading hours on popular US stocks means extended opportunities Sources: Walmart Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MetaTrader 5, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap, Financial Times