Morning wrap (15.03.2021)

• Stocks in Asia traded mixed today. Nikkei added 0.2%, S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.1%, Kospi dropped 0.2% and indices from China traded over 1% lower

• DAX futures point to a slightly higher opening of the European session

• AstraZeneca rejects accusations that its coronavirus vaccine increases risk of blood clots. Meanwhile, the Netherlands became the latest country to suspend use of AstraZeneca vaccine

• Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 120 million

• According to media reports, Japan plans not to extend state of emergency and end it on March 21st as planned, thanks to lower rate of hospitalization in the country

• According to Reuters, India is to propose a law banning possession, issuing, mining and trading in cryptocurrencies

• RBA Governor Lowe repeated that the Bank will maintain support for the economy until full employment and inflation target are reached

• Chinese retail sales increased 33.8% YoY in February (exp. +32% YoY), industrial production increased 35.1% YoY (exp. 30% YoY) and urban investments jumped 35% YoY (exp. 40% YoY)

• Japanese core machinery orders declined 4.5% MoM in January

• Bitcoin dropped below $59,000 after breaking above $61,000 over the weekend

• Oil is trading higher while natural gas declines. Precious metals and agricultural commodities drop

• NZD and CAD are the best performing major currencies while AUD and JPY lag the most

NZDUSD has found support at the 0.7170 swing level and moved higher today. The pair tested 0.7200 mark but failed to break above it. Clearing this area would pave the way for another test of a key, near-term resistance at 0.7240. Source: xStation5