Here is a rundown of latest headlines surrounding the crisis in the Middle East as the United States (US) and Israel’s war against Iran enters the fourth week:

Silver price (XAG/USD) retreats late in the North American session, down by over 6.80% in the day, poised to finish the week with losses of more than 15.70%, posting its second-largest weekly loss since the one that ended down 17.39% on January 30. At the time of writing, XAG/USD trades at $67.89.

A Reuters poll revealed that the Bank of Mexico, also known as Banxico, is expected to keep interest rates steady at 7% at the March 26 meeting amid concerns about the Middle East war.

United States CFTC S&P 500 NC Net Positions increased to $-113.1K from previous $-134.5K

United States CFTC Gold NC Net Positions: $159.9K vs previous $163.1K

Eurozone CFTC EUR NC Net Positions down to €21.1K from previous €105.1K

United States CFTC Oil NC Net Positions fell from previous 228K to 218.7K

United Kingdom CFTC GBP NC Net Positions increased to £-65.5K from previous £-84.2K

Australia CFTC AUD NC Net Positions up to $69.1K from previous $54.2K

Japan CFTC JPY NC Net Positions declined to ¥-67.8K from previous ¥-41.4K

The US Dollar (USD)i weakened this week, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) slipping back below 100.00 to 99.60 on Friday after a surge in the middle of the week driven by the Federal Reserve's (Fed) decision to hold rates in the 3.50%-3.75% range.

Gold (XAU/USD) price extended on Friday its losses for the eighth straight day, poised to end the week down by more than 8.50% as Oil prices continued to rally, boosting the haven appeal of the Greenback.

Argentina Gross Domestic Product (YoY) came in at 2.1%, below expectations (2.2%) in 4Q

The Swiss Franc (CHF) trades flat against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday, reversing part of its earlier gains as the Greenback eases slightly from daily highs. At the time of writing, USD/CHF is trading around 0.7878 after briefly touching the 0.7900 mark.

United States Baker Hughes US Oil Rig Count: 414 vs 412

Gold (XAU/USD) extends losses on Friday following a sharp two-day decline that pushed prices to their lowest level since early February, near the $4,500 mark.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) tumbled around 257 points, or 0.6%, on Friday as all three major US indices tracked toward a fourth consecutive losing week. The S&P 500 fell 0.8%, while the Nasdaq Composite underperformed with a decline of 1.2%.

EUR/USD trades with a mild downside bias on Friday as a modest rebound in the US Dollar (USD) weighs on the Euro (EUR), with price action lacking follow-through buying after failing to sustain a break above the 1.1600 mark.

GBP/USD trims some of its previous-day gains on Friday, down by 0.84%, as traders turn risk-averse amid an escalation of the Middle East war and price in no rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed) in 2026. At the time of writing, the pair trades below 1.3350 after hitting a daily high of 1.3442.

AUD/USD trades lower around 0.7040 on Friday at the time of writing, down 0.68% on the day, as the pair is pressured by a return of safe-haven demand despite supportive domestic factors in Australia.

USD/CAD recovers from intraday lows on Friday as softer-than-expected Canadian Retail Sales data weighs on the Canadian Dollar (CAD), while a rebound in the US Dollar (USD) provides additional support to the pair.

Nordea’s Sara Midtgaard reports that the Federal Reserve left its policy rate unchanged and signalled only gradual easing, with one 25 bp cut projected in both 2026 and 2027.

Citing officials, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the Pentagon is sending roughly "2,200 to 2,500 Marines from the California-based USS Boxer amphibious ready group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit," to the Middle East, alongside three warships.

Scotiabank’s global FX strategy team reports broad Dollar strength as G10 performance realigns with early US/Iran conflict patterns. They stress fragile risk sentiment as markets reassess prolonged conflict risks, central bank paths and violent yield repricing.

Scotiabank’s Analyst Team notes the Canadian Dollar is modestly firmer versus the Dollar and leading G10 peers, echoing its earlier conflict-phase outperformance. They highlight narrowing yield spreads and a relatively muted Bank of Canada meeting as key drivers.

EUR/GBP edges higher on Friday, recovering losses recorded in the previous day after the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England (BoE) monetary policy announcements.

Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve (Fed), said that based on the jobs report alone, he was planning to dissent in the monetary policy decision, but inflation has become more of a concern.

USD/JPY trades around 158.70 on Friday at the time of writing, up 0.61% on the day, staging a clear rebound after Thursday’s sharp decline. The move comes as the US Dollar (USD) regains traction following a bout of volatility, with markets reassessing the outlook for US monetary policy.

Canada New Housing Price Index (YoY): -2.1% (February) vs -2.3%

Canada New Housing Price Index (MoM) registered at 0.3% above expectations (-0.3%) in February