US: Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index jumps to 51.8 in March vs. 23.1 expected

Philly Fed Manufacturing Index rose sharply in March.
US Dollar Index continues to erase Wednesday's losses.

Eren Sengezer FXStreet

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported on Thursday that the headline Manufacturing Activity Index of the Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey improved sharply to 51.8 in March from 23.1. This reading beat the market expectation of 23.1 by a wide margin.

Key takeaways

"Nearly 59% of the firms reported increases in current activity this month (up from 35% last month), while only 7% reported decreases (down from 11%).

"The current new orders index also increased substantially to a 50-year high, rising 28 points to 50.9 in March."

"The current shipments index increased 9 points to 30.2."

"The current employment index increased from a reading of 25.3 in February to 30.1 this month."

"The prices paid index rose sharply from 54.4 to 75.9, its highest reading since March 1980."

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index showed no immediate reaction to this report and was last seen gaining 0.35% on the day at 91.75.

Author

Eren Sengezer

FXStreet

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

EUR/USD climbs to daily highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD now picks up pace and advances to the area of daily peaks north of the 1.1800 barrier at the end of the week. The pair’s decent move higher comes against the backdrop of a generalised lack of direction in the FX galaxy and the mild offered stance in the US Dollar.

GBP/USD trims losses, retests 1.3460

After briefly challenging its key 200-day SMA near 1.3440, GBP/USD now manages to regain some balance and revisit the 1.3460 zone on Friday. Cable’s pullback comes as the selling pressure on the Greenback gathers traction, reigniting some recovery in the risk-linked space.

Gold flirts with four-week highs past $5,200

Gold extends its rebound, climbing for a third consecutive session and pushing back above the $5,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The move higher continues to draw support from lingering geopolitical tensions and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding US trade policy, both of which are keeping safe-haven demand firmly in play.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary.

Changing the game: International implications of recent tariff developments

The Supreme Court ruling on International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs provides limited relief for the rest of the world, with weighted average tariff rates modestly lower.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.