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The Canadian dollar stabilized near the 1.37 per USD mark, hovering near two-month lows as a shift toward diplomacy in the Middle East neutralized the safe-haven bid for the greenback while simultaneously cooling the global energy rally. President Trump’s decision to postpone military strikes on Iranian infrastructure for five days triggered a collapse in energy prices and eased the geopolitical premium previously embedded in the Loonie. While the Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve both maintained a cautious stance on inflation, the domestic currency found a technical floor as US Dollar demand softened following disappointing American construction and manufacturing data. These factors effectively countered the loss of oil-led support, as Federal Reserve officials downplayed the necessity of near-term rate hikes despite the stagflationary risks cited by Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee.

Canadian Dollar Steady Near 2-Month Lows

The Mexican peso appreciated toward 17.7 per US dollar as a broad improvement in global risk appetite and a sharp retreat in the greenback provided a reprieve for emerging market assets. This recovery was largely driven by a significant narrowing of the dollar's safe-haven premium after President Trump postponed military strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for five days following productive negotiations. Locally, the peso found additional support from Mexican retail sales rising a strong 5% annually in January, a figure that significantly beat market expectations and highlighted domestic economic resilience despite elevated borrowing costs. While the peso  previously hit a three-month low of 18.08 on fears of a Strait of Hormuz closure, the easing of geopolitical tensions triggered a collapse in Brent crude prices that cooled the inflationary outlook. These developments reinforced the Bank of Mexico's hawkish stance.

Mexican Peso Rebounds on Risk Appetite

Lumber futures fell below $600 per thousand board feet as a slowdown in the North American housing market and rising financing costs outweighed persistent supply constraints. This downward pressure was driven by a 5.4% decline in building permits and a sharp 14.2% collapse in single-family housing starts, which signaled a cooling of construction activity as the spring season began. Additionally, 30-year fixed mortgage rates climbed to 6.22% following the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady, the market was further pressured by a sharp drop in crude oil prices that reduced the energy-heavy transport and production overheads. These factors effectively neutralized the marginal one-point gain in the NAHB Housing Market Index to 38, leaving 37% of builders reliant on deep price cuts to move a 2.4% increase in unsold inventory. Structural supply issues like the 45% combined duties on Canadian softwood and ongoing sawmill closures continue to provide a floor.

Lumber Drops Below $600

The FTSE MIB rose 0.8% to 43,190 on Monday as conciliatory remarks from US President Trump improved the outlook of energy supply from the Persian Gulf. The moderate tone eased Middle East escalation fears, pulling oil prices down and reducing stagflation concerns.The prospective of lower energy inflation helped bond yields fall and supported credit-sensitive sectors. Major banks surged, UniCredit was up 3.3%, Intesa Sanpaolo 3.2%, BPER 3.5%,  and BPM advanced 3.7%. Elsewhere, Ferrari and TIM rose 3.4% and 4.7%, respectively. Poste Italiane (-6.8%) announced a roughly 10.8 billion euro offer to acquire TIM through cash and shares, potentially returning it to state control. Meanwhile, lower oil quotes weighed on energy stocks, Eni fell 4.7%.

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