Market Recap 

XAUUSD 
XAUUSD traversed a 70.86 range on 2026-03-17, equal to 1.42% of the open, and settled at 5003.43 into the 23:57 close, down 3.98 (-0.08%) from the 5007.41 open. The session topped out at 5044.57 at 08:17, a print marginally above the H4 21-EMA at 5041.76, before rotating lower to the day’s trough at 4973.71 at 18:41. Price then lifted back toward the 5000 handle into the close, which finished below the session midpoint and slightly under the opening level. The intraday path featured an early push to the high, a later dip to the low, and a final stabilization around 5000, while the low stayed above the 4900 round-number handle identified as the nearest 100-handle beneath the session trough. The high-water mark near the H4 21-EMA highlighted that moving average as an intraday reference, while the broader H4 backdrop showed RSI14 at 40.47 and MACD in negative territory at -33.15. On the daily timeframe, the lower Bollinger Band stood at 4939.67, below the session low. Overall, the close occurred in the lower half of the day’s span after testing levels on both sides of 5000, with the range extending from 5044.57 in the morning to 4973.71 into the evening and the market ending a few points under where it began. 

USDJPY 
USDJPY finished the 00:00–07:47 session at 159.25, up 0.25 on the day (+0.16%) from an open near 159.00. Price first marked the session low at 158.93 at 00:58, then advanced to the high at 159.45 at 04:28, producing a 0.51 intraday range, equal to 0.32% of the opening level. Trading unfolded within that band for the remainder of the window, and the pair settled in the upper half of the day’s range, around 0.20 below the peak and 0.32 above the low. Round-number levels were in view: the downside probe dipped below 159.00 before price reclaimed the figure, while the session high stopped short of the 159.50 threshold. The sequence featured an early downside test followed by recovery to the day’s top and a later consolidation phase that kept the close above the session mid-point. On higher time frames, the daily MACD read 1.02 against a signal line at 0.75, and spot remained above the daily Bollinger midline at 157.16. In the context of recent highs, the session high at 159.45 stayed beneath the 5‑day peak at 159.74. Overall, the period reflected contained price action within the established intraday corridor, with the close holding in the upper portion of the range and the 159.00 and 159.50 markers framing the day’s extremes. 

AUDUSD 
AUDUSD firmed modestly over the 00:00–07:44 session, settling at 0.71 from an open near 0.71, a gain of 9.2 pips or 0.13%. Price set the session high at 06:30 at 0.71 and the low at 06:44 at 0.70, producing a span of 44.1 pips, or 0.62% of the open. The close was positioned in the upper half of the day’s range. Structurally, the high printed ahead of the low, with price retracing back toward the upper portion of the range into the close; intraday action remained below the 0.71 handle while holding above 0.70. On the higher timeframes, the 20‑day simple moving average was situated around 0.71, and the pair spent the session oscillating around that reference, opening just below it and closing marginally above it. On the hourly chart, the 21‑period exponential moving average near 0.71 was also a relevant marker, with price dipping beneath it during the selloff to the session low and recovering above it by the end of the window. At the daily indicator level, the MACD signal line read 0.0. By the close, the pair was little changed relative to the 20‑day average and had respected the nearby round figures, with a brief early spike to the intraday high before a drop to the low and subsequent stabilization. No multi‑day extremes were registered within this period, and there were no tests beyond the 0.70–0.71 handles. 

Economic Calendar Recap & Preview 

Policy action in Australia set the tone, with the Reserve Bank of Australia lifting its cash rate to 4.1 percent from 3.85 percent previously. Looking ahead, focus shifts to North America: at 16:45 server time, the Bank of Canada delivers its interest rate decision, with the previous policy rate at 2.0 percent; later, at 21:00, the Federal Reserve announces its rate decision, following a prior level of 3.75 percent. While no forecasts are provided here, market attention typically centers on how policy statements frame growth and inflation alongside the headline rate. Economics 101: a higher-than-anticipated rate move would generally tighten financial conditions. No major speeches are slated alongside these decisions in the schedule provided, though any accompanying statements can influence expectations. A brief note of caution: price action can be volatile around the Fed release.