Actualización del mercado

April 17, 2026

Eurozone

Euro traded at 1.1803 against USD at 9:00 AM PST

Eurozone exports decreased for the second straight month in February. Exports decreased 6.7% year-on-year in February, slower than the 7.7% fall in January. Likewise, imports dropped 2.2% from last year, following a 7.8% decrease in January. As a result, the trade balance posted a surplus of EUR 11.5 billion, representing a substantial improvement from the EUR 1 billion deficit in January. The improvement was primarily driven by the machinery and vehicles sector, where the surplus rose to EUR 10.2 billion from EUR 1.5 billion in January.

However, during January to February, the cumulative trade surplus declined to EUR 10.6 billion from EUR 21.8 billion in the same period last year as exports fell more sharply by 7.2%. Imports decreased by only 5.1%. On a month-on-month basis, exports grew 0.9% in February, and imports increased 3.5%. Consequently, the seasonally adjusted trade surplus fell to EUR 7.0 billion from EUR 12.8 billion in January. 04/17/2026 - 05:47:00 (RTTNews)

The euro area’s current account surplus declined in February, driven by decreases in trade surplus and primary income. The current account surplus fell to EUR 25 billion from EUR 40 billion in January. In the same period last year, the surplus was EUR 19 billion.

The surplus on goods trade fell notably to EUR 25 billion from EUR 35 billion last month. The services surplus dropped moderately to EUR 16 billion from EUR 17 billion. Meanwhile, primary income swung to a deficit of EUR 2 billion from a surplus of EUR 4 billion.

At the same time, the shortfall in secondary income narrowed to EUR 14 billion from EUR 15 billion in the prior month. In the twelve months to February, the current account surplus totaled EUR 289 billion, or 1.8% of euro area GDP, down from EUR 371 billion, or 2.4%, a year earlier.

In the financial account, euro area residents' net acquisitions of non-euro area portfolio investment securities came in at EUR 918 billion, and non-residents' net acquisitions of euro area portfolio investment securities totaled EUR 1,013 billion in the twelve months to February. 04/17/2026 - 04:20:00 (RTTNews)

Canadian Dollar Rises as Crude Oil Price Soars

The Canadian dollar strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Friday, as crude oil prices have surged amid concerns that supply disruptions continue despite upcoming peace talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the month-long Gulf War. WTI Crude Oil for May delivery was last seen trading up by $3.45 (or 3.78%) at $94.74 per barrel.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran had agreed to terms including abandoning ambitions for a nuclear weapon, although Iranian officials have yet to verify these claims. Adding to the positive sentiment, President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.

The ongoing complete blockade of Iranian ports across the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. naval forces, with an aim to cripple Iranian oil exports, has accelerated crude oil and energy supply concerns, keeping energy prices volatile.

In the Asian trading today, the Canadian dollar rose to a 1-month high of 116.60 against the yen and a 9-day high of 1.6112 against the euro, from yesterday's closing quotes of 116.20 and 1.6141. Against the U.S. and the Australian dollars, the Canadian dollar advanced to nearly a 4-week high of 1.3680 and a 2-day high of 0.9801 from Thursday's closing quotes of 1.3704 and 0.9808. 04/17/2026 - 03:15:00 (RTTNews)