Foreign Exchange Market Update

May 15, 2026

United States

The Federal Reserve released a report on Friday showing industrial production in the U.S. rebounded in April. The report stated that industrial production increased by 0.7% in April, following a 0.3% decline in March.

The increase in industrial production partly reflected a significant rebound in utilities output, which surged by 1.9% in April after tumbling by 1.4% in March. Manufacturing output also climbed by 0.6% in April after inching up by 0.1% in March, while mining output edged down by 0.1% in April after slumping by 1.6% in March.

Capacity utilization in the industrial sector rose to 76.1% in April from 75.7% in March. Capacity utilization in the utilities sector jumped to 71.1%, and capacity utilization in the manufacturing sector increased to 75.8%, while capacity utilization in the mining sector edged down to 84.6%. 05/15/2026 - 10:17:00 (RTTNews)

New York manufacturing activity grew strongly in May, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in a report released on Friday. The New York Fed said its general business conditions index shot up to 19.6 in May from 11.0 in April, with a positive reading indicating growth.

With the surge, the general business conditions index jumped to its highest level since hitting 20.3 in April 2022. The new orders index also reached its highest level over four years, climbing to 22.7 in May from 19.3 in April. The report also said the shipments index dipped to 18.9 in May from 20.2 in April but still pointed to another solid increase in shipments.

The number of employees index also slipped to 8.3 in May from 9.8 in April, although the positive reading still indicates an ongoing increase in employment levels.

On the inflation front, the New York Fed said both price indexes surged to their highest levels since 2022. The prices paid index spiked to 62.6 in May from 51.0 in April, while the prices received index shot up to 31.8 in May from 21.8 April. 05/15/2026 - 09:32:00 (RTTNews)

Italy Inflation Accelerates

Euro traded at 1.1624 against USD at 9:00 AM PST

Consumer price inflation in Italy increased slightly in April to the highest level in more than two-and-a-half years. Consumer price inflation accelerated to 2.7% in April from March's 1.7%. Moreover, this was the highest inflation rate since September 2023. The upward trend in inflation was primarily driven by a 9.6% growth in costs for non-regulated energy products, which fell 2.0% in March.

The rise in inflation was also influenced by the price developments in regulated energy products, with prices rising by 5.3%. Inflation based on unprocessed food rose to 5.9% from 4.7%. Meanwhile, inflation based on recreation, including repair and personal care services, moderated to 2.6% from 3.0%. Excluding energy and unprocessed food, core inflation eased to 1.6% from 1.9%.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up 1.1% after rising 0.5% in February. In the preliminary report, the rate of increase was 1.2%. The E.U. measure of inflation was 2.8% in March, compared to 1.6% in the prior month. Monthly, the HICP climbed 1.6%. 05/15/2026 - 04:48:00 (RTTNews)

Hong Kong Q1 GDP Growth Confirmed at 5.9%

Hong Kong's economy grew at a faster pace in the first quarter of 2026. Gross domestic product (GDP) advanced 5.9% year-over-year in the first quarter, following a 4.0% growth in the fourth quarter. Moreover, this was the strongest expansion since the second quarter of 2021.

The acceleration of growth in the March quarter was driven by the sustained strong performance in external trade and a pickup in domestic demand. The expenditure breakdown showed that private consumption expenditure grew 4.9% from last year, and government consumption was 3.0% higher.

Gross domestic fixed capital formation expanded sharply by 17.7%. Exports of goods grew 23.7%, and imports were 29.8% higher. On a quarterly basis, GDP growth improved to 2.9% in the March quarter from 1.1% in the December quarter. 05/15/2026 - 08:03:00 (RTTNews)