Market Recap 

XAUUSD 
XAUUSD covered an 85.85 move (1.7% of the opening level) in the session, spanning the 5,000 handle, and settled at 4,993.31 by 21:29, down 47.43 or 0.94% from the 5,040.74 open. The session’s high printed immediately at 01:00 at 5,051.51, with price opening near that peak, before declining into a 07:03 low at 4,965.66; the extremes therefore came in a high‑before‑low sequence. The close sat in the lower third of the range and below the intraday midpoint around 5,008.6, finishing 27.65 above the low and 58.20 beneath the high. Intraday action included an early test above 5,050, while the overall range straddled the 5,000 round handle and concluded just below it, with the settlement nearest the 5,000 mark. On the higher timeframe, the daily Bollinger midline stood at 5,001.50, placing the close marginally beneath that reference, while the 21‑day EMA at 4,922.97 remained below spot; by the end of the session price was therefore below the Bollinger center band yet still above the 21‑day average. After the first‑hour high, subsequent rebounds did not revisit that peak, and the day established its low below 5,000 before recovering toward the round level into the close. Overall, the session closed below the open, with the opening hour defining the top and the early‑morning trough defining the bottom, and price finishing near the key 5,000 handle within a contained intraday range. 

GBPUSD 
GBPUSD marked a contained session, setting the low at 00:00 near 1.36 and reaching the high around 11:08 near 1.37 before settling back into the lower end of the day’s span. It opened near 1.36 and closed near 1.36, a net move of -0.0007 (-0.051%) on the day. The intraday range measured 0.29% of the open, and the close was positioned about 22% of the distance from the low to the high, leaving it in the lower portion of the range by the finish. Price action remained within the 1.36s throughout, with the sequence defined by an early-session trough at 00:00, a late-morning push to the day’s peak at 11:08, and a subsequent drift back toward the lower quartile into the close. On higher timeframes, the pair finished below the D1 20-day simple moving average near 1.37, while the H1 21-period EMA sat close to 1.36 into the close. The D1 upper Bollinger band was well above, near 1.38, indicating headroom to the upper volatility boundary on the daily band set. By session end, the spot level was aligned more with the hourly trend reference than with the daily mean, and the settlement in the lower fifth of the range underscored the day’s pullback from the late-morning high. No tests of levels outside the 1.36 handle were recorded, and the day concluded without a retest of the session extremes. 

EURUSD 
EURUSD finished the 00:00–02:48 session at 1.18638, down 0.00034 (-0.029%) from the 1.18672 open. Price covered a 0.00131 range (13.1 pips), which was about 18% of the current 14‑day ATR of 0.00721 and equivalent to 0.11% of the opening level. The high printed immediately at 00:00 at 1.18740, while the low followed later at 02:35 at 1.18609, establishing a high‑before‑low sequence. The close sat toward the lower end of the session’s span, roughly 0.00029 above the intraday low and 0.00102 below the high; versus the session midpoint near 1.18675, it ended about 0.00037 beneath. Round‑number references were active, with a brief trade above 1.1870 early on and a subsequent dip to just above the 1.1860 figure, before settling between those handles and closer to 1.1860 by the close at 02:48. On higher timeframes, spot remained above the H4 50‑period simple moving average at 1.18522, leaving the close about 12 pips over that marker. On the daily chart, MACD was recorded at 0.0, while ATR(14) stood at 0.00721. The session therefore opened at its peak, transitioned to the session low in the final quarter‑hour before the cutoff, and concluded with price action anchored near the lower quartile of the high‑low spread, centered around the 1.186 handle and without extension toward 1.1880 or 1.1850 within the recorded interval. 

Economic Calendar Recap & Preview 

Japan’s latest growth figures set the tone overnight: fourth‑quarter GDP rose 0.1 percent quarter over quarter after a 0.6 percent contraction previously and against a forecast for a 1.2 percent decline, while GDP year over year edged up 0.2 percent versus a 2.3 percent drop prior and a projected 3.7 percent fall; the GDP price index held at 3.4 percent year over year, below the anticipated 4.6 percent, and net exports contributed 0.0 percentage points to quarterly growth after -0.2 prior and short of a 0.4 contribution expected. Looking ahead, the calendar turns first to the UK labor market: at 09:00, the unemployment rate is expected at 4.9 percent after 4.8 previously. The main inflation update arrives from Canada at 15:30, with headline CPI month over month forecast to be flat after a 0.2 percent decline, and core CPI year over year seen easing to 2.7 percent from 2.8. If Canadian CPI prints above expectations, policy‑tightening expectations could firm. A brief bout of FX and rates volatility is possible around the Canadian release given its sensitivity for Bank of Canada pricing. No major policy meetings or speeches are slated in the window provided.