[MARKET UPDATE] USD picks up and the risk tone slips slightly as Iran says it has not yet sent a delegation to Pakistan

The modest slip in risk appetite, as suggested by a stronger USD and softer performance in US futures, indicates investor caution, likely linked to geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran's delay in sending a delegation to Pakistan.

Newsquawk StaffPublished 21 Apr 2026, 08:25 UTCOn the live feed at 08:05 UTC — 3 more headlines followed before this page went public

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08:11

No Iranian delegation, primary or secondary, have travelled to Islamabad and that reports about the departure of such officials and claims about meeting times were inaccurate, IRIB reports

08:10

Former UK Foreign Ministry Official Olly Robbins says there was a "dismissive attitude" from Number Ten towards Mandelson's vetting as they wanted to get him out to Washington as quickly as possible

08:05

[MARKET UPDATE] USD picks up and the risk tone slips slightly as Iran says it has not yet sent a delegation to Pakistan

08:00

Taiwan Export Orders (Mar) Y/Y 65.9% vs exp. 44.1% (prev. 23.8%)

07:59

EU's Kallas says they are to make decisions on Ukraine's EUR 90bln loan on Wednesday

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Action that has seen US futures trim to gains of just 0.1% or 0.2%, vs earlier +0.4% performance. Fixed income moves to fresh lows, with USTs more convincingly in the red and Gilts under renewed pressure. For Bunds, they remain afloat but have trimmed around half of the earlier upside.
In FX, the USD climbs to the detriment of peers. EUR/USD at a 1.1757 low, GBP/USD below 1.3500 to a 1.3485 base, and USD/JPY above 159.00 to a 159.17 peak.

Context

This news might signal broader regional instability, which can put upward pressure on the USD as a safe-haven asset, while weighing on risk-sensitive currencies like the EUR and GBP.

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