As we head into the final days of March and the beginning of April 2026, the global markets are navigating a high-volatility environment driven by persistent geopolitical tensions and energy price shocks.

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Monday, March 30

• Economic:
  • United States: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivers a highly anticipated speech at Harvard University. Markets are looking for signals on whether recent inflation upticks will delay 2026 rate cuts.
  • Germany: Preliminary CPI (Inflation) data for March.
  • Japan: Tokyo CPI (a leading indicator for national inflation) is released late in the day.
• Stock Market: * Quarter-End Rebalancing: Expect heightened volume as institutional fund managers adjust portfolios for the end of Q1 2026.
  • Micron (MU): Dividend record date for shareholders.
• Cryptocurrency: * EthCC [9]: Europe’s largest Ethereum community conference begins in Cannes, France. Expect developer announcements regarding the “Glamsterdam” upgrade.

Tuesday, March 31

• Economic:
  • Eurozone: Flash CPI (Inflation) for March. Analysts expect a rise toward 2.7% due to energy costs.
  • China: NBS Manufacturing and Non-Manufacturing PMI (official government data).
  • Australia: Release of the RBA Meeting Minutes, providing context on the recent split decision to hike rates.
• Stock Market: * Holiday Closures: Stock exchanges in India (Mahavir Jayanti) and Pakistan (Eid al-Fitr) are closed.
  • Options Expiry: Quarterly options expiration on the NYSE/CBOE may cause “pinning” or volatility in major indices.
• Cryptocurrency: * Quarterly Expiry: Large-scale Bitcoin and Ethereum options expiry on Deribit and other major exchanges, often a catalyst for “max pain” price action.

Wednesday, April 1

• Economic:
  • United States: ADP Non-Farm Employment change and ISM Manufacturing PMI.
  • China: Caixin Manufacturing PMI (private sector focus).
  • Eurozone: Unemployment Rate (February).
• Stock Market: * New Quarter (Q2): “First of the month” inflows often provide a slight bullish bias to global equities.
  • Holiday Closures: Cyprus (National Day) and Norway (early close at 1:00 PM).
• Cryptocurrency: * Token Unlocks: Substantial token releases for several mid-cap DeFi protocols (check specific dApps for cliff unlocks).

Thursday, April 2

• Economic:
  • Switzerland: CPI (Inflation) data.
  • Australia: Trade Balance (February).
  • United States: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims.
• Stock Market: * Holiday Closures: Argentina (Maundy Thursday).
• Cryptocurrency: * ETHGlobal Cannes: Hackathon begins in conjunction with EthCC, usually resulting in “alpha” regarding new dApp launches and Ethereum L2 scaling solutions.

Friday, April 3

• Economic:
  • United States (Main Event): Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) for March. Following a shock contraction in February (-92k), traders are looking for a “thaw” with a modest rebound (+50k to +80k).
  • China: Caixin Services PMI.
• Stock Market: * Good Friday Holiday: MAJOR CLOSURES. The NYSE, Nasdaq, LSE, and most European exchanges are closed. Trading volume will be extremely thin globally.
• Cryptocurrency: * 24/7 Trading: While traditional markets are closed for Good Friday, crypto markets remain open. Expect “thin-market” volatility, where low liquidity can lead to sharper price swings on NFP data.