Here is what you need to know on Monday, April 22:

US stock index futures started the week on a bullish note, reflecting an improvement in risk mood. European Commission will release the preliminary Consumer Confidence data for April on Monday and European Central Bank (ECB) President will deliver a speech. The US economic docket will not feature any high-impact data releases.

Investors remain optimistic about an avoidance of a further deepening of the crisis in the Middle East following a relatively quiet weekend in terms of news regarding the Iran-Israel conflict. At the time of press, US stock index futures were up between 0.4% and 0.6%. The US Dollar (USD) Index holds steady near 106.00 and the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield continues to fluctuate above 4.6%.

During the Asian trading hours, the People's Bank of China (PBoC) reported that it left the one-year and five-year Loan Prime Rates unchanged at 3.45% and 3.95%, respectively. Meanwhile, China’s Commerce Ministry announced on Friday that they decided to impose a levy of 43.5% on imports of propionic acid from the United States. Propionic acid is commonly used in food, feed, pesticides and medical fields.

AUD/USD pair showed no reaction to China-related news and edged higher to the 0.6450 area at the weekly opening before retreating slightly. Judo Bank Manufacturing and Services PMI data for April will be released in the early trading hours of the Asian session on Tuesday.

Australian Dollar holds steady following gains amid the lackluster US Dollar.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced early Monday that it raised the minimum reserve requirement for banks from 2.5% to 4%. USD/CHF largely ignored this headline and was last seen trading modestly higher on the day above 0.9100.

EUR/USD closed the previous week virtually unchanged. The pair holds steady above 1.0650 in the European morning on Monday.

GBP/USD came under bearish pressure in the American session on Friday and broke below 1.2400, ending the week in negative territory. The pair stays in a consolidation phase above 1.2350 in the early European session.

Gold registered small daily gains on Friday but closed the week below $2,400. XAU/USD stages a technical correction on Monday and was last seen losing over 1% on the day below $2,360.

Gold price extends its steady intraday descent to $2,360 area, bullish potential seems intact.

USD/JPY moves up and down in a very tight channel below 155.00 on Monday. On Friday, the Bank of Japan will announce monetary policy decisions.