Mexican Peso gains as Trump exempts tariffs on USMCA products

• Trump delays reciprocal tariffs on Mexico until April 2 after talks with Sheinbaum.
• USD/MXN briefly falls as tariff relief boosts MXN before rebounding above 20.30.
• Traders eye Mexico's inflation data and US Nonfarm Payrolls for further direction.

The Mexican Peso (MXN) appreciated against the US Dollar (USD) on Thursday after United States (US) President Donald Trump said that Mexico would be exempt from paying tariffs on anything falling within the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The USD/MXN is trading at 20.30, down 0.45%.

Recently, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum called Trump and agreed on a delay of one month, until April 2, when reciprocal tariffs will begin. Trump posted on its social network "Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl."

As the news broke, the USD/MXN pair retreated to a daily low of 20.21, beneath the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) of 20.33. Since then, buyers have pushed the exchange rate above 20.30.

Traders are also eyeing the release of Mexico's inflation figures for February. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Core CPI are expected to drop monthly. However, according to a Reuters poll, both readings will pick up yearly.

Meanwhile, US jobs data was mixed, with the number of people filing unemployment claims dipping compared to the previous reading, revealed the Department of Labor. The Challenger jobs report showed layoffs rose to levels not seen since the last two recessions due to mass federal government job cuts.

Ahead of this week, traders will watch the release of February Nonfarm Payrolls, which are expected to rise above January's figures.

Daily digest market movers: Mexican Peso advances on positive trade news

• Mexico's CPI for February is projected to dip by 0.27% MoM, down from 0.29%. In the twelve months to February, it would likely rise by 3.77%, up from 3.59%. Core CPI for the same period is projected to rise 0.46% MoM from 0.41%. Over one year, core prices are projected to drop from 3.66% to 3.62%.
• Banco de Mexico's (Banxico) private economists' survey showed that headline inflation is forecast to end at 3.71%, while core CPI is expected to finish at 3.75%. The USD/MXN exchange rate is projected to end at 20.85 in 2025, slightly lower than the 20.90 projection in the previous survey. However, for 2026, they anticipate a sharper depreciation of the Peso, well beyond the 21.30 level expected in January's poll.
• US Initial Jobless Claims for the week ending March 1 increased by 221K, below estimates of 235K and last week's 242K.
• Challenger Job Cuts in February soared from 49.795K to 172.017K, blamed on DOGE actions. Challenger, Gray & Christmas revealed that the government accounted for the bulk of the layoffs, for 62,242 job cuts by the federal government.
• Hence, money market traders had priced in 74 basis points of easing in 2025, up from Wednesday's 72 bps, via data from the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT).
• Trade disputes between the US and Mexico remain front and center. If countries could come to an agreement, it could pave the way for a recovery of the Mexican currency. Otherwise, further USD/MXN upside is seen, as US tariffs could trigger a recession in Mexico.

USD/MXN technical outlook: Mexican Peso surges as USD/MXN drops below 20.40

USD/MXN continues to trade sideways, but sellers seem to have the upper hand. If the exotic pair prints a daily close below the 100-day SMA, a re-test of the 20.00 psychological figure is on the cards. A breach of the latter would expose the 200-day SMA at 19.54.

Otherwise, if USD/MXN climbs past the 100-day SMA, the next resistance would be 20.50. If surpassed, the next key resistance levels would be the March 4 peak at 20.99 and the year-to-date (YTD) peak of 21.28.