Global economic updates, market sentiment, and financial headlines.
The world's top energy executives return to Houston next week as the escalating U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has become a nightmare for energy markets, as unprecedented attacks on infrastructure and shipping disruptions sent global oil prices soaring while governments scrambled to fight inflation and avoid recessions.
The current economic landscape is often defined by its loudest headlines: geopolitical strife, shifting central bank leadership, and the ghosts of sticky inflation. However, the challenge for disciplined investors lies in peering through this noise to discern the structural engines driving the U.S. economy.
The Federal Reserve held rates steady at 3.50%-3.75%, maintaining a cautious stance amid Middle East-driven uncertainty and elevated inflation. Chair Powell signaled he will remain on the Board of Governors until DOJ investigations conclude, effectively blocking presidential control of the Fed.
The Investment Committee debate the S&P's longest losing streak since March and how to navigate the volatility.
The Russell 2000 has fallen more than 10% off its recent high, becoming the first of the major U.S. benchmarks to fall into correction territory. A correction is defined as a decline of more than 10% and less than 20% from a recent high.
"Bloomberg Real Yield" highlights the market-moving news you need to know. Today's guests: Schwab Center for Financial Research Kathy Jones, Allspring Global Investment George Bory, BNP Paribas Head of Credit Strategy Meghan Robson, and CreditSights Head of US IG & Marco Strategy Zachary Griffiths.
I believe inflation will stay front and center through the first half of the year. Oil flows will take months to normalize once the transit through Hormuz resumes.
Rate traders are now pricing in a higher chance of a Fed rate hike this year than they are a rate cut.
The global oil prices showed some signs of stability on Friday, albeit at still elevated price levels, after three days of intense volatility and heightened geopolitical risk premiums as tensions flared in the Middle East.
JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) is built to cushion volatility, but investors may find stronger returns in defensive sectors and dividend funds.
The stock market broke below key support due to high oil prices and surging bond yields amid the Iran war.
Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, joins 'Money Movers' to discuss the state of markets, the conflict in the Middle East and more.
Provisional purchasing managers' surveys for March in the U.S. and Europe in the week will provide a key gauge of how the ongoing war in the Middle East has impacted sentiment and business activity.
The ongoing Iran war has escalated beyond expectations, undermining market confidence and contributing to a downtrend in the S&P 500. Recent U.S. actions, including potential sanction relief on Iranian oil, are seen as short-term fixes rather than bullish catalysts.
Economic signals around the U.S. economy have been mixed so far in 2026, and the recent conflict in the Middle East has introduced more uncertainty. The two key economic drivers right now appear to be the AI-driven tech spending boom and continued large fiscal deficit spending.
Higher oil prices resulting from the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran are dashing hopes for any interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve this year and even leading to growing chances of a rate hike.
Schwab Asset Management CEO and CIO Omar Aguilar says that investors aren't getting FOMO in this market, but they're instead avoiding risk.
"We need this war to end," says Matthew Tuttle, pointing it as the crux to fears of stagflation and long-term crude oil volatility. He believes the metals trade will regain traction in commodities as uncertainty continues.
Energy investors are on edge over the run-up in oil prices triggered by the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran that began in late February.
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This year's market has been an exercise in whirling rotation, and that was before heightened geopolitical uncertainty. And while things may seem rocky now, don't forget a midterm election is coming up.
Any optimistic investors hoping Wall Street would eventually move past elevated oil prices were disappointed for yet another week.
Money markets predict three quarter-point rises in UK interest rates this year, due to inflation shock from higher oil and gas prices
Keith Lerner, chief investment officer at Truist Wealth, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the state of the markets, the conflict in the Middle East and more.
Janus Living, a carve-out of medical real estate firm Healthpeak Properties, priced at the high end of its range. It will pay a dividend yielding nearly 3%.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman says she has penciled in three rate cuts before the end of 2026, citing concerns about the U.S. labor market.
Markets may be slightly undervalued after recent volatility. U.S. Fed likely in a position where they reasonably can't cut or hike rates.
CNBC's Steve Liesman and Fed Governor Christopher Waller join 'Squawk Box' to discuss the state of the economy, impact of higher oil prices on the Fed's interest rate outlook, inflation concerns, impact of tariffs, state of private credit, and more.
Edward Mills, Washington Policy Analyst at Raymond James, Larry McDonald, Founder of The Bear Traps Report, and Kathryn Rooney Vera, Chief Market Strategist and Chief Economist at StoneX, warn conflict may last longer, fueling energy shocks, inflation and rising recession risks.
US stocks fall as war escalation and oil surge lift rate hike fears. S&P500 outlook turns bearish with more selling likely as inflation risks climb.
U.S. Treasury yields jumped on Friday as investors anticipated inflationary pressures resulting from the Middle East war.
The Iran war risks devolving into a situation of prolonged regional insecurity, creating sustained upward pressure on oil prices and increased risk of a global recession. Even after Iran's conventional military has been significantly degraded through air strikes, it could still potentially continue to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Matthew Diczok, head of fixed income strategy, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank said the market doesn't expect their to be a sustained increase in energy. he world's bond markets were whipsawed by unusual volatility as investors rushed to bet on higher interest rates after key central banks signaled fresh concern the surge in oil prices will deliver an inflation shock.
Schwab Asset Management CEO and CIO Omar Aguilar talks about how clients are positioning themselves as war risks linger. He says risk aversion has been "increasing dramatically" for the last few weeks. He speaks on "Bloomberg Surveillance."
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman joins ‘Mornings with Maria' to discuss easing bank capital rules, the Fed's outlook on economic growth, and rising risks from private credit, AI investment and global tensions.
Seaport Chief Equity Strategist Jonathan Golub says global markets are taking volatility in stride. He says if markets were panicking, stocks would be lower.
Only six market corrections have turned into bear markets—or periods when the market is down by 20% or more—since 1974, according to Charles Schwab. There have been 27 market corrections since November 1974, and the latest to become a bear market came during the pandemic in 2020 and during the global financial crisis in 2007.
Previously an advocate for rate cuts, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said in a CNBC interview that recent developments in the labor market as well as the uncertainty of the war with Iran require a more conservative approach. "It doesn't mean that I'm going to stay put for the rest of the year," Waller said on "Squawk Box.
Christopher J. Waller, a Federal Reserve governor, said he would support rate cuts later this year if the labor market continued to weaken.
Geopolitical tensions are easing as the U.S. and Israel signal de-escalation, reducing oil price pressures. The Fed's proposal to lower bank capital requirements aims to boost lending, especially for smaller banks and the housing market.
As the hedge fund industry hovers near an all-time high of roughly $5 trillion in assets, up from about $600 billion at the turn of the century, it has recently experienced a moderate drawdown across most strategies in the first half of March 2026. If this is not a short-lived disruption, and losses deepen into sustained double-digit declines, will the implications for the industry resemble those experienced during the 2008 financial crisis?
Wall Street opened lower on Friday as the escalating conflict involving Iran approached its fourth week, unsettling energy markets and forcing investors to reassess expectations for interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 all opened lower.
The pressure on Trump to deescalate in the Middle East is building. Markets need to be convinced oil is back below $100 forgood before they can rally concertedly.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller on Friday expressed caution about current conditions but still sees the opportunity for interest rate cuts as the year goes on. In a CNBC interview, the policymaker said "if things go reasonably well and the labor market continues to be weak, I would start advocating again for cutting the policy rate later this year.
Bond markets across the globe are under pressure, but the U.K. government bond market is under attack like no other.
These are the three key "red lines" that must be defended to keep the financial markets stable: WTI below $100, 10Y yield below 4.30%, and S&P 500 above 200dma. Over the near term, these three red lines can be defended, as a matter of national security, amid the war with Iran.
Amanda Bankel's doctoral thesis explores why low-carbon technologies like solar panels do not spread as quickly as expected, even when they are affordable and technologically mature. The study shows that the problem is often not the technology itself, but rather how markets develop in practice.
The Federal Reserve doesn't need to raise interest rates because inflation is likely to cool in the second half of the year, said Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller.
As of March 20, 2026, three stocks in the information technology sector could be flashing a real warning to investors who value momentum as a key criteria in their trading decisions.