U.S. stocks traded higher this morning, with the Dow Jones index gaining over 100 points on Thursday. Following the market opening Thursday, the Dow traded up 0.27% to 48,593.82 while the NASDAQ rose 0.07% to 24,032.72. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.16% to 7,033.84. Leading and Lagging Sectors Energy shares climbed by 1% on Thursday.
The IMF warns that global public debt could reach about 100% of world GDP by 2029, a scenario where Bitcoin could stand out as investors seek alternatives outside traditional finance. Global public debt approaching 100% of GDP means that every dollar, yuan, pound, euro, yen, and rupee earned in a year will be used to pay off government debt.
The global economy is facing renewed challenges as conflict in the Middle East threatens to derail growth and slow the pace of disinflation, according to the International Monetary Fund. In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the IMF projects global growth will slow to 3.1% in 2026 before edging up to 3.2% in 2027, assuming the conflict remains limited in scope and duration.
Blue Owl Capital is making a comeback, raising $400 million from bond investors, following several months of ripples in the private credit market. ??Blue Owl Capital shares are climbing with conviction. The bonds, issued by Blue Owl Capital Corp, are investment-grade rated notes.
Editor?s Note: This article has been updated with additional content. Wall Street braced for the Hormuz shock to hit wholesale prices in March. The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.5% month-over-month in March, matching February?s pace of 0.5% but landing below the 1.1% consensus estimate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
U.S. home sales dipped last month to their slowest pace in nine months, indicating a sluggish start to what is typically the busiest season for the housing market. A report from the National Association of Realtors revealed that existing home sales fell 3.6% in March from February to an annual pace of 3.98 million units.
Wall Street braced for the Hormuz shock to hit wholesale prices in March. The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.5% month-over-month in March, matching February?s pace of 0.5% but landing below the 1.1% consensus estimate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Existing-home sales declined 3.6% month-over-month in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million units, the National Association of Realtors reported on Monday. "March home sales remained sluggish and below last year?s pace," said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. Total housing inventory increased 3.0% from February to 1.36 million units, representing a 4.1-month supply.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to hold off on cutting interest rates for now, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing Iran war. Speaking in an interview on Monday with Semafor Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith, Bessent said the Fed is ?doing the right thing by sitting and watching? how the conflict plays out.
China's factory sector is finally showing signs of life, but ETF investors aren't ready to price in a full recovery just yet. After more than three years of falling factory-gate prices, China's Producer Price Index rose 0.5% year over year in March 2026, marking its first expansion since September 2022.
A new Federal Reserve study reveals that sweeping U.S. tariffs implemented in 2025 by President Donald Trump are entirely responsible for the recent surge in core goods inflation, hitting consumers with a direct, ?dollar-for-dollar? price increase.
Carvana Co (CVNA) shares are falling Thursday morning as fresh U.S. economic data pointed to a softer consumer backdrop just as inflation pressures were already running hotter than the Federal Reserve's target, a setup that can matter directly for used-car demand and financing-sensitive names like Carvana (CVNA). Here?s what investors need to know.
U.S. stocks traded lower this morning, with the Dow Jones index falling more than 100 points on Thursday. Following the market opening Thursday, the Dow traded down 0.27% to 47,778.78 while the NASDAQ fell 0.40% to 22,544.04. The S&P 500 also fell, dropping, 0.23% to 6,767.01. Leading and Lagging Sectors Utilities shares climbed by 1.6% on Thursday.
The Federal Reserve leadership transition is scheduled to occur during a turbulent time. Each of these variables alone would be manageable. Wells Fargo has revised its rate change projection on April 6. According to Reuters, the bank scrapped its expectation of two rate cuts this year, expecting a transient inflation bump and higher uncertainty.
The U.S. economy ended 2025 barely moving while Americans opened their wallets anyway ? and Thursday?s data dump exposed just how wide that gap has become.
UBS Group (UBS) is consolidating its holdings across eight private credit funds into a debt offering, backed by an insurance guarantee against default. Through its money management division, Unified Global Alternatives, UBS plans to issue $500 million in securities, of which $375 million will be protected by the unnamed insurer to mitigate default risk.
The gold market's sharp March drop, down 12% to roughly $4,690 was, was the worst monthly decline since 2008. The latest study by EBC Financial Group notes that the bloc now controls more than 6,000 tons of gold, or 17.4% of global reserves. "This is not speculative demand, it is policy," EBC analyst Michael Harris noted, according to KITCO. Gold's March weakness was multi-pronged.
The latest U.S. jobs report delivered a headline surprise, but some economists say the strength is overstated. March payrolls rose by 178,000, more than double expectations, yet much of that gain came from temporary factors. The unemployment rate fell. Bob Schwartz, senior economist at Oxford Economics, said the data tells a very different story beneath the headlines.
U.S. stocks traded lower this morning, with the Dow Jones index falling around 200 points on Tuesday. Following the market opening Tuesday, the Dow traded down 0.45% to 46,460.40 while the NASDAQ fell 0.59% to 21,867.13. The S&P 500 also fell, dropping, 0.44% to 6,582.86. Leading and Lagging Sectors Energy shares climbed by 1% on Tuesday.
The Iran war has lit a fire under oil prices ? and under Fed hike bets. Since Operation Epic Fury began in late February, markets have swung dramatically, now pricing a roughly 45% probability that the Federal Reserve raises rates in 2026 ? up from just 12% before the war, as per CME FedWatch. Goldman Sachs says that?s too hawkish by a wide margin.
U.S. stocks traded lower this morning, with the Nasdaq Composite falling around 1% on Thursday. Following the market opening Thursday, the Dow traded down 0.84% to 46,176.67 while the NASDAQ fell 0.99% to 21,625.40. The S&P 500 also fell, dropping, 0.71% to 6,528.80. Leading and Lagging Sectors Energy shares climbed by 1.4% on Thursday.
Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) shares are jumping on Wednesday. Amazon's (AMZN) eight?part euro bond sale on March 11 accounted for nearly 10% of all corporate borrowing in Europe, the Middle East and Africa during the first quarter, according to Bloomberg data. Despite fears that huge U.S. tech deals might overwhelm Europe's bond market, the opposite happened.
Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr warned Tuesday that stablecoins present money laundering and financial stability risks, citing a ?long and painful history of private money created with insufficient safeguards? as stablecoin issues stall progress on the Clarity Act in Congress. Barr focused his concerns on how stablecoin issuers manage reserves backing their tokens.
Plug Power Inc (PLUG) shares are trading higher on Tuesday afternoon as a broader risk-on rally lifted speculative and rate-sensitive stocks across the market. The move came as U.S. equities rebounded sharply, with the Nasdaq-100 up about 3.2% and the 10-year Treasury yield falling to 4.3% after recently touching 4.44%, a backdrop that appeared to support growth names such as Plug Power.
Major U.S. indexes closed Monday on a mixed note, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.1% to 45,216.14, while the S&P 500 fell 0.39% to 6,343.72 and the Nasdaq declined 0.7% to 20,794.64. These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors through the day: Micron?s stock fell 9.88%, closing at $321.80. It reached an intraday high of $362.81 and a l...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares are climbing sharply on Monday as two of the most influential investors in modern markets ? Bill Ackman and Michael Burry ? publicly argue that the mortgage giants are among the most mispriced opportunities available today.
The Bond Vigilantes had been dormant for much of the past three to four years, until President Donald Trump's war in Iran snapped them back into action. Now they are back, repricing sovereign bond yields?from Washington to London to Frankfurt, punishing governments and central banks for any perceived leniency on inflation and forcing a wholesale rethink of where interest rates are headed in 2026.
Mortgage rates are rising again, and Dave Ramsey is warning Americans that navigating today's housing market without professional help could be a costly mistake. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.38% for the week ending March 26, according to Freddie Mac , up from 6.22% the prior week.
Economist Peter Schiff is sounding the alarm over a new housing finance initiative. Fannie Mae is entering the crypto-backed mortgage space through a strategic partnership. Under the program, borrowers obtain a conventional mortgage for the property. Schiff took to X on Friday to criticize the government-sponsored enterprise involvement.
A new policy initiative from the Federal Reserve, through one of its governors, Stephen Miran, is bringing bank loan ETFs back in focus. ??Invesco Senior Loan ETF (BKLN) stock is taking a breather. Some of the most popular bank loan ETFs could face challenges to their core investment thesis: All these ETFs have benefited from rising rates, as they have floating coupons.
Fannie Mae is stepping into crypto-backed housing finance through a new partnership that lets borrowers use digital assets to help fund their next home purchase. Better Home & Finance Holding Co. (BETR) and Coinbase Global Inc. (COIN) are at the center of the rollout.
Bitcoin has outperformed nearly every major asset class during the US-Iran conflict, according to Galaxy Digital Inc CEO Mike Novogratz. Novogratz said he expects BTC to grind toward $80,000 before meeting real resistance. Bitcoin dipped to $67,000 earlier this month as oil spiked above $100 and Treasury yields surged. Korea, Japan, gold and silver all got hit harder.
Fannie Mae will accept crypto-backed mortgages for the first time through a new product from Better Home & Finance and Coinbase that lets home buyers pledge Bitcoin or USDC as collateral.
U.S. stocks traded lower this morning, with the Dow Jones index falling more than 250 points on Thursday. Following the market opening Thursday, the Dow traded down 0.56% to 46,171.31 while the NASDAQ fell 1.15% to 21,677.52. The S&P 500 also fell, dropping, 0.82% to 6,537.54. Leading and Lagging Sectors Energy shares climbed by 0.6% on Thursday.
Ripple is piloting its RLUSD stablecoin in a trade finance sandbox backed by Singapore's central bank, targeting faster and more efficient cross-border payments. The pilot, part of the Monetary Authority of Singapore's BLOOM initiative, involves Ripple partnering with Unloq to automate trade payments, CoinDesk reported on Wednesday.
Gold's violent reversal this month shows how a quick sentiment flip can erase value. Prices peaked just shy of $5,600 an ounce in late January, capping a powerful rally driven by geopolitical tension, central bank demand, and retail momentum.
Every Bank of Japan rate hike since 2024 has caused a Bitcoin crash of at least 20%. With Japanese 10-year yields hitting a 27-year high if 2.32% on Monday, fears abound that another BOJ tightening cycle could trigger the next crypto selloff. The BOJ raised rates four times since March 2024, and Bitcoin fell sharply after three of them.
The Trump administration may be forced to temper the Iran conflict as borrowing costs surge, with the 10-year Treasury yield up 45 basis points since late February.
Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran ? who has dissented in favor of rate cuts at every meeting since his appointment by President Donald Trump last year ? said Monday that the Iran-driven oil shock does not alter his policy outlook, arguing the Fed should wait for clearer evidence before assessing the inflation impact of higher energy prices.
Investors are gradually extending duration within the front end of the Treasury curve, shifting from ultra-short, cash-like exposures toward targeted-duration strategies in search of higher yields. "Investors are buying short duration U.S. Treasury ETFs because they provide safety, liquidity, attractive yields, and low-interest rate volatility.
United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL) shares are trading lower Friday afternoon as investors digested a sharp escalation in Middle East tensions that pushed oil prices higher, lifted Treasury yields and intensified fears of a stagflationary shock to the broader economy.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Friday he was planning to vote against the central bank?s decision to hold rates steady this week after February?s jobs report showed 92,000 payroll losses. ?I thought that?s it, I?m dissenting,? Waller told CNBC?s Squawk Box.
President Donald Trump has spent months aggressively pushing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates. A rate hike. Short-term interest-rate futures are now pricing chances of a Federal Reserve rate hike before the end of the year. The Iran war has not just reversed that assumption ? it has flipped it.
Bitcoin is back at $70,000 on weakening bullish momentum, setting up a key test for its next move. Prominent analyst Trader Mayne on Friday said rising geopolitical tensions and the aftermath of recent Federal Reserve policy decisions are driving volatility across crypto markets. He noted that macro conditions remain critical.
Precious metals faced a sell-off on Thursday. Silver dropped as low as 10% toward $65 per ounce, marking its lowest level since mid-December, according to data from Trading Economics. The Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of England held rates steady this week. However, they adopted aggressive tones regarding inflation risks.
SPDR Gold shares are plummeting Thursday as gold's historic selloff deepens as the Federal Reserve held rates steady even as crude prices surge and reignite inflation fears. With rate?cut hopes gone, gold is losing one of its strongest tailwinds. Gold has plunged 13% so far this month, falling to around $4,580 per ounce Thursday morning.
The national debt hit a record $39 trillion this week, which comes as spending on defense ramps up after an attack on Iran and heightened tension in the Middle East. Here's a look at when the country could hit the next milestone of $40 trillion. After hitting the $38 trillion milestone in October 2025, the U.S. national debt has passed its newest milestone of $39 trillion.
Major U.S. indexes closed lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 1.6% to 46,225.15, the S&P 500 slipping 1.36% to 6,624.70, and the Nasdaq falling 1.46% to 22,152.42. The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates at 3.50%?3.75% for the third consecutive meeting.
In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.
Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.
Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.
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