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.
Financial stocks were lower in Thursday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index falling 1% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF off 0.6%. The Philadelphia Housing Index dropped 1.6%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF shed 0.5%. Bitcoin was falling 2.3% to $69,705, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was rising 2.6 basis points to nearly 4.29%....
* M&A deals reach over $1 trillion so far this year, 27% increase from last year. * Corporate confidence remains high despite geopolitical tensions and oil price spikes. * AI's impact on business causing some companies to pause M&A activities. By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Dawn Kopecki.
* FTSE 100 down 2.4% * FTSE 250 hits near 4-month low. * Bank of England keeps rates unchanged in unanimous vote. * HSBC (HSBC) considers cutting up to 20,000 jobs, Bloomberg reports. By Tharuniyaa Lakshmi.
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.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday he was disappointed that the central bank kicked off an easing cycle with a 25-basis-point interest rate cut instead of a larger move.
The average rate on the popular U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surged to a three-month high this week as war in the Middle East stoked inflation fears, dealing a blow to the Trump administration's efforts to make housing more affordable. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.22%, highest since early December, up from 6.11% last week, mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac said on Thursday.
* Weekly jobless claims decrease 8,000 to 205,000. * Continuing claims increase 10,000 to 1.857 million. * New home sales tumble 17.6% to near 3-1/2-year low in January. By Lucia Mutikani. The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, pointing to stable labor market conditions and a rebound in job growth in March.
The Czech central bank on Thursday said its board kept interest rates unchanged, with the two-week repo rate at 3.50%, the discount rate at 2.50% and the Lombard rate at 4.50%. This decision was expected by market analysts, noted ING. ING said the hold decision was the right response to the oil price shock and heightened uncertainty.
The average rate on the popular U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surged to a three-month high this week as war in the Middle East stoked inflation fears, dealing a blow to the Trump administration's efforts to make housing more affordable. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.22%, highest since early December, up from 6.11% last week, mortgage finance agency Freddie Mac said on Thursday.
Remittix has crossed 40,000 holders and raised over $29.7 million in its final presale stage during the same week the Federal Reserve voted 11-1 to hold the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, pushing expectations for the next rate cut to at most once in 2026, according to CNBC.
The inflationary impact of rising oil prices on Canada is similar to that in the United States and will likely lift the consumer price index from 1.8% year over year in February to an average of 2.9% in 2026, said Bank of Montreal. The growth hit is also broadly comparable, noted the bank.
* Fed rate cut view trimmed amid global central bank decisions. * BoE, ECB decisions highlight inflation risks from conflict. * US yield curve flattens as short-term rates rise faster. By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, Amanda Cooper and Rae Wee.
Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey?, showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.22%. "The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage edged up this week to 6.22% but remains nearly half a percentage point lower than the same time last year," said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's Chief Economist.
The European stock markets were tumbling in Thursday trading as The Stoxx Europe fell 2%, Germany's DAX declined 2.2%, the FTSE 100 lost 2.3%, France's CAC was down 1.2%, and the Swiss Market Index dropped 1.8%. The Bank of England said Thursday that its Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to maintain the bank rate at 3.75%. "Conflict in the Middle East has caused a significant increase...
* Oil surges as Iran conflict worsens. * US Treasury yields climb but off earlier highs. * Multiple central banks keep rates unchanged. By Chuck Mikolajczak. Global stocks tumbled on Thursday as the latest escalation in the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran caused another surge in oil prices, while major central banks left interest rates unchanged as they try to gauge the climb in price pressure.
AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to ?bbb+? from ?bbb? and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ and the Vietnam National Scale Rating of aaa.VN of Hanoi Reinsurance Joint Stock Corporation.
Illinois returns to market with about $1.4 billion of GO bonds on Tuesday, with proceeds funding accelerated pension benefit payments and capital projects.
The Bank of Canada held rates at Wednesday's policy meeting and kept optionality in both the timing and direction of future moves in the policy rate, said UBS. Governor Tiff Macklem noted that the oil price shock brings downside risks to growth and upside risks to inflation, with the persistence in the move key to the economic impact and as such the appropriate policy response.
Inflation in the euro zone might surge to 4.8% next year if oil and gas prices continued to rise and the European Central Bank failed to raise interest rates, new ECB scenarios showed on Thursday.
The European Central Bank kept its key interest rate at 2% on Thursday and warned that the war on Iran was clouding the outlook for growth and inflation in the euro zone. Following are highlights of ECB President Christine Lagarde's comments at a news conference after the policy meeting. ON THE OUTLOOK FOR GROWTH.
The European Central Bank is preparing the ground should legislators enable the issuance of a digital currency and the bank's governing council approve issuing it.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A-, the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?a-? and the Vietnam National Scale Rating of aaa.VN of PVI Insurance Corporation. The ratings reflect PVI Insurance?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
* Euro gains after ECB holds rates. * Dollar eases against peers. * Japanese yen strengthens after BOJ. * British sterling rises after BOE decision. By Chibuike Oguh and Sophie Kiderlin.
Nearly all major developed market central banks kept rates unchanged this week, but emphasised their readiness to act to curb inflation should the energy shock caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran drive a broader surge in prices.
Ukraine's central bank Thursday said its Board decided to keep its key policy rate at 15.0%. "The NBU has postponed the further easing of its interest rate policy in view of the risks of an increase in inflationary pressures and a deterioration in inflation expectations," wrote the central bank in its policy statement.
* Markets ramp up global rate hike bets. * RBA sole hiker, Fed, BoC, ECB, BoE hold rates, seen as hawkish. * Japan holds, but keeps door open to April hike. By Alun John.
Following is the text of European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde's statement after the bank's policy meeting on Thursday: Link to statement on ECB website: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/press_conference/monetary-policy-statement/2026/html/ecb.is260319~93b1cbad97.en.html. Good afternoon, the Vice-President and I welcome you to our press conference.
* WTO forecasts a drop in global merchandise growth to 1.9% at best. * Middle East war could slow good and services trade growth. * AI goods and front loading to avoid tariffs drove 2025 trade surge. * Global GDP growth to ease slightly to 2.8% By Olivia Le Poidevin.
NEW YORK, March 19, 2026 ?The Conference Board Leading Economic Index?? for the US inched down by 0.1% in January 2026 to 97.5, following a 0.2% decline in December. "The U.S. LEI fell further in January, as consumer expectations retreated again and building permits softened," said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board.
An overnight jump in oil prices on the heels of a hawkish Federal Reserve policy meeting has further narrowed the window for the interest rate cuts President Donald Trump has demanded and upped the odds that his nominee to lead the U.S. central bank may need to tighten borrowing costs early in his tenure.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of ?bbb? of Pacific International Insurance Pty Limited. The ratings reflect Pacific?s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.
An overnight jump in oil prices on the heels of a hawkish Federal Reserve policy meeting has further narrowed the window for the interest rate cut President Donald Trump has demanded and upped the odds that his nominee to lead the U.S. central bank may need to tighten borrowing costs early in his tenure.
Wall Street's main indexes opened lower on Thursday as crude prices soared on intensifying Middle East hostilities, reviving inflation worries that have prompted the Federal Reserve to take a more cautious stance on interest rate cuts. The rate-sensitive small-caps Russell 2000 index dropped 10% from its all-time intraday high.
* Oil surges 9% as Iran conflict worsens. * European and Asian stock markets tumble, borrowing costs rise. * BoE and ECB hold rates in back-to-back central bank meetings. By Marc Jones and Ankur Banerjee.
The Bank of Canada as expected left its policy rate unchanged at 2.25% on Wednesday, while Governor Tiff Macklem struck a broadly balanced tone at his press conference in saying the current geopolitical backdrop gave Governing Council some time to assess the impact of the Middle East conflict, notes Nomura.
The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged as expected on Thursday but signalled it was closely watching growth and inflation risks from surging oil prices and was ready to act, if that became necessary. Energy prices have jumped since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, driving bets that inflation will be pushed far above the ECB's 2% target within months.
* Futures off: Dow and S&P 500 0.63%, Nasdaq 0.71% * Micron Technology (MU) down 5% as higher spending plans draw scrutiny. * Brent crude hits $115/barrel on Middle East tensions, clouding inflation outlook. * Small-cap Russell 2000 futures drop 10% from record highs. By Johann M Cherian and Utkarsh Hathi.
* Oil trades above $110 a barrel on Middle East energy attacks. * US weighs military reinforcements. * Central banks hawkish but cautious in war's shadow. * Silver down over 10% By Ashitha Shivaprasad.
By 2035, autonomous trucking projected to save shippers $5.7 billion in annual fuel costs, generate $9.4 billion in annual safety benefits, and account for up to $70 billion of U.S. GDP; Aurora commits first-of-its-kind $1 million grant to train tomorrow?s freight workforce PITTSBURGH---- Aurora Innovation, Inc. (AUR) today highlighted findings from a new report revealing that autonomous freight is a...
U.S. Treasury yields eased back from their highs on Thursday, paring their earlier increase that appeared driven by technical factors, even as fresh data pointed to labor market resilience and improving manufacturing activity in the U.S. Northeast. The releases supported the view that the Federal Reserve can afford to be patient before restarting its rate-cutting cycle.
* BoE policymakers vote 9-0 to keep rates on hold. * Reuters poll had predicted 7-2 'hold' vote. * BoE says it is ready to act to hit inflation target. * Risks seen to inflation but also growth. * Bailey later says markets too quick to price rate hikes. By William Schomberg and David Milliken.
* BRAZIL'S CENTRAL BANK SELLS $1 BILLION IN SPOT DOLLAR AUCTION - STATEMENT. * BRAZIL'S CENTRAL BANK SELLS SELLS 20,000 REVERSE FX SWAP CONTRACTS AT AUCTION - STATEMENT Source text: Further company coverage: [ ]
The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust was down 0.4%, and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust was 0.5% lower in Thursday's premarket activity as investors react to rising oil prices and a more cautious Federal Reserve outlook on rate cuts.
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.
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