* Brent breaches $119 a barrel as Iran conflict worsens. * US Treasury yields climb but off earlier highs. * Multiple central banks keep rates unchanged. By Chuck Mikolajczak.
* Euro gains after ECB holds rates. * Dollar eases against peers. * Japanese yen strengthens after BOJ holds rates. * British sterling rises after BOE decision. By Chibuike Oguh and Sophie Kiderlin.
* Fed rate-cut view trimmed as global central banks turn cautious. * BoE, ECB decisions highlight inflation risks from Middle East conflict. * US yield curve flattens as short-term rates rise faster. * US $19 billion 10-year TIPS auction comes in weaker than expected. By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss.
US equity indexes closed lower on Thursday after an escalation in the Middle East war, which is expected to result in a major LNG supply crunch. * Initial jobless claims were 205,000 in the week ending March 14, down from 213,000 in the week earlier and below the 215,000 estimated by analysts polled by Bloomberg.
With front-end rates off so much Thursday morning, "liquidity providers backed off noticeably in the morning in terms of bid with offers slow to follow," said Matt Smith, founder and CEO of Spline Data, noting it was likely a response to elevated bids wanted counts, along with rates.
* Micron Technology (MU) drops as higher spending plans draw scrutiny. * Volatile oil prices keep investor on edge. * Tesla and Nvidia (NVDA) lose ground. By Noel Randewich and Utkarsh Hathi. Wall Street ended lower on Thursday, with declines in Micron Technology (MU) and Tesla, as worries about inflation stemming from soaring oil prices left investors pessimistic about the potential for future interest rate cuts.
CHICAGO, March 19, 2026 ?Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, is pleased to announce the successful closing of a $30,000,000 tax-exempt fixed rate bond issue for Butterfield Trail Village, Inc.. The Series 2026 Bonds were issued through The Fayetteville Public Facilities Board and are rated 'BBB' by Fitch.
Financial stocks were mixed in late Thursday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index 0.2% lower and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF up 0.1%. The Philadelphia Housing Index shed 0.7%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF decreased 0.2%. Bitcoin was falling 1.4% to $70,247, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 2.2 basis points to 4.28%. In eco...
The lack of momentum in the housing market persists, says National Bank of Canada in its latest 'Housing Market Monitor'. In summary, National Bank noted: - Home sales edged down 1.3% from January to February, marking the fourth monthly decline in a row. - New listings fell by 3.9% from January to February, marking the fifth decline in six months following a 5.1% increase in January.
* Brent breaches $119 a barrel as Iran conflict worsens. * US Treasury yields climb but off earlier highs. * Multiple central banks keep rates unchanged. By Chuck Mikolajczak.
The leaders at the U.S. Justice Department are rallying behind federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro to investigate Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the White House is not opposing, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The MINT Act, which would enable Federal Home Loan Bank members to issue tax exempt bonds is working its way through committees in both House and Senate.
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%....
Short-dated British gilts suffered one of their worst days since modern records began on Thursday after some Bank of England officials warned of possible interest rate rises, compounding a selloff driven by Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure. The two-year gilts yield, which moves inversely to the price, ended 30 basis points higher on the day at 4.107%, the highest close since January 2025.
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.
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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