* US dollar and Treasury yields extend gains. * Silver, platinum and palladium head for weekly fall. By Ashitha Shivaprasad. Gold prices fell by 1.8% on Friday as the dollar strengthened on a report that the United States will deploy extra troops in the Middle East, fanning concerns of higher oil prices, inflation, and with it, elevated interest rates.
The Russell 2000 index dropped 10% from its record-high close in January, putting it on track for a correction on Friday, as renewed inflation fears stemming from the Middle East conflict eroded expectations of U.S. rate cuts this year. The economically sensitive small-cap index dropped 2% to 2,442.75 points on Thursday.
Market pricing for a U.S. Federal Reserve interest-rate hike this year has shot up, and is now seen as far more likely than a rate cut. On Friday, interest-rate futures were pricing around a 25% chance of a rate hike by December, based on the CME FedWatch tool.
KBRA assigns a long-term rating of AA+ to the City of New York General Obligation Bonds, Fiscal 2026 Series F and G, and General Obligation Bonds, Fiscal 2026 Series 1. The Outlook is Negative. Concurrently, KBRA affirms the long-term rating of AA+ on outstanding City of New York General Obligation Bonds, and revises the Outlook to Negative from Stable.
Financial stocks were mixed in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index down 0.5% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF adding 0.7%. The Philadelphia Housing Index fell 2%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF dropped 1.6%. Bitcoin was easing 0.1% to $69,833, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries climbed 9.1 basis points to 4.37%. In economic ...
"Looking at where oil was and the potential for disruption, and this being tax season and issuers having to pull deals, there's no reason why yields wouldn't have been higher," said Matt Fabian, president of Municipal Market Analytics.
Financial stocks were mixed in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index down 0.5% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF adding 0.7%. The Philadelphia Housing Index fell 2%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF dropped 1.6%. Bitcoin was easing 0.1% to $69,833, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries climbed 9.1 basis points to 4.37%. In corporate...
* Indexes off: Dow 0.46%, S&P 500 0.71%, Nasdaq 0.99% * Trump mulls Kharg Island takeover, additional troop deployment. * Main indexes on track for fourth straight weekly loss. * FedEx (FDX) up on strong forecast; Energy stocks gain. By Johann M Cherian and Utkarsh Hathi.
* G7 economies face energy shock, inflation risks. * Gulf region impacted directly, may see economic contraction this year. By Yoruk Bahceli and Marc Jones. Any prolongation of the Iran war risks creating an unprecedented crisis in energy supplies that sooner or later will hit every corner of the global 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.
Carnival said Friday it will voluntarily delist its 1.000% senior unsecured notes due 2029 from the New York Stock Exchange and its 7.875% debentures due 2027 from the London Stock Exchange, as part of its previously announced restructuring.
* Middle East conflict makes central banks cautious. * Euro, yen, sterling gain against dollar as energy prices rise. * Fed not expected to raise rates this year. By Chibuike Oguh and Samuel Indyk.
MIAMI, March 20, 2026 ?Carnival plc (CUK) announced today its intention to voluntarily delist its 1.000% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2029 from the New York Stock Exchange.
* Euro zone bond yields hit 15-year high as inflation fears grow. * ECB and BoE rate hikes likely in April, markets show. * Energy importers like Italy face greater bond yield pressure. * Spain proposes 5-billion euro package to cushion energy impact. By Amanda Cooper.
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.
* Major brokerages see greater chance of hikes for BoE and ECB this year. * Markets starting to price in potential for Fed hikes. * Oil prices remain choppy. By Chuck Mikolajczak.
* US dollar and Treasury yields extend gains. * Silver, platinum and palladium head for weekly fall. By Ashitha Shivaprasad. Gold prices fell nearly 2% on Friday as the dollar strengthened after reports that the U.S. will deploy thousands of additional troops in the Middle East, further fanning concerns of higher oil prices, inflation, and with it, elevated interest rates.
Some states and local governments "went on spending sprees" with pandemic funds and "got ratings upgrades that didn't have a lot to do with fiscal management," said an investor.
* Fed officials express caution due to Iran war's impact on energy prices. * Bowman advocates for more interest rate cuts to support labor market. * Iran war uncertainty affects Fed's economic, policy outlook. By Michael S. Derby and Howard Schneider.
* Indexes off: Dow 0.24%, S&P 500 0.71%, Nasdaq 1.17% * Trump mulls Kharg Island takeover, report says. * Main indexes on track for fourth-straight weekly loss. * FedEx (FDX) up on strong forecast; Amazon (AMZN) plans smartphone comeback. By Johann M Cherian and Utkarsh Hathi.
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.
Kraft Heinz Canada said on Friday it will invest C$250 million to modernize its Montreal-based manufacturing plant, as the company looks to ramp up production of its staple food products in the region.
Traders of short-term interest-rate contracts on Friday priced in a better-than-even chance of a Federal Reserve interest-rate hike in December, a dramatic shift from expectations earlier this week of a rate cut.
On behalf of Price Holdings LLC, a Price Brothers affiliate, Northmarq has secured a $512 million Freddie Mac credit facility to refinance and recapitalize a 13?property multifamily portfolio spanning the Kansas City and Dallas metro areas. ?In today?s competitive and ever-changing multifamily markets, sponsors need certainty of execution and optionality more than ever,? said Duvall.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said Friday that the U.S. central bank is taking another look at what went wrong with Silicon Valley Bank three years ago. "What happened there was really a failure of supervision and a failure of bank management," Bowman said in an interview on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria".
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said Friday that the U.S. central bank is taking another look at what went wrong with Silicon Valley Bank three years ago. "What happened there was really a failure of supervision and a failure of bank management," Bowman said in an interview on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria".
* Spot gold hit its lowest level since February 2 on Thursday. * Silver, platinum and palladium head for weekly fall. By Ashitha Shivaprasad. Gold prices firmed on Friday but remained on course for a third consecutive weekly decline, due to expectations of a hawkish stance from major central banks amid inflationary risks spurred by the Middle East conflict.
Gold rose off a two-month low early Friday, rebounding despite a higher dollar, rising treasury yields and dimming hopes for lower interest rates. Gold for April delivery was last seen up $69.60 to US$4,675.60 per ounce, after falling to the lowest since Jan. 16 a day earlier.
Brazil's former Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Friday that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has yet to choose candidates for two vacant seats on the central bank's board, and that he does not know what criteria will guide the picks.
U.S. equity funds witnessed the largest weekly net sales in nearly 2-1/2 months in the week to March 18 as expectations of higher oil prices, a hotter-than-expected inflation reading and the Federal Reserve's cautious stance dampened hopes for rate cuts this year.
According to Oskar Stone over at Desjardins, retail sales for the first two months of the year were "surprisingly strong", despite adverse weather conditions in parts of the country. Stone noted headline retail sales rose 1.1% in January, with a rebound in auto sales an important catalyst.
According to Oskar Stone over at RBC, retail sales for the first two months of the year were "surprisingly strong", despite adverse weather conditions in parts of the country. Stone noted headline retail sales rose 1.1% in January, with a rebound in auto sales an important catalyst.
U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he was planning to dissent in favor of a rate cut at this week's meeting of the central bank because of unexpected job losses in February, but a developing oil shock and the threat of more persistent inflation convinced him a more cautious approach is needed until the impact of the Iran war becomes clearer.
* Traders move to price in hikes for BoE and ECB this year. * Fed seen leaving rates on hold. * Oil prices, shares remain choppy. By Sophie Kiderlin and Rae Wee. Global shares and the dollar nudged higher on Friday but were set for weekly losses while bonds remained under pressure as central banks warned that the Iran war could reignite inflation.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said Friday that the U.S. central bank is taking another look at what went wrong with Silicon Valley Bank three years ago. "What happened there was really a failure of supervision and a failure of bank management," Bowman said in an interview on Fox Business Network.
The risk of persistent inflation arising from the escalating war with Iran was strong enough to convince an influential Federal Reserve policymaker to switch his support to keeping interest rates on hold from cutting them this week, he said on Friday, as market expectations for the U.S. central bank's next move shifted rapidly toward a hike in borrowing costs.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said Friday she sees a series of interest rate cuts happening this year amid concerns about labor market softness. "I'm still concerned about...the job market," Bowman said in an interview on the Fox Business Network.
Global equity funds saw the biggest weekly selloff in three months in the week through March 18 as investors cut risk exposure ahead of major central bank meetings amid concerns over inflation and the economic fallout from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Global equity funds saw the biggest weekly selloff in three months in the week through March 18 as investors cut risk exposure ahead of major central bank meetings amid concerns over inflation and the economic fallout from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Russia's central bank Friday said its Russia Board of Directors decided to cut the key rate by 50 basis points to 15.00%, as expected. CBR is widely expected by analysts to deliver a 50bps rate cut on Friday, extending its 'symbolic' monetary easing cycle while maintaining a fundamentally cautious stance, wrote Commerzbank in a note before the policy decision.
* Middle East conflict makes central banks cautious. * Euro, yen, sterling gain against dollar as energy prices rise. * Fed not expected to raise rate this year. By Jiaxing Li and Samuel Indyk.
* ECB cites inflation risks, may discuss hikes. * Major banks now expect ECB April hike. * Italian bonds under pressure due to energy dependence, yields rise. By Amanda Cooper.
* Sterling lower, still set for weekly rise. * Markets price at least three BoE hikes. * Oil prices provide direction. By Samuel Indyk. The British pound fell on Friday, as oil prices resumed their upward trend, but stayed on course for a weekly rise after the Bank of England raised expectations of rate hikes this year.
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.
Log In Required
Publication Date