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.
Weekly applications for unemployment insurance increased as Oxford Economics cautioned that the Middle East conflict has made the labor market "vulnerable." For the week through March 21, the adjusted number of jobless claims rose by 5,000 to 210,000, in line with the Bloomberg-polled consensus, the Department of Labor said Thursday.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Thursday presented its 2026 Economic Outlook Interim Report, in which it stated that the conflict in the Middle East is testing the resilience of the global economy. Global growth remained resilient before the conflict, but rising energy prices and uncertainty now weigh on the outlook, noted the OECD.
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.
* Trump urges Iran to act quickly on ceasefire plan. * US weekly jobless claims increase slightly. * Silver, platinum down over 3% By Ashitha Shivaprasad.
Comprehensive Capital Markets Offerings Enhance Existing Client Relationships, Create New Opportunities for Growth PITTSBURGH, March 26, 2026 F.N.B. Corporation announced today that it has expanded its public finance offerings with municipal bond underwriting.
Norges Bank on Thursday, as expected, kept its policy rate unchanged at 4.0%, but it did surprise the market by saying "it will likely be appropriate to raise the policy rate at one of the forthcoming monetary policy meetings."
VALLEY FORGE, Pa., March 26, 2026 ?Vanguard today announced the launch of the Vanguard Target Maturity Corporate Bond ETFs suite, a lineup of 10 index ETFs designed to help investors build more precise and customizable fixed income portfolios. The new ETF suite provides flexible, goals-based income solutions that make possible targeted fixed-income maturity exposures.
Apple (AAPL) said it was adding Bosch, Cirrus Logic (CRUS), TDK and Qnity Electronics (Q) to its American Manufacturing Program, with plans to invest $400 million through 2030 to expand U.S.-based production of key components.
US initial jobless claims rose to a level of 210,000 in the week ended March 21 from a 205,000 level in the previous week, as expected in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:35 am ET. The four-week moving average fell by 250 to 210,500 after decreasing by 750 to a level of 210,750 in the previous week, a fourth straight decline.
New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, suggesting the labor market remains stable and likely giving the Federal Reserve scope to hold interest rates steady while monitoring inflation risks from the conflict in the Middle East.
* Iran reviewing U.S. proposal, has no intention of holding talks. * Crude oil prices gain over 3% By Ishaan Arora. Gold prices fell more than 2% on Thursday, as crude prices once again rose above the $100 mark, reigniting concerns of rising inflation, with investors mostly pricing out any chance of U.S. interest rate cuts this year.
New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, suggesting the labor market remains stable and giving the Federal Reserve scope to hold interest rates steady while monitoring inflation risks linked to the Middle East conflict.
* Prolonged conflict may hike prices, pressure demand. * H&M, Next warn of war impact if conflict drags. * Co-op planning cost cuts to help face volatility. * Energy, freight costs surge as oil tops $100 globally. * Consumer sentiment dips, households brace for inflation. By Greta Rosen Fondahn, James Davey and Sarah Young.
Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said she saw less risk of second-round inflation effects from rising energy prices caused by the Iran war than from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, due to greater labour market weakness.
The Federal Reserve will keep U.S. interest rates on hold until September, according to economists in a Reuters poll who are still clinging to expectations for at least one reduction later this year, despite worries about inflation from war in the Middle East.
* Governor Galipolo awaits more data for policy decisions. * Itau economists see limited scope for faster rate cuts. By Marcela Ayres. Brazil's central bank expects inflation to pick up later this year, largely driven by higher oil prices due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, and to remain above its 3% target throughout its entire forecast horizon.
* FANNIE MAE TO ACCEPT CRYPTO-BACKED MORTGAGES FOR THE FIRST TIME - WSJ. * FANNIE MAE WILL SOON ACCEPT SO-CALLED CRYPTO-BACKED MORTGAGES, A NEW PRODUCT FROM BETTER HOME & FINANCE AND COINBASE GLOBAL - WSJ Source text: https://tinyurl.com/mw5pveev Further company coverage:
The US dollar rose against its major trading partners early Thursday, except for a decline versus the yen, ahead of the release of weekly jobless claims at 8:30 am ET, followed by weekly natural gas stocks at 10:30 am ET and the Kansas City Federal Reserve's manufacturing reading for March at 11:00 am ET. Fed Governor Lisa Cook leads off a slate of appearances by Fed officials at 4:00 pm ET.
There has been a lot of focus on whether the rates move MUFG has seen since the start of the conflict in the Middle East is realistic, given that an energy price shock would be growth-negative. However, as the bank suspected, the European Central Bank's response to an energy price shock is likely to be quite different from before.
Brazil's central bank projected annual inflation at 3.1% in the third quarter of 2028, the furthest horizon of its forecasts, according to fresh figures from its quarterly monetary policy report released on Thursday. The report also showed the central bank maintained its estimate for 1.6% gross domestic product growth this year, unchanged from the December report.
* German consumer sentiment at its lowest in 2 years. * Italian, French households also more pessimistic. * Economists expect further deterioration in coming months. By Francesco Canepa.
* Iran reviewing U.S. proposal, has no intention of holding talks. * Crude oil prices gain over 3% By Ishaan Arora. Gold prices fell 2% on Thursday, as crude prices once again rose above the $100 mark, reigniting concerns of rising inflation, with investors mostly pricing out any chance of U.S. interest rate cuts this year.
The escalating conflict in the Middle East has knocked the global economy off a stronger growth path, the OECD warned on Thursday, as a near-halt in energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz threatens to push inflation sharply higher.
While U.S. President Donald Trump has been brazen in his demands for the historically independent Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, his administration is also trying to quietly steer the central bank's policy in another critical area: oversight of Wall Street banks.
* OECD forecasts global GDP growth at 2.9% in 2026, 3.0% in 2027. * G20 inflation projected 1.2 pts higher in 2026, reaching 4.0% * U.S. growth to moderate from 2.0% in 2026 to 1.7% in 2027. * Euro area growth cut to 0.8% in 2026 due to high energy costs. By Leigh Thomas.
INDIANAPOLIS, March 26, 2026 Lumina Foundation announced the Board of Directors' election of two new members: a nationally recognized economist who formerly served as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and a former Michigan Supreme Court chief justice and judicial innovator who leads the largest U.S. association of mediators and arbitrators who settle disputes outside of traditi...
Norway's central bank governor said on Thursday that domestic price growth is now driving inflation and that the outlook for wage growth is higher than previously forecast.
* South Africa expected to keep rates steady. * Poland weighs VAT cut for fuel. * EM stocks fall 1.6%, FX down 0.4% By Pranav Kashyap. Most emerging market stocks retreated sharply on Thursday as investors fled riskier assets and waited for clearer signs on whether a de-escalation in the Iran war was truly within reach.
* Keeps rate at 4.0% * Inflation higher than projected. * Says tighter policy needed to rein in inflation. * Considered hiking already now. * May hike to 4.25% or 4.50% by year-end. By Terje Solsvik, Nerijus Adomaitis and Nora Buli.
The Bank of Japan is likely to raise interest rates by June, as rising oil costs from the Iran war heightens the chance of being too late in addressing the risk of too-high inflation, its former top economist Seisaku Kameda said on Thursday.
Norway's central bank kept its policy interest rate on hold at 4.0% on Thursday, as unanimously expected in a Reuters poll of analysts, and said it will likely be appropriate to raise the policy rate at one of the forthcoming meetings.
Euro zone banks have limited direct exposure to the war in the Middle East, but the conflict could still generate systemic stress given interconnected vulnerabilities, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Thursday.
A prolonged Iran war could bring German economic growth close to a standstill this year, the IMK institute said on Thursday. If the conflict in the Middle East drags on or escalates, gross domestic product would grow by just 0.2%, the Macroeconomic Policy Institute said in a risk scenario. In December, IMK economists had projected growth of 1.2% for 2026.
The dollar eased off recent gains in Asian trading on Thursday as investors sought clarity about whether a de-escalation in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was imminent and trimmed bets that the Federal Reserve's next move would be a hike.
Liberty Energy Inc. (LBRT) today announced the pricing of, and that it has agreed to sell, $475.0 million aggregate principal amount of 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2032 in a private offering to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Notes will be general unsecured, senior obligations of Liberty.
The yield on Japan's two-year government bond rose to a three-decade high on Thursday, as the protracted Middle East crisis added to inflationary pressures and reinforced expectations for a Bank of Japan interest rate hike as early as April. The two-year yield, most sensitive to the BOJ's policy, rose 2.5 basis points to 1.33%, the highest since April 1996, based on Japan Bond Trading Co. data.
The yield on Japan's two-year government bond rose to a nearly three-decade high on Thursday, as the protracted Middle East crisis added to inflationary pressures and reinforced the need for accelerated interest rate hikes by the central bank.
Gold prices edged higher on Thursday, extending gains to a third straight session, as investors awaited clarity on efforts to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East, while trimming bets of a U.S.
This news release contains forward-looking statements. MONTR?AL, March 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Bell Canada today announced the public offering in Canada of Cdn?$750?million?aggregate principal?amount of?MTN?Debentures?pursuant to its medium term notes program.
U.S. President Donald Trump's barrage of tariffs last year had only a minimal impact on U.S. economic output but raised significant federal revenue and contributed to a further U.S.-China trade decoupling, a new Brookings Institution academic paper showed on Wednesday.
If the Federal Reserve truly wants a smaller balance sheet, it can get there with regulatory changes, tweaks to the payment system and more frequent market interventions by the central bank, new research published by the Brookings Institution said on Wednesday.
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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