Public Markets 3h Briefing
×Last updated: March 13, 2026, 12:31 AM ET
Public Markets
Energy & Commodities
Oil futures dropped 1.3% wsj.com in early Asian trade after OPEC+ signaled potential output increases, while gold held near $2,340 bloomberg.com as a weakening dollar offset risk-on sentiment. A surge in aluminum prices bloomberg.com pushed China Hongqiao's Zhang Bo past the $48 billion mark, cementing his position among Asia's wealthiest industrialists. Meanwhile, iron ore headed for its biggest weekly gain in over a year bloomberg.com after China’s state-backed buyer expanded restrictions on BHP Group products, reflecting tightening supply dynamics.
Fixed Income
Japanese government bonds extended gains bloomberg.com tracking overnight Treasury rallies as traders increasingly price in a September Fed rate cut. However, U.S. airline bonds weakened bloomberg.com after jet fuel costs spiked 8% on Middle East supply fears, and Chicago's planned muni bond sale bloomberg.com is testing investor appetite amid geopolitical uncertainty. Treasuries volatility jumped to a nine-month high bloomberg.com on war risks, underscoring the market's sensitivity to Middle East tensions.
Resources & Commodities
Australian gold miner Northern Star Resources sank the most in six years bloomberg.com after cutting output guidance due to processing mill problems, while the Philippines seeks to review its oil industry law bloomberg.com amid high prices threatening national stability. China's coal miner shares rose for the third successive day bloomberg.com to end at their highest level in over 16 months, buoyed by a gas shortage and harsh summer bloomberg.com driving demand for power utilities.
Tech & Markets
The hype around artificial intelligence software Open Claw heightened the interest in Tencent and Alibaba earnings bloomberg.com, as investors scrutinize how the agent might drive growth and innovation. Conversely, the electric grid faces a huge upgrade bill wsj.com, with utilities set to spend tens of billions on high-voltage lines primarily to meet data center demand, a challenge with no clear funding solution.
Finance & Markets
The Pentagon's AI dealmaker Emil Michael became Anthropic’s nemesis wsj.com, representing the Trump administration's push against military AI use by rivals. Similarly, the Philippines braces for labor market pain bloomberg.com after the Middle East conflict drove joblessness to a four-year high. Hedge fund Regal Partners suffered a 93% crash bloomberg.com in an Australian biotech stock, wiping out most of its $412 million market value.