Public Markets 3h Briefing
×Last updated: March 13, 2026, 6:30 PM ET
Public Markets Wrap
U.S. stocks extended their weekly decline wsj.com as investors grappled with escalating Middle East tensions, with the S&P 500 falling 1.8% wsj.com Friday and crude oil surging above $100 wsj.com a barrel. Hedge funds turned most bullish on Brent bloomberg.com since 2020, betting on further supply disruptions as the Iran conflict enters its second week. Meanwhile, the London Stock Exchange Group targeted a $3 billion bond sale bloomberg.com for early next week, testing corporate debt appetite amid heightened volatility.
Technology & AI
Nvidia prepares to launch AI inference chips ft.com at its upcoming GTC event as the market shifts from model training to deployment, challenging rivals like AMD and Intel. The move comes as AI infrastructure spending accelerates, with Blackstone arranging a $1.2 billion credit facility ft.com for Air Trunk's Japanese data center expansion. In regulatory news, a federal judge blocked Justice Department subpoenas nytimes.com targeting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling the case "motivated by vengeance" after Trump criticized Powell's monetary policies.
Energy & Trade
Venezuela received U.S. approval to export fertilizers bloomberg.com to American companies, loosening sanctions as the Iran war disrupts global agricultural supply chains. The conflict is rippling through international trade wsj.com, with shipping routes avoiding the Strait of Hormuz and container rates rising 12% wsj.com on Red Sea diversions. A U.S.-made launcher fired missiles from Bahrain nytimes.com toward Iran, though military officials declined to confirm operational details amid diplomatic sensitivities.
Housing & Policy
President Trump signed executive orders targeting housing affordability wsj.com, including measures to streamline permitting and reduce regulatory costs for builders. The moves aim to address voter frustration over homeownership costs, though economists questioned their immediate impact nytimes.com. Separately, the Commerce Department revised inflation methodology nytimes.com, contributing to last month's better-than-expected CPI reading, though some analysts warned the change may understate price pressures nytimes.com.
Market Turmoil
Electronic trading desks experienced chaos early Friday bloomberg.com as Brent crude's overnight volatility triggered stop-losses across commodities and forex markets. One London-based trader reported losing $1 million in two seconds bloomberg.com during a flash crash that briefly pushed oil to $102 before recovering. The episode underscored growing concerns about market liquidity as geopolitical risks mount, with Oaktree's Danielle Poli cautioning that bigger price moves in credit are coming bloomberg.com but advising investors to wait for clearer distress signals.