Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 13, 2026, 1:32 AM ET
Energy & Commodities
Oil futures slipped 1.3% bloomberg.com in early Asian trade as OPEC+ signaled potential output increases, while gold held steady ft.com near $2,340/oz despite a weakening dollar. In fixed income, Japanese government bonds extended their rally bloomberg.com tracking overnight gains in U.S. Treasurys as traders priced in a September Fed rate cut. A surge in aluminum prices bloomberg.com catapulted China Hongqiao's Zhang Bo to a $48 billion fortune, making him one of Asia's wealthiest industrialists.
Corporate & Markets
Madison Air bloomberg.com filed for a Nasdaq IPO targeting a $500M valuation, buoyed by three consecutive quarters of double-digit revenue growth in the private aviation charter market. Blackstone nytimes.com arranged a $1.2 billion credit facility for Air Trunk's expansion into Japanese data centers, part of a broader push by private equity into AI infrastructure assets across Asia-Pacific.
Middle East Conflict Impact
Malaysia's subsidy bill will increase bloomberg.com because of higher oil prices caused by the war in the Middle East, said Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah Azizan. The Philippines is looking to review bloomberg.com a nearly 30-year old law that liberalized its oil industry, as the government aims to have a better grip on fuel prices that have shot higher due to the Iran war. The UAE cut crude shipments bloomberg.com by about a fifth for this month, although the flows will still go to a port outside the all-but-shuttered Strait of Hormuz.
Financial Markets Volatility
U.S. Treasuries volatility jumped to a nine-month high bloomberg.com as the Iran war fanned inflation concerns and upended traders' expectations on the Federal Reserve's policy path. The yen fell to its weakest level bloomberg.com since July 2024 as a deepening war in the Middle East pushes up oil prices. The Singapore dollar consolidated wsj.com against its U.S. counterpart in the Asian session on possible position adjustments.
Technology & AI
The hype around artificial intelligence software OpenClaw has heightened interest bloomberg.com in Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. earnings and how the agent might drive growth and innovation. A top-performing emerging markets fund is increasing its exposure bloomberg.com to major Chinese artificial intelligence hyperscalers, betting they offer better value than U.S. tech giants that are pouring vast sums into AI development.
Automotive Industry Shifts
Honda scrapped plans nytimes.com for EVs while start-ups forge ahead, as the Japanese company's retreat echoes moves by other traditional carmakers as the industry divides between electric vehicle haves and have-nots. Rivian's make-or-break car wsj.com arrives at the worst possible moment for EVs, as the startup seeks to buck an EV downturn with a $57,990 SUV that can drive up to 330 miles on a single charge.
Geopolitical Developments
Beijing has driven a major increase ft.com in strategic commodity inventories but their scale remains unclear as Iran war tests Xi's plan to build China's stockpiles. Oman evacuated ships bloomberg.com from its key oil export terminal at Mina Al Fahal as a precautionary measure, according to people who directly received a notice from a port agent.
Investment & Private Markets
Brookfield is seeking bloomberg.com a loan of around $800 million to back its proposed purchase of air cargo specialist World Freight Co., according to people familiar with the matter. THL and Linden-backed Smile Doctors bloomberg.com is in talks with investors to refinance roughly $2 billion of debt to lower its borrowing costs, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Regional Economic Impact
A sharp energy shock from the Iran war is extending a slide in Indian equities bloomberg.com and pushing the rupee to record lows as foreign investors stay on the defensive. New Zealand's economic recovery bloomberg.com probably lost momentum in the final months of 2025, highlighting its fragile nature even before any impact from the spiraling Middle East conflict and surging oil prices.
Market Sentiment & Trading
Investors are scrambling to reassess bloomberg.com interest-rate bets as oil whipsaws, upending one of the best trades in emerging markets. The dollar is on course for a fresh 2026 high bloomberg.com, options markets show, as the Iran war keeps energy prices elevated. Institutional investors are buying U.S. dollars bloomberg.com at the strongest level in nearly two years, as conflict in the Middle East drives demand for safe-haven assets.
Mining & Resources
Iron ore headed for its biggest weekly gain bloomberg.com in over a year, after China's state-backed buyer moved to expand restrictions on BHP Group products. Australian gold miner Northern Star bloomberg.com sank the most in six years after the gold miner cut output guidance due to problems at a processing mill.
Financial Services
The Federal Reserve and other financial regulators nytimes.com will soon release proposals to loosen some planned rules on how much capital banks must hold in reserve to mitigate risks. State Street sees strongest dollar buying bloomberg.com in nearly two years as war keeps oil elevated, according to the global financial services group.
Corporate Strategy & Supply Chains
The basic assumptions that have underpinned hedging strategies bloomberg.com for decades are coming undone by the escalating war in Iran. Supply chain breaks caused by war ft.com was a 'Covid moment' for companies, says State Street CEO, forcing business to rethink global operations.
Market Infrastructure
S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is considering changes to rules bloomberg.com governing how companies join the S&P 500 Index, a move that would potentially fast-track SpaceX's entry after its IPO, people familiar with the matter said. The CME warned that intervention in oil futures ft.com would be a 'biblical disaster' and erode confidence in derivatives markets.
Regulatory & Legal
Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes barred a U.S. State Department official bloomberg.com from visiting Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing former president who is serving a 27-year prison sentence in the country. The Czech central bank can wait out bloomberg.com a global surge in oil prices without raising interest rates because inflation will likely stay under control even with higher fuel costs, according to board member Pavel Řeřábek.
Market Data & Statistics
At A$4.5 trillion ($3.2 , Australia's pension system bloomberg.com is the fourth-largest pool of retirement savings in the world — and the fastest-growing among major markets. It's expected to overtake the Japanese system to become the third-largest by 2030, according to Industry Super Australia.
Market Outlook
The war in Iran will shift more travel demand bloomberg.com out of the Middle East and into Europe as passengers remain wary about getting stuck by Gulf airlines hamstrung by airspace restrictions in their region, according to Wizz Air CEO József Váradi. Middle East conflict disrupted events and travel companies ft.com, with Informa delaying conferences and On The Beach warning of 'significant slowdown' in bookings for some destinations.