Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 13, 2026, 2:33 PM ET
Energy & Commodities
Oil futures settled above $100 bloomberg.com for the first time since August 2022 as millions of barrels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf, creating the biggest oil market disruption in history. The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed bloomberg.com, with no confirmed maritime transits in either direction over the past 24 hours, while Saudi Arabia races to bypass the chokepoint by building up supertankers off its Red Sea coast. A Thai oil refiner made a rare purchase bloomberg.com of North Sea Forties crude from Trafigura Group as Asian processors scramble for alternatives to Middle Eastern supplies stuck in the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, raw sugar headed for a fourth weekly gain bloomberg.com, buoyed by a rally in crude oil, with traders watching to see if Brazil will boost domestic gasoline prices, potentially increasing sugar cane production.
Fixed Income & Credit Markets
U.S. Treasuries advanced bloomberg.com as data revealed a more discerning consumer and weaker growth, with bond traders nearly pricing in one Federal Reserve interest-rate cut. European bond yields rose to multimonth highs wsj.com as Brent crude surpassed $100 again, with Commerzbank advising investors to avoid Bunds amid Middle East uncertainty. Morgan Stanley led losses among major U.S. banks bloomberg.com after limiting withdrawals from one of its private credit funds, while Vivid Seats Inc.'s debt sank deeper into distressed territory bloomberg.com following weak earnings and guidance cuts. Cliffwater Fund joined private-credit vehicles limiting redemptions wsj.com, planning to cover about half of repurchase requests representing 7% of shares outstanding.
Equities & IPO Markets
U.S. stocks rose at the opening bell bloomberg.com as signs of a sluggish economy boosted hopes for a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut, though traders remained cautious amid Middle East headlines. Charles Schwab Corp. expects revenue growth of around 16% bloomberg.com for the first quarter as retail investors stay engaged despite economic uncertainty. Hims & Hers Health Inc. shares are on pace for their best week on record bloomberg.com as a new partnership with Novo Nordisk fuels optimism about the company's future in weight-loss drugs. The German company Vincorion wsj.com set a sale price of 17 euros a share and will offer investors up to 345 million euros of shares, with the offer period expected to start March 16.
Technology & AI
Elon Musk pushed out more xAI founders ft.com as the billionaire's startup struggles to keep pace with rivals, with Tesla and SpaceX managers sent in to review work. SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Pay Pay Corp. remains open to a dual listing bloomberg.com with a presence on Tokyo's bourse after its $880 million trading debut in New York. A startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz plans to revive an abandoned copper mine bloomberg.com in Utah to test new technology aimed at automating operations. Meanwhile, the AI-driven 'kill chain' is transforming how the U.S. wages war ft.com, with systems from Palantir and Anthropic helping turn battlefield data into thousands of strikes.
Geopolitical & Trade
The U.S. stepped up strikes on Iran bloomberg.com to unprecedented levels as both sides threatened to escalate a conflict hitting its two-week mark and upending energy flows. France and Italy opened talks with Iran ft.com in hopes of securing safe Hormuz passage as Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep the strait shut. The European Union is set to suspend some duty-free sugar imports bloomberg.com for "at least a year" to help stabilize prices within the bloc. India's foreign exchange reserves fell by the most since November 2024 bloomberg.com as analysts said the central bank intervened to support the rupee amid volatility from the Iran war.
Corporate & Industrial
Rio Tinto Group will slow down construction bloomberg.com of the Nemaska Lithium processing plant in Quebec just weeks after announcing majority control of the project. Brazil's state-controlled oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA raised domestic diesel prices bloomberg.com a day after the government announced federal tax breaks on fuels to shield consumers from surging costs. Norsk Hydro's Qatar aluminum plant won't shut down fully wsj.com as its partner renews gas flow, maintaining aluminum output at around 60% of total capacity. Greece will impose a profit margin cap bloomberg.com on fuel and groceries to keep prices of key goods under control and prevent further surges from Middle East turmoil.
Real Estate & Infrastructure
JPMorgan Chase & Co. will be the anchor tenant bloomberg.com of an upcoming office project in Hong Kong's West Kowloon area, marking one of the city's largest leasing deals amid a prolonged downturn in the commercial market. Mexican real estate investment trust Fibra MTY raised about $500 million bloomberg.com to expand its industrial portfolio. Venture Global Inc. will move forward with an $8.6 billion expansion bloomberg.com of its third liquefied natural gas export project in Louisiana. The UK government said it would overhaul its nuclear power sector bloomberg.com after a review criticized it for being too risk averse and favoring process over outcomes.
Emerging Markets
India's neighbors are seeking additional fuel from New Delhi bloomberg.com as the war in the Middle East curtails access to energy supplies from the Persian Gulf, giving Asia's third-largest economy an opportunity to strengthen regional influence. The Philippines is looking to review a nearly 30-year old law bloomberg.com 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. Ghana's cocoa regulator hasn't repaid more than $400 million in loans bloomberg.com taken from traders over the past two years, raising the risk that it won't have enough cash to buy beans next season. OPEC's crude oil production climbed last month bloomberg.com as group leader Saudi Arabia bolstered production amid rising regional tensions.
Defense & Security
The U.S. said it had stepped up strikes on Iran bloomberg.com to unprecedented levels as both sides in the war threatened to escalate a conflict hitting its two-week mark. Iran has arranged special transportation bloomberg.com to return about 180 sailors from India. The Pentagon said 140 service members have been injured nytimes.com in the Iran war, with eight Americans seriously wounded but most already returned to duty. Exail Technologies SA shares have jumped in the past two weeks bloomberg.com as Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz thrust the French defense contractor's seagoing, mine-destroying drones into the spotlight.
Retail & Consumer
Charles Schwab Corp. expects revenue growth of around 16% bloomberg.com for the first quarter as retail investors remain engaged despite uncertainty about the economy and the war in the Middle East. Retail investors are taking a step back bloomberg.com from their typically strong support for stocks as escalation in the Middle East and inflation concerns weigh on the group's risk appetite. Gas dealer Vishal Vilas Mandhare stares at the snaking queue bloomberg.com outside his shop in Pune, which served just 20 people a day before the Iran war. The war in Iran has ended Canadian drivers' nearly yearlong sojourn bloomberg.com with lower gasoline prices after Prime Minister Mark Carney eliminated the country's consumer carbon tax.
Private Equity & Venture Capital
A startup backed by Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz plans to revive an abandoned copper mine bloomberg.com in Utah to test new technology aimed at automating operations. The team behind Aaru is attracting brands including McDonald's and EY wsj.com by betting AI bots can predict human behavior better than humans can. Bill Ackman's bid to be more like Buffett is finally unfolding bloomberg.com, with his time horizon described as infinite and capital permanent. Oaktree plans to buy South Carolina insurer ft.com after 777 Partners collapse, with Advantage Capital having lent to Josh Wander's failed Miami-based fund.
Market Sentiment & Strategy
BlackRock's $220 billion model machine stays bullish on stocks bloomberg.com as geopolitical tension roils asset classes, standing by its bullish outlook for U.S. equities across its model platform. Bof A's Michael Hartnett warns markets are starting to look like 2008 bloomberg.com as the spike in oil prices and growing concerns around private credit cause market activity to resemble the lead-up to the global financial crisis. The spike in oil prices and growing concerns around private credit are causing market activity to resemble bloomberg.com the lead-up to the global financial crisis, according to Bank of America's Michael Hartnett.