Public Markets 3h Briefing
×Last updated: March 12, 2026, 11:32 PM ET
Energy & Commodities
Oil prices edged lower wsj.com in Asian markets on a likely technical correction despite President Trump's decision to lift Russian sanctions nytimes.com that was expected to increase global supply. The move by the U.S. Treasury to ease sanctions came after ft.com Brent crude briefly surged above $100 amid escalating tensions in the Gulf, though the market reaction remained muted with prices barely changing after Thursday's 10% rally. Meanwhile, iron ore futures bloomberg.com headed for their biggest weekly gain in over a year after China's state-backed buyer expanded restrictions on BHP Group products, while Coal India shares bloomberg.com rose for a third consecutive day to reach their highest level in over 16 months as gas shortages and harsh weather conditions attracted bulls to Indian power utilities.
Asian Markets
Chinese consumer spending recorded bloomberg.com what appears to be the worst start to any year outside the pandemic period, highlighting the ongoing challenges for the government's strategy to boost domestic demand. In response, Singapore disputed bloomberg.com U.S. trade surplus data, claiming it actually ran a trade deficit with Washington in 2024 amid looming tariff threats. Chinese tech giants Tencent and Alibaba bloomberg.com are facing heightened scrutiny as their quarterly earnings approach, with investors eager to learn how the AI software Open Claw might drive growth and innovation. Down under, Australian gold miner bloomberg.com Northern Star Resources sank the most in six years after cutting output guidance due to processing mill issues, while hedge fund Regal Partners bloomberg.com suffered after Immutep Ltd. wiped out most of its A$582 million market value in a single day.
Global Finance & Infrastructure
Utilities across the United States plan to spend wsj.com tens of billions of dollars on high-voltage grid upgrades to meet surging demand from data centers, though the funding mechanism remains uncertain. In the electric vehicle sector, Rivian unveiled wsj.com its make-or-break $57,990 SUV capable of 330 miles per charge at a challenging time for EV manufacturers battling market saturation. Meanwhile, leveraged betting bloomberg.com in Asian markets is reviving fears of fresh stock routs as inflows into leveraged ETFs and elevated levels of borrowed cash to buy stocks mirror conditions that led to last week's war-induced sell-off. On the M&A front, Brookfield Asset Management bloomberg.com is seeking an $800 million loan to back its proposed purchase of air cargo specialist World Freight Co.
Geopolitical Developments
Asian currencies consolidated wsj.com against the dollar as traders closely monitored oil price trends amid Middle East tensions. In Turkey, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake bloomberg.com struck 16 kilometers east of Erbaa, though market impacts appeared limited. Cuba pledged to release nytimes.com 51 prisoners amid pressure from Washington, with the move appearing to be an effort to appease the Trump administration which has been enforcing an oil blockade against the Caribbean nation.