Public Markets 3h Briefing
×Last updated: March 15, 2026, 6:30 PM ET
Energy & Commodities
Tungsten futures surged 557% bloomberg.com to record highs as Chinese export limits and rising military demand tighten global supplies, outpacing traditional safe havens like gold and copper. The rally in defense metals bloomberg.com comes amid escalating tensions in South Asia, where Pakistani airstrikes killed 75 civilians nytimes.com and displaced 115,000 in Afghanistan, with both nations vowing escalation. Meanwhile, gold held steady near $2,340 ft.com as a weakening dollar offset risk-on sentiment, while oil futures slipped 1.3% ft.com in early Asian trade after OPEC+ signaled potential output increases.
Private Markets & Fundraising
Triton Partners closed a €5.5 billion fund bloomberg.com after a delayed fundraising process, marking a crucial milestone for the European buyout firm's flagship vehicle. The $6.3 billion raise comes as private equity firms increasingly target AI infrastructure assets across Asia-Pacific, with Blackstone arranging a $1.2 billion credit facility bloomberg.com for Air Trunk's expansion into Japanese data centers. Elsewhere, a surge in aluminum prices pushed Zhang Bo's fortune to $48 billion bloomberg.com, making the China Hongqiao chairman one of Asia's wealthiest industrialists.
Fixed Income & Public Finance
Japanese government bonds extended their rally ft.com tracking overnight Treasury gains as traders priced in a September Fed rate cut, while U.S. airline bonds weakened 2.3% ft.com after jet fuel costs spiked 8% on Middle East supply fears. Chicago's planned $800 million muni bond sale ft.com is testing investor appetite amid geopolitical uncertainty, with yields widening 15 basis points from initial pricing. The Treasury market also absorbed $28 billion in 10-year notes ft.com in a surprisingly strong auction, suggesting resilient demand despite elevated supply.