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US House Democrat blasts Commerce’s ‘highly concerning’ $1.6B USA Rare Earth deal

A senior House Democrat accused US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday of structuring Washington’s $1.58 billion investment into USA Rare Earth in a way that gives the government “highly concerning” leverage over the company while boosting Lutnick’s family-run investment firm.

Mar 20, 2026 - 5:28 PM

Global bond rout deepens with concern over war-driven inflation

NEW YORK/LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Government bond yields in the U.S. and Europe spiked on Friday as investor concern intensified over the inflationary impact of the war-driven global energy shock, with expectations the pressure will not ease anytime soon.Investors are rapidly recalibrating the ability of central banks globally to ease monetary policy the longer the war goes on. The jump in oil prices has upped the odds ‌that the U.S. Federal Reserve may need to tighten borrowing costs.

Mar 20, 2026 - 4:20 PM

Wall St Week Ahead: Persistent Iran war, energy price surge set to loom over stocks

NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - A Middle East crisis that has convulsed markets should remain the focal point for Wall Street in the near term, as investors stay glued to developments in Iran and the fallout from surging energy prices.

Mar 20, 2026 - 3:10 PM

Markets bet on Fed rate hike as soon as July

March 20 (Reuters) - Market pricing for a U.S. Federal Reserve interest-rate hike by September is about 75%, with better-than-even odds of a Fed rate hike as early as July.Five days ago, ‌the market had no hint of a rate-hike expectation at all this year, let alone for July, and indeed showed traders firmly believed the Fed's next move would be to reduce borrowing costs. That is a huge swing. As recently as last month, financial markets⁠reflected an expectation for two interest-rate cuts by the end of the year.

Mar 20, 2026 - 2:54 PM

TSX set for third weekly decline as Middle East tensions dent sentiment

March 20 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell on Friday amid broad declines across sectors and was on ‌track for a third straight weekly loss, as the escalating conflict in the Middle East showed no signs of cooling.At 11:06 a.m. ET, the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE), was down 1.2% at 31,476.37.Three U.S. officials told Reuters that Washington was planning to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, shortly after Axios reported ⁠that the administration was considering occupying or blockading Iran's Kharg Island.

Mar 20, 2026 - 1:34 PM

Money markets raise Bank of Canada 2026 rate hike bets by 75 basis points

OTTAWA, March 20 (Reuters) - Money markets raised their bets on a Bank of Canada rate hike on Friday, assigning a more than 20% chance of one next month as the ‌Iran war showed no sign of abating and oil prices rose.The markets, which are essentially led by the overnight interest rate swap market and had previously priced in a barely 4% chance of an April hike, now point to a 75 basis point ⁠rise in the BoC benchmark policy rate by year-end, LSEG data showed.As of Thursday, the markets had priced in only one 25 basis point increase in December.

Mar 20, 2026 - 1:27 PM

Fed officials say Iran war obscuring economic, monetary policy outlook

NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - Two Federal Reserve officials said on Friday ‌the Iran war and its impact on energy markets were clouding the outlook for the economy and monetary policy, as one policymaker laid out an outlook calling for notably more interest rate cuts than most U.S. central bank officials currently support."We don't know where this is going to go, but we have to sort of think maybe caution is warranted" for the Fed, given what's ⁠happening with surging energy prices, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said in a CNBC interview.

Mar 20, 2026 - 12:16 PM

Prices for oil, fuel cargoes smash record highs as Iran war chokes Middle East supply

LONDON/HOUSTON, March 19 (Reuters) - If you want to buy a cargo of oil in Asia or jet fuel in Europe right now, you may have to pay a record price for it.Surging oil prices in physical markets - the trading place for oil ‌on ships, rail cars or in storage tanks - have outpaced the already dizzying increases in benchmark futures markets, as refiners and traders across Asia and Europe are snapping up whatever barrels they can secure to plug the enormous supply gap caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Mar 20, 2026 - 12:00 PM

Oil falls as US, allies discuss efforts to boost supply and open Strait of Hormuz

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell over 1% on Friday as the U.S. outlined moves to manage the oil supply crisis, while leading European nations, Japan and Canada offered to join efforts to secure safe passage for ships through the ‌Strait of Hormuz.Brent futures for May fell $1.58, or 1.45%, to $107.07 a barrel at 1220 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for April, which expire on Friday, were down $1.30, or 1.35%, to $94.84. The more liquid May WTI futures contract was at $94.30 at 1220 GMT, down $1.25 or 1.31%.

Mar 20, 2026 - 11:39 AM

Stocks edge higher, bonds under pressure as Iran war spurs hawkish rate rethink

LONDON/SINGAPORE, March 20 (Reuters) - Global shares and the dollar nudged higher on Friday but were set for weekly losses while bonds remained under pressure as central banks warned that the Iran war could reignite inflation.Trading stayed choppy and nerves frayed, highlighting how brittle investor confidence remains and how sensitive markets are ‌to news on conflict in the Middle East.An Axios report on Friday said that the Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Mar 20, 2026 - 11:24 AM

Dollar heads for weekly drop as central banks turn hawkish

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - The dollar inched up on Friday but was still headed for a weekly fall as soaring energy prices transformed the outlook for global interest rates, leaving the U.S. Federal Reserve as the only major central bank not expected to raise rates this year.Before ‌the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began at the end of February, investors expected two Fed cuts this year. They now believe one is a distant prospect, but the outlook for other major central banks has turned even more hawkish.

Mar 20, 2026 - 10:17 AM

Gold rises but face third straight weekly drop on higher rate outlook

March 20 (Reuters) - Gold prices firmed on Friday but remained on course for a third consecutive weekly ‌decline, due to expectations of a hawkish stance from major central banks amid inflationary risks spurred by the Middle East conflict.Spot gold rose 0.6% to $4,674.29 per ounce as of 9:01 a.m. ET (1301 GMT), on bargain‑hunting after prices hit their lowest level since February 2 in the previous session.U.S. gold futures for April delivery rose 1.5% to $4,675.20.

Mar 20, 2026 - 10:13 AM

Asia Gold: India gold discounts ease on festive demand; China premiums ease

March 20 (Reuters) - Gold discounts ‌in India eased this week from near decade-high levels hit last week, helped by festive buying and a sharp correction in prices, while premiums in China declined as physical demand softened.Bullion dealers in India this week offered discounts of of up to $75 per ounce over official domestic gold prices – inclusive of 6% import and ⁠3% sales levies, down from discounts of up to $83 last week, the highest since July 2016.

Mar 20, 2026 - 10:10 AM

Europe shares set for third weekly loss as Mideast war grinds on

March 20 (Reuters) - Europe's STOXX 600 gave up opening gains to trade flat on Friday, and was set for a ‌third consecutive weekly loss, as an expanding Middle East conflict and a surge in oil prices reinforced inflation fears.The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX), was flat at 583.70 by 1000 GMT, poised to log a 2% weekly decline and its longest losing streak since April. The heavyweight financial sector (.SX7P), provided the biggest boost, up 0.5%, while the energy (.SXEP), sector declined 1.1% - the biggest drag on the index, as crude prices pulled back.

Mar 20, 2026 - 10:08 AM

Investors buy the dip in both stocks and bonds, BofA says

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Investors took advantage of the drop in stock and bond prices in the latest week to ‌snap up both, even though a steep rise in energy prices on the back of the war in the Middle East rattled sentiment, according to Bank ⁠of America Global Research on Friday.

Mar 20, 2026 - 10:06 AM

Powell's decision on Fed board seat could shape Warsh's leadership

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming decision on whether to keep his seat on the U.S. central bank's Board of Governors after his leadership term ends is now a key factor in how the tenure of his would-be successor Kevin Warsh evolves, and whether President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent can pursue any overhaul of the Fed's structure, operations and monetary policy.

Mar 20, 2026 - 10:05 AM

Wall Street banks with large trading units may be biggest winners under US capital plan

TORONTO/WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - While all Wall Street banks are winners under a U.S. proposal to reduce the amount of capital they must hold, institutions with big trading operations stand to benefit more than traditional lenders, and this could potentially pit them against one another as they seek final revisions.

Mar 20, 2026 - 10:02 AM

Reuters

Latest

Bahrain’s Alba routes aluminum exports via Jeddah due to Hormuz closure

Vatican pushes investors to exit mining sector

China’s rare earth exports rise, shipments to US fall

US House Democrat blasts Commerce’s ‘highly concerning’ $1.6B USA Rare Earth deal

Global bond rout deepens with concern over war-driven inflation

Wall St Week Ahead: Persistent Iran war, energy price surge set to loom over stocks

Markets bet on Fed rate hike as soon as July

TSX set for third weekly decline as Middle East tensions dent sentiment

Money markets raise Bank of Canada 2026 rate hike bets by 75 basis points

Fed officials say Iran war obscuring economic, monetary policy outlook

Prices for oil, fuel cargoes smash record highs as Iran war chokes Middle East supply

Oil falls as US, allies discuss efforts to boost supply and open Strait of Hormuz

Stocks edge higher, bonds under pressure as Iran war spurs hawkish rate rethink

Dollar heads for weekly drop as central banks turn hawkish

Gold rises but face third straight weekly drop on higher rate outlook

Asia Gold: India gold discounts ease on festive demand; China premiums ease

Europe shares set for third weekly loss as Mideast war grinds on

Investors buy the dip in both stocks and bonds, BofA says

Powell's decision on Fed board seat could shape Warsh's leadership

Wall Street banks with large trading units may be biggest winners under US capital plan

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