Morning News: March 30, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 30th, 2026 at 7:05 am

Trump Claims Iran Gave In to US Demands, Considers Seizing Oil

Oil Jumps on Signs of Escalation of Middle East War

The Oil Market Is Moving Into Demand Destruction Mode

The Strait of Hormuz Oil Shock Is Now Heading West

Oil Shipping Rates Surge as US Barrels Replace Middle East Supply

Why the Iran War May Force Countries to Rely Less on Natural Gas

This Is What Happens When the Gas Runs Out

Indian Economy Faces Risks on Multiple Fronts From Middle East Conflict

Japan Steps Up Yen Warnings as Mideast War Stokes Inflation Concerns

Eurozone Business Confidence Falls on Iran War

Government Bonds Rally Around the World on Slowdown Concerns

Fed Officials Signal That Rate Cuts May Be Over

Two Data Points to Consider a Year Since Trump’s Tariff Liberation Day

Swiss Cling on to Cash as Survey Shows Payment App Use Stalling

BBVA to Sell Romania Business to Raiffeisen for $680 Million

A 35-Year-Old Crypto Bro Helped Pakistan Win Over Trump World

Is Another Financial Crisis Lurking in Private Credit?

Private Equity’s Brutal Side Deals Leave Lenders Grasping in the Dark

Private-Credit Wobbles Could Prove Perilous for Trump

Three Reasons the Stock Market Can Endure the War

Too Bad the Robinhood Crowd Isn’t Buying This Dip

Why the Cost of Your Coffee Has Soared—and Isn’t Going Down Soon

$100,000 in Social Security Benefits Is Too Much

How Working in America Became So Joyless

Chromebook Remorse: Tech Backlash at Schools Extends Beyond Phones

Teens Sick of Their iPhones Are ‘Mallmaxxing’

How the Federal Government Turned Intel Into a Puppet

Nvidia Is Credit Personified While the Fed Is a Pointless Distraction

Inside the Odd—and Oddly Human—Work of Teaching AI to Talk

Why Corporate AI Mandates Don’t Work

LaGuardia Crash Bolsters Case for Using AI in Air Control Towers

BYD Posts First Annual Profit Decline in Four Years

Ford and GM Increase Destination Charges to $2,795 on Full-Size Trucks

World War III’s First Shots Will Be Fired in Space

Food Megamergers Hardly Ever Work. Could McCormick-Unilever Be Different?

Sysco to Buy Restaurant Depot in $29 Billion Deal

WNBA Players Had an Ace Up Their Sleeve in Pay Negotiations: A Nobel Laureate

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Morning News: March 27, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 27th, 2026 at 7:03 am

Ukraine Is Running Out of Cash to Pay for the War as Aid Falters

Russians’ Trust in Putin Hits Wartime Low as Fatigue Grows

The Pentagon Needs to Give Better Answers on Its ‘Golden Dome’

The Iran War Is Now All About the Future of Hormuz

China Hits Back at U.S. With New Trade Probes Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Riyadh, Dubai Delay Finance Events as Iran War Disrupts Region

Iran War Threatens to Reverse Central Banks’ Role as Major Gold Buyers

How the Iran War Is Costing the Economy Its Buffers

Fertilizer Maker Yara Warns Farmers Are Being Squeezed by Price Surge Amid War

Resurgent Inflation Tests Faith in Fed’s Willingness to Tame It

Economists See War Pushing US Inflation Above 3%, Hurting Growth

Oaktree to Meet 8.5% Private Credit Fund Redemptions in Full

Homophones, Plurals and Language ‘Rulescucks’ Are Roiling Prediction Markets

He Did Not Intend to Lose $50 Million. No One Does

Health-Care Costs Are Forcing Terrible Trade-Offs

The Startup Selling Full-Body Scans as the Future of Health Care

Why College Graduates Feel Betrayed

Tracking Trump’s Efforts to Reshape Cultural Institutions

Inside the Sprawling World of MAGA Merchandise

Crypto for a Home? Coinbase Brings Token-Backed Down Payments to Housing Market

CrossCountry Mortgage to Acquire Two Harbors

An Invisible Bottleneck: A Helium Shortage Threatens the Chip Industry

Is Big Tech Facing a Big Tobacco Moment?

SoftBank Secures Record $40 Billion Bridge Loan for OpenAI Stake

Export Controls Risk Forfeiting the AI Race

An AI Upheaval Is Coming for Media. This Journalist Is Already All In.

Pernod Ricard Shares Pare Losses as Investors Warm to Mooted Brown-Forman Tie-Up

Why Kraft Heinz’s CEO Decided Not to Split the Company in Two

That McDonald’s Viral Video Is Good for Memes. But Sales?

Why Are Theater Tickets So Much Cheaper in London Than New York?

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Morning News: March 26, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 26th, 2026 at 7:04 am

Oil Prices Go Higher and Global Stocks Fall

How Kharg Island May Change the Trajectory of the Iran War

Trump Says the Energy Shock Will Be Short-Lived. CEOs Paint a Scarier Picture

War Hits Global Economy With OECD Seeing 4.2% US Inflation

Asia Is Getting Crushed Between Oil Prices and the Dollar

How Japan Can Use the Oil Market to Support the Yen

A Saudi Six Flags. A Wynn Casino. Gulf Megaprojects Caught in the Iran Conflict.

The Oil Price Shock Could Make Italian Ice More Expensive

Finance Isn’t Prepared for an Iran Crisis. It Should Be

The Problems With Victor Davis Hanson and Economics

EU Lawmakers Approve US Trade Deal After Several Delays

Holders of Russian Debt Gain Easier Path to Payment at Euroclear

Iran War’s Impact on European Financial System ‘Contained’ for Now, ECB’s De Guindos Says

Federal Reserve Posted Loss of $18.7 Billion in 2025

Wall Street Bonus Pool Jumps to a Record $49.2 Billion for 2025

How the Trump Administration Is Testing Fed Independence on Bank Rules

Apollo, Blue Owl Lament Private Credit’s Liquidity Confusion

Private Credit Has an AI Recovery Problem

Investors Switch to Cash From Stocks and Bonds Like It’s 2022

Passive Index Investing and Large Shareholders’ Pursuit of Political Goals

Corebridge Financial, Equitable Holdings to Merge

JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Says Remote Work Breeds ‘Rope-a-Dope Politics’ and Stunts Young Workers’ Growth

They Gave Her Business a Lifeline, Then Froze All Her Money

Dominican Republic Is Next Frontier in US-China Space Race

As ChatGPT and Claude Replace Quants, How Can We Unleash AI Capital Markets Era?

Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Social-Media Addiction Trial

Meta and Google’s Addiction Verdict Turns the Social Media Tide

Meta, Google Risk Big Tobacco-Like Fallout After Addiction Trial

Snapchat Investigated in Europe Over Child Safety Policies

KKR to Make 15 Times Its Investment With Sale of Data-Center Cooling Business

Losses Pile Up for Beef Slaughterhouse Owners

A Film Studio Moved to Montana for Tax Breaks. Will It Benefit the Locals?

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Morning News: March 25, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 25th, 2026 at 7:05 am

The Choking of Hormuz

The Oil Supply Crunch Is Spreading From the Gulf to the Rest of the World

In Iran War, Cheap Drones Remain Wild Card

Defense Spending, and the 5% of GDP Fallacy

What Happened After a U.S. Warship Hit an Iranian Mine in 1988

The ‘Don Tzu’ Solution to Ending the Iran War

Oil Theft Is Burning a Billion-Dollar Hole in the West Texas Economy

Gas, Not Oil, Is Where US Energy Dominance Matters

Why Are We Clinging To a Law That Makes Gasoline More Expensive?

What Soaring Fuel Costs Mean for Your Air Travel

The US Needs More Air Traffic Controllers. Is It Safe to Fly?

The Lines, the Prices, the Anxiety: Can Air Travel Get Any Worse?

There’s One Clear Winner From the Long TSA Wait Times at Airports

Will Trump (and Russ Vought) Protect Your Financial Data?

In Washington’s War on Data, the Economy and Public Will Lose

Argentina’s 50-Year-Old Coup Still Resonates

How a Dirty Money Trail From Venezuela to Iran Brought Down a Swiss Bank

Gold Has Been a Terrible Iran War Hedge — Why?

A Coach, Mechanic or Housekeeper, but for Your Finances

US Mortgage Rates Jump Further to Five-Month High of 6.43%

Tricolor Implosion Pits Wall Street Against Immigrant Car Buyers

ICE Has Left Minneapolis. The Economic Hangover Hasn’t.

The Death Spiral of a $250 Million Satellite Startup

How Selling to a Repressive Regime Almost Broke a Tech Firm

How the Iran War Could Split the AI Boom in Two

Adani Eyes Partnerships With Meta, Google Amid Data Center Boom

Meta Targets $9 Trillion Valuation With New Executive Incentive Program

CoreWeave Shares Lag Rival Nebius in Wild Year Since IPO

Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals in $6.7 Billion Deal

Disney CEO’s First Week Marred by ‘Fortnite,’ OpenAI Woes

The Company Where Driving the Wrong Car to Work Can Get You a Ticket

Chewy Posts Higher Profit, Revenue

Labubu Maker’s Earnings Show It’s Not Toying Around, But Investors Aren’t Amused

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CWS Market Review – March 24, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 24th, 2026 at 5:34 pm

(This is the free version of CWS Market Review. If you like what you see, then please sign up for the premium newsletter for $20 per month or $200 for the whole year. If you sign up today, you can see our two reports, “Your Handy Guide to Stock Orders” and “How Not to Get Screwed on Your Mortgage.”)

I recently came across a stunning fact in the Wall Street Journal. It said that over the last two years, the healthcare sector has accounted for 77% of all jobs growth.

That’s one of those facts that initially strikes you as amazing, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. As the rest of the economy gets weaker, the healthcare sector is doing most of the heavy lifting.

Check out the growth of healthcare jobs:

The WSJ notes that over the last year, the U.S. economy has added 156,000 new jobs and healthcare was responsible for 375,000 new jobs. That means that if we take away the healthcare sector, then the economy is shedding jobs. If you’re not at the doctor’s office, then you’re probably in a recession.

Don’t expect these trends to let up anytime soon. According to the WSJ, by 2035, the number of Americans over the age of 85 is expected to double. Now let’s look at what’s had the market so annoyed recently.

The Fed’s Next Move May Be a Rate Hike

The stock market is starting to show some cracks. During the day on Friday, the S&P 500 fell to its lowest point in six months. We got a minor relief rally on Monday, but Tuesday was another down day. The S&P 500 has closed lower eight times in the last eleven sessions. The index is below its 50- and 200-day moving averages. Historically, that’s not a good sign.

There’s even talk of the Fed’s next move being an interest rate hike. To be sure, that possibility is still a long way from being a certainty, but the futures traders peg the odds of a Fed hike before the end of the year at around 20%. The odds of an upcoming interest rate cut are…well, in the garbage can. In a very short period of time, the odds of a Fed cut went from probable to not happening.

If you ever want to know what the Fed is thinking, the cheap and easy way is to look at the yield on the two-year Treasury. On February 28, the two-year yield was at 3.38%. By March 20, it got to 3.88%. That’s a jump of 50 basis points in less than one month. War has been the forerunner of inflation so many times in history.

What’s interesting is that the price of gold has been dropping lately. When hostilities started, gold was around $5,400 per ounce. Yesterday, gold got down below $4,100 per ounce. Gold often rallies during times of geopolitical stress. This time, the drop in gold makes sense if real interest rates rise. In plain English, lower gold hints that the Fed will have to raise rates well above the level of inflation. That’s not good for the economy.

There’s still a lot of fear in the markets, and the big issue is, not surprisingly, the price for oil. While oil is still well below its peak (near $120) from two weeks ago, it’s still elevated. For what it’s worth, betting markets don’t see traffic in the Strait of Hormuz returning to normal for several weeks.

The market was helped on Monday by an optimistic tweet from President Trump regarding “a resolution of hostilities” in the Middle East. The Iranians, however, said there have been no direct talks. Oil dropped down to $88 per barrel on Monday which is the lowest in two weeks. Before the war, oil was around $65 per barrel.

Oil stocks have been the big winner so far this year. The S&P 500 Energy ETF (XLE) is up about 38% in 2026, and the year isn’t yet one quarter over. I also like to keep my eye on the performance of the S&P 500 Industrial Sector (XLI). This is often an overlooked part of the market, but it’s very important for the overall economy.

Starting in December, industrials performed very well compared with the rest of the market. It was one of their best runs in 20 years, and it lasted through February. Since hostilities started, industrials have started to lag. That could be a sign for the entire economy.

We still don’t know the impact of Operation Epic Fury, outside of oil prices. It’s true that the U.S. economy is far less dependent on oil than it used to be. We’ll soon learn more. Next Friday, April 3, the government will release the March jobs report. This will show us how well the economy has been holding up.

We should also bear in mind that the labor market has been quite weak for the last several months. Less jobs growth means less money to go shopping and that cuts into corporate profits. For February, the U.S. economy shed 93,000 jobs.

Abbott Labs Drops to a Good Price

One of our favorite Buy List stocks, Abbott Labs (ABT), has performed poorly. That puts off a lot of investors, but I always pay attention when the stock of a good company does poorly. That’s where you can often find a good bargain.

On January 22, Abbott reported solid earnings results, but the shares took a bath. Abbott Labs reported fiscal-Q4 earnings of $1.50 per share. That beat expectations by one penny. That was also inside the company’s own guidance for Q4 earnings of $1.47 to $1.53 per share. Abbott’s quarterly earnings were up 12% over last year.

For the full year, Abbott made $5.10 per share, which was up 10% over last year. CEO Robert Ford said, “Abbott is well positioned for accelerating growth in 2026.”

Despite the earnings beat, the stock got dinged due to poor results from its baby-formula business. The company offered mostly optimistic guidance. For 2026, Abbott sees earnings coming in between $5.55 and $5.80 per share. At the midpoint, that’s 10% growth. Wall Street had been expecting $5.68 per share. Abbott sees full-year organic-sales growth of 6.5% to 7.5%. For Q1, Abbott expects earnings between $1.12 and $1.18 per share. Wall Street had been expecting $1.19 per share.

Abbott’s Q4 sales rose by 4.4%. That’s organic growth of 3.0% to 3.8% when excluding Covid-testing sales. For 2025, sales were up 5.7%. That’s organic growth of 5.5%, or 6.7% when not counting Covid sales.

Abbott had Q4 sales of $11.5 billion, which was $300 million below expectations. Nutrition sales were $1.9 billion, which was well below expectations. Abbott said it was forced to raise the price for baby formula when manufacturing costs increased.

Medical devices are Abbott’s largest business. Quarterly sales were $5.67 billion, which matched estimates. The company just completed its acquisition of Exact Sciences for $21 billion. This should help the company expand its footprint.

In December, Abbott increased its dividend by 6.8% to 63 cents per share. This marks the 54th year in a row that Abbott has increased its dividend. Since 2020, the dividend has grown by 70%.

On Tuesday, shares of ABT fell to a new 52-week low. Going by the most recent price, ABT is currently going for about 17 to 18 times this year’s earnings. Bear in mind that Abbott’s estimates tend to be quite conservative. In our premium service, we rate ABT a strong buy up to $115 per share.

That’s all for now. The first quarter comes to a close next week. On Friday, April 3, we’ll get the jobs report for March. I’ll have more for you in the next issue of CWS Market Review.

– Eddy

P.S. You can sign up for our premium service here.

P.P.S. Here’s something for fun I wrote earlier this week about math and March Madness:

Today is the day I’ll take something fun and ruin it with math! Who’s with me?

We’re in the middle of the NCAA basketball tournament. Most brackets are scored linearly, but here’s the big secret: basketball teams generally follow a Power Law distribution.

Simply put, this means that the difference in quality of teams tends to get smaller the lower you go. In practical terms, this means the #1 seed is really, really good. The quality difference between #2 and #3 tends to be smaller than the difference between #1 and #2. This continues through the entire bracket.

How can we see this in action? A good example is the bettor’s favorite, the #12 vs #5 game. Despite the difference of seven places, the teams aren’t that far apart. Historically, #12 wins about 35% of the time. It’s an upset, but a pretty minor one.

Interestingly, that’s close to the record of #3 against #1 (36%). In other words, the implied quality difference between those two spots is about the same difference with the seven spots between #5 and #12. That’s the Power Law in action.

For basketball fans, the Power Law means avoiding the #1 as long as you can, or hoping they get knocked out early. Earlier I mentioned the #12 seed. They’ve made it to the Sweet Sixteen 22 times, and 20 times they’ve faced off against #1. They’ve lost every single time.

The Power Law means the worst seed is #8 or #9. That means you have a very hard time getting to the Sweet 16 because you face #1 in Round 2. #1 has beaten #9 92% of the time.

The best seed is #11. Why? Because you avoid #1 for a long time. Assuming the higher seed wins, #11 plays #6, then #3, then #2, then #1.

Here’s the most remarkable stat. #11 has made to the Final Four more than #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #10, #9, #8 and #7. #11 is tied with #6 and since they play each other in the first round, this means #6 follows the same course as #11.

The NFL avoids these issues because it “reseeds” its playoffs. Personally, I prefer how March Madness does it.

Morning News: March 24, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 24th, 2026 at 7:06 am

War Knocks Global Economy With Dual Shock to Growth and Prices

Europe Shows Early Signs of the Iran War’s Economic Costs

Iran Strikes Persist Even as Trump Claims Talks to End War

Oil Prices Rise a Day After 10% Plunge

For Western Oil Companies, War in Iran Means Bigger Profits, and Risks

Investors Question Whether Quick Peace in Iran Is Possible

How Investors Can Cope With TACO Whiplash

China’s $1.6 Trillion Fund Rekindles Ties With US Money Managers

Are US Recessions Going Extinct? That’s So 2003

The Real Debt Crisis Is That There Will Be No Debt Crisis

The End of FTC Political Warfare: Is It Coming Soon?

Cliffwater’s Father-Son Duo Is Lashed by Private Credit’s Brewing Storm

Gold at $10,000? Market Watchers Hold Firm on Forecasts Despite Bullion Bear Market Slide

Joe Kent Is a Conspiracy Theorist, Not a Principled Dissenter

Democrats Need a Better Affordability Agenda

Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years

JPMorgan Sees ‘National Security Risk’ in Old Grid Networks

Trump Sets Up ‘Pax Silica’ Fund to Reduce Global Dependencies

Battery Metal Curbs Sting Chinese Miners Who Spent Big in Africa

Apollo to Acquire Nippon Sheet Glass in $3.7 Billion Deal

AI Infrastructure Will Win U.S. the AI Race

How Nvidia Keeps Its Iron Grip on the AI Boom

Musk’s Terafab Fever Dream Exposes Reality of the AI Chip Crunch

Tesla Sales Rebound in Europe After Monthslong Slump

The Chinese Billionaire Who Says America’s EV Market Is Doomed Without Him

United Air Launches Record Fleet Upgrade With New Polaris Seats

Reality TV Confronts a Harsh TV Reality

Xi Jinping’s Morality Crackdown Has a New Victim: The Global Wine Trade

Smithfield Foods Sales Rise on Packaged-Meats Growth

Red Lobster’s Last Gasp

Estée Lauder in Talks to Acquire Spain’s Puig to Create Global Beauty Giant

Estée Lauder Buying Puig Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test

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Morning News: March 23, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 23rd, 2026 at 7:01 am

Iranian Missile Strikes Are Costing Big Oil Billions in Lost Revenue

Which Countries Depend the Most on Persian Gulf Oil and Gas

War’s Attacks on Energy Could Turn Economic Shock Into Long-Term Damage

$5 Diesel is Crushing Truckers. It Will Soon Be Felt Across the Economy

Oil Prices Tumble and Stocks Rise

As War Disrupts India’s Gulf Ties, Economy Faces ‘New Broadside’

Dollar Scarcity in Venezuela Forces Small Firms to Raise Prices, Turn to Crypto

South Korea Names BIS Official as Next Central Bank Chief

The Dollar’s Strength Has Little to Do With “Exorbitant Privilege”

Amid Mounting Risks, the Fed Wisely Puts Rates on Hold

The Fed’s Most Awkward Leadership Transition Is Coming

Nasdaq Seeks to Build Crypto Into Wall Street’s Market Plumbing

The Trump Administration Turns a Blind Eye to White-Collar Crime

Private Credit Is Making Bank Investors Antsy, Too

Victory Capital Fires Back at Peltz’s Trian as Janus Bidding War Drags On

Berkshire Hathaway to Acquire $1.8 Billion Stake in Japan’s Tokio Marine

Fink Says AI Threatens to Leave Masses Behind Unless They Invest

Why Are Young People Taking So Many Unwise Financial Risks?

Lawmakers to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Banning Sports Bets on Prediction Markets

To Achieve Greater Electricity Affordability, We Need a True Marketplace

The Housing Bargain Hiding in Plain Sight

Activist Elliott Builds Big Stake in Chip-Design Software Maker Synopsys

Apple’s Heir Apparent Steps Into the Spotlight

Tesla, SpaceX Plan to Build New Chip Factory in Texas

China Is Ripping Up the Rulebook for the Global Auto Industry

The Economy Cabin on Airplanes Keeps on Shrinking

Even Rich Travelers Are Complaining About Spiking Prices

Why Healthcare Is Doing the Heavy Lifting in This Job Market

Pfizer Says Long-Awaited Lyme Vaccine Was Effective in Study

Danone to Buy Nutrition Company Huel

The Veteran Podcasters Hanging up Their Headphones

Americans Are Spending More Than Ever on Manicures and Doggy Daycare

Not All Malls Are Struggling

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Morning News: March 20, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 20th, 2026 at 7:03 am

How Israel Went From ‘Model Ally’ to Cautionary Tale

Iran Leaves an Isolated Trump Grappling With Historic Oil Crisis

Removing Sanctions on Iran’s Crude Isn’t an Easy Fix for Oil Prices

Scramble for Jet Fuel Shows How Energy Shortages Are Rippling Across Asia

Venture Global vs. Shell: How a Startup Won Big In LNG

Australia’s New South Wales State Bans Future Coal Mines

Trump Just Shook Up Global Interest-Rate Policy Again

Iran War Scrambles Calculus for Central Banks

Wall Street Banks With Large Trading Units May Be Biggest Winners Under US Capital Plan

Treasuries Slide as Elevated Oil Prices Fuel Inflation Fears

A Whiff of Stagflation

Thomas Massie Is Right About Government Spending For the Wrong Reasons

An Underdog Trump Ally in Latin America Becomes an Investor Magnet

Trump Reorganizes Foreign Aid at Fraction of USAID’s Size

The Luxury Life of British Expats in Dubai Faces a Reality Check

The US Must Not Become a Nation of Emigrants

The Postal Service’s Last-Mile Strategy Is a Dead End

Record Number of Student Loan Borrowers Are in Delinquency and Default

Finally, an Opera About Economics

Can Jonah Peretti Save BuzzFeed From Extinction?

A Vegas Gambler, a Hollywood Power Player and the Legal Fight Roiling Paramount

SAP CEO Says Defense Industry Sales Are Fastest Growing Business

The Long Farewell to Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse

Don’t Regulate Away Playing Field-Leveling AI

Super Micro Co-Founder Charged With Sending AI Tech to China

Publisher Pulls ‘Shy Girl’ Horror Novel After AI Allegations

Uber’s Defense Against Robotaxis Is Funding Them

Tesla Finally Has Its First Semi-Truck and It’s Already a Hit With Truckers

Unilever Looks to Offload $33 Billion Food Business to McCormick

BTS, the Most Popular Boy Band Ever, Returns to a Changed Industry

How Geopolitics Threaten K-Pop’s Ambitions in China

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Morning News: March 19, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 19th, 2026 at 7:08 am

The US Says It’s Winning in Iran. Time to Act Like It

Oil and Gas Prices Jump as Strikes on Gulf Facilities Escalate

Gas Prices in Japan Hit Record High, Testing Leader’s Cost-of-Living Pledge

Tens of Thousands of Seafarers Are Caught in Persian Gulf Crossfire

Lloyd’s CEO Says It’s Critical Mideast War Cover Stays Available

The Iran War’s Economic Threat to Europe and Asia

The Enormous Financial Cost of Three Weeks of War in Iran

Norway’s $2 Trillion Wealth Fund Is Sounding a Warning on Iran

Why Tech Giants Are Ditching the Power Grid

Geothermal Escapes Trump’s Renewable Crackdown, Boosts Fervo’s IPO Bid

India’s Energy Generation Capacity May More Than Double by 2036

The Future of Climate Science Without the US

Economists Don’t See a Recession Unless Oil Hits $138—and Stays There for Weeks

Bank of England Signals Readiness to Raise Rates if Iran War Persists

Trump Wants Powell Out. Powell Is Digging In

The Best We Should Hope For From the Fed: Nothing

Federal Reserve Maintains Rates and Watches Risks From Iran War

Why Companies Are Chopping Up Big Bond Deals Into Smaller Pieces

Your March Madness Bracket Could Wreck Your Stock Portfolio — So ‘Sit on Your Hands’ Until April 6

Being ‘the Next Warren Buffett’ Sounds Like an Honor. It Is More of a Curse

Florida’s Red Wall on Immigration Is Starting to Crack

The Trump FCC’s Harassment of Apple Sets a Bad Precedent for the GOP

Crypto.com Cuts 12% of Staff and Pins Job Losses on AI Push

As EV Market Stalls, Battery Makers Shift to Grids and Data Centers

Congress’s Online Safety Agenda Perilously Ignores Parents

Eight States Sue to Block $6.2 Billion Nexstar-Tegna Merger

Lilly’s Experimental Diabetes Shot Yields Record Weight Loss in Study

Ozempic Is About to Go Generic for Billions of People

Uber to Invest Up to $1.25 Billion in Rivian Robotaxis

Disney’s Iger Joins the Boomerang Club of Ho-Hum Returns

Meet the Rich Retirees Moving Onto Cruise Ships Full Time

Darden Sales Rise, Boosted by LongHorn Steakhouse

Harry Styles Is Selling Sex — Even If Wall Street Won’t

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Morning News: March 18, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 18th, 2026 at 7:08 am

Japan’s Exports to the US Drop 8%; Takaichi and Trump to Meet Thursday in Washington

When Map and Compass In the Global Energy Markets Disagree

As War Chokes Natural Gas Supply, Asia Turns Back to Coal

Kharg Island Is an Appealing Target for Trump, With High Risks

Why This Jump in Gas Prices Feels Different

US Diesel Squeeze Threatens to Ripple Through Economy

Do Not Read Too Much Into All of This Market Noise

Powell’s Second-to-Last Meeting Previews an Increasingly Divided Fed

Traders Rethink Fed Rates Outlook as Growth Worries Build

Spiking Oil Prices Don’t Make Bessent a Hedge Fund Manager (Again)

Christopher Sims, Economist Who Taught the Data to Speak, Dies at 83

Paul Ehrlich Wasn’t Premature: He Was Wicked

Wall Street’s Bank Capital Victory in Sight but Hurdles Remain

Finish the Job: Deliver the Promise of U.S. Crypto Leadership

Pimco Sees Private Credit Strains Triggering Wake-Up Call on Liquidity Risks

Private Credit Is Bad, But Not 2008 Bad

Courts Should Stop Taking the President at His Word

Arizona Files Criminal Charges Against Kalshi, the Prediction Site

US Mortgage Rates Hit Highest This Year, Slowing Refinancing

People Are Using Claude to Do Their Taxes (But Maybe They Shouldn’t)

Can Enhanced Trump Accounts Break Persistent Poverty?

Elliott Builds Stake in Japan Shipping Giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines

AI and Power Looms: Stories About Job-Killing Tech Have a Way of Going Viral

AI Security Startup Xbow Valued at More Than $1 Billion

Tencent Posts Earnings Beat as It Steps Up AI Effort

Anthropic, OpenAI Talk Safety. Their Headcounts Don’t

Amazon Plans Drastic Cut in Packages Sent Via Already-Struggling Postal Service

Pardoned for Fraud, a CEO Mounts His Comeback: ‘We Can Trust You Now’

General Mills Posts Lower Profit, Sales Amid Turnaround

Macy’s Same-Store Sales Boosted by Bloomingdale’s While Guidance Mixed

Why Firms Are Pivoting From China Shedding to China Maxxing

The Secret Behind a $400 Skin Cream: Playing Music to Kelp

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