Bank of Japan Officials Signal Continued Interest Rate Hikes Amid Inflation Concerns 
Asian Markets Rally as Oil Prices Tumble and Middle East Peace Hopes Emerge 
ECB Eyes Rate Hike Amid Iran Conflict-Driven Energy Price Surge 
Japan Eyes Oil Futures Intervention to Stabilize Yen Amid Middle East Crisis 
Oil Prices Rebound as Iran Denies U.S. Talks Amid Gulf War Supply Fears 
U.S. Oil Prices Slide as Middle East Ceasefire Talks Spark Market Optimism 
Australia-EU Free Trade Deal Signed After Years of Negotiations 
Bank of Japan Eyes April Rate Hike Despite Inflation Dip, ING Says 
Currency Markets Show Caution Amid U.S.-Iran Negotiations 
Gold Prices Climb as Middle East Ceasefire Talks Stir Market Optimism 
Asian Currencies Stay Muted as Dollar Holds Firm Amid Iran Uncertainty 
Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Japan Inflation Data 
Wall Street Slides as Iran War Uncertainty, Oil Surge, and AI Fears Rattle Markets 
Japan's Private Sector Growth Slows in March Amid Rising Costs and Middle East Uncertainty 
Iran-Israel Missile Strikes Continue Amid Mixed Signals on U.S.-Iran Diplomacy 
Oil Prices Plunge Over 6% as Middle East Ceasefire Hopes Ease Supply Fears 
Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Reduction: Brookings Research Outlines Possible Path Forward 
Wall Street closed sharply lower Friday following Iran’s missile strike on Israel, a retaliatory move after Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites. The conflict has triggered fears of a broader Middle East war, shaking global investor confidence.
Explosions rocked Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as Israel’s military confirmed missile launches from Iran. The geopolitical tension sent oil prices soaring nearly 7%, raising concerns about disruptions in Middle East crude supply. Analysts warned that if the Strait of Hormuz is affected, global markets could face serious turmoil.
Energy stocks surged in response, with ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) up 2.2% and Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) climbing 3.7%. In contrast, airline shares tumbled on rising fuel cost fears—Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) dropped 3.8%, United Airlines fell 4.4%, and American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) sank 4.9%.
Defense stocks gained as investors looked to military suppliers. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), RTX, and Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) all rose over 3%.
The S&P 500 declined 1.13% to 5,976.97, the Nasdaq lost 1.30% to 19,406.83, and the Dow fell 1.79% to 42,197.79. Financial and tech sectors led the decline, with financials down 2.06% and tech off 1.5%. For the week, the S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, Nasdaq 0.6%, and Dow 1.3%.
Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) dropped 5.3% over AI adoption concerns, while Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) surged 7.7% on strong AI-driven forecasts. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) dipped 2.1% and 1.4%, respectively. Visa (NYSE:V) and Mastercard (NYSE:MA) both fell over 4% amid reports that retailers are exploring crypto alternatives.
Despite rate-hike concerns easing, the market remains volatile, with declining S&P 500 stocks outnumbering gainers by over 6 to 1.
