Declines on Wall Street; Drop in oil prices, the price of gold falls

20:07

The yields on the US government’s short-term bonds continue to climb, amid investor concerns that the war in Iran is fueling inflation and eliminating the chance of interest rate cuts soon. The two-year yield, which is particularly sensitive to expectations from the Federal Reserve, traded at 3.84% (a significant increase from 3.67% on Tuesday), and is on its way to the highest closing level since the end of July.

Dramatic change in market forecasts (CME Group) The data show a complete turnaround in traders’ sentiment in just one month: according to CME Group data, the market is now pricing in a 75% probability that interest rates in the US will remain at their current level at least until the end of December. This is compared to a probability of only 5% that was predicted a month ago. The jump in short-term yields, reflecting a drop in bond prices, has become a global trend in recent days As the prospect of monetary easing recedes.

20:05

There is still a pessimistic atmosphere on Wall Street and the indices are down by up to 0.8%.

The main cause of the declines is the surge in oil prices, with Brent contracts climbing up to about $119 per barrel, an increase of about 10%, before now settling at about $108 per barrel Brent and about $96 per barrel of US oil. The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, said that the US is considering removing sanctions from Iranian oil that is already in the sea, in the coming days, in order to ease the pressure from rising energy prices following the war in the Middle East.

Gold prices fell to the lowest level since the beginning of February, amid growing fears of global inflation, a scenario that surprisingly puts pressure on the precious metal.

The contracts for April are trading down about 6.5% and at $4,570 per ounce.

Gold has lost about 10% since the beginning of the week, on its way to the worst week since 1983, when a drop of over 12% was recorded. Even after a slight recovery, it is still trading down about 6% at the opening of trading. Silver was also hit sharply, with a drop of more than 10% in one day, and on the way to the weakest week since January, when it lost over 22%, the contracts for May are trading down 8% and at $69.

Apparently it seems counterintuitive, gold is a protection against inflation, but in practice there are several forces that work against it: an increase in bond yields (an interest-bearing alternative compared to gold that does not yield) and the strengthening of the dollar: sales by investors who need liquidity in volatile periods. That is, in the short term, even “safe haven” assets such as gold can be sold, especially when the capital markets are under widespread pressure.

19:00

Memory shares are down after Micron’s reports, despite the strong results presented by the company.

Micron Technology Decreases by about 4%, mainly due to the realization of profits after a sharp jump in the latest results. The stock climbed to an all-time high of around $470 during yesterday, but retreated towards $441 in late trading – indicating profit taking.

The decline came despite stronger than expected results: the company reported revenues of $23.86 billion in the quarter that ended on February 26, compared to $8.05 billion last year – a sharp jump due to high demand for memory chips for artificial intelligence systems. A combination of supply shortages and high memory requirements for advanced computing continued to support prices.

However, the company raised the investment forecast (CapEx) for 2026 to 25 billion dollars (compared to 20 billion previously) and even hinted at continued growth in 2027. The meaning from the point of view of investors: the heavy and cyclical investments of the chip industry raise concerns about future erosion of margins, so the stock fell despite the strong reports.

The decrease in Micron also affects other memory chip stocks, Seagate, Western Digital andSanDisk . The negative reaction reflects investors’ fear of continued cyclicality in the industry, and of high capital investments that may put pressure on profitability – even when demand, especially from the AI ​​field, remains strong.

18:00

The declines on Wall Street are now moderating at the same time as oil prices retreat to $97 and $111 for Brent oil, which has already reached $119 today, this after the announcements that the US is going to ease sanctions on Iranian oil.

The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, said that the US is considering removing sanctions from Iranian oil that is already in the sea, in the coming days, in order to ease the pressure from rising energy prices following the war in the Middle East.

According to him, the move may release about 140 million barrels of oil into the market, equivalent to about 10 days to two weeks of supply. Most of this oil, he noted, was intended to reach China. However, it is still unclear how exactly the sanctions will be lifted, how Iran will receive the compensation, and which assets will actually be frozen.

The move comes after the US has already temporarily allowed the purchase of Russian oil found at sea, in order to increase supply and calm prices. As a result, refiners in India rushed to buy large quantities of Russian oil, while buyers in Asia – including Sinopec – also moved early to secure shipments for the coming months.

Bottom line: this is a possible emergency measure designed to quickly introduce additional supply into the market – an attempt to curb the surge in oil prices without waiting for a full geopolitical solution.

Nasdaq is down 0.6% after opening down 1.2%.

A change is also felt in the currency market with an impressive recovery mainly in the euro and the pound against the dollar.

The spike in oil came after a sharp escalation: Iran attacked a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Qatar, while Israel hit the South Pars gas field in Iran, and Iran responded with strikes against energy facilities in Qatar. US President Donald Trump even warned that further attacks on facilities in Qatar would lead to a strong American response.

According to Adam Crisafulli, the central dilemma remains the same: even if the US and Israel have achieved a military advantage, there is no clear military solution to opening the Strait of Hormuz without the entry of ground forces – therefore it is likely that the situation will not return to normal without a diplomatic settlement.

The previous trading day was particularly negative: the Dow fell by about 768 points (1.6%), the S&P 500 lost 1.4% and the Nasdaq fell by 1.5%, with the Dow even falling below its 200-day moving average, a technical signal of a long-term negative trend.

The declines came after higher-than-expected inflation data, along with an increase in inflation expectations from the Fed, which increases the fear of a stagflation scenario – a combination of weak growth and high inflation. Accordingly, expectations for an interest rate cut have also weakened, with the market pricing in a 52% chance that the Fed will leave interest rates unchanged in 2026.

Despite this, investors still see a positive basis for the stock market, thanks to strong corporate profits and a resilient consumer. However, the main factor that continues to cloud is the duration and scope of the war in Iran.

17:00

The outgoing CEO of Amdox Shuki Shafer (who will leave the position at the end of the month and will be replaced by Shemai Hortig), sells shares in exchange for about 11 million dollars. According to a report submitted to the SEC, the US Securities Authority, the sale is being carried out as part of a blind sale of shares. These are blocked shares that he received in recent years and have matured.

Amdocs shares have weakened by 20% since the beginning of the year and are currently trading at a low of over five years, which reflects the company’s market value of close to 7 billion dollars.

15:30

Trading on Wall Street opens with declines, the Dow Jones index falls 0.8% to an annual low as inflation fears strengthen on Wall Street. S&P 500′ Nasdaq down 1.2% to a six-month low and about 8% less than its peak set at the end of January, S&P 500 up 0.9% and trading 6% less than its peak.

At the same time, Brent oil jumped by about 5% to $113 per barrel, while WTI oil rose to about $97.

The American labor market continues to show stability, after the data on claims for unemployment benefits dropped surprisingly last week.

The number of initial claims was only 205,000, a decrease of 8,000 compared to the previous week, and below the expectations of 215,000. The 4-week average also dropped to 210,750, which reinforces the image of a relatively “frozen” labor market, with few recruitments but also few layoffs.

On the other hand, Continuing Claims, which reflect the number of people who continue to receive unemployment benefits, rose by 10,000 to 1.857 million, a hint that some of the unemployed are taking longer to find a new job.

At the same time, the Philadelphia Fed’s manufacturing index was a pleasant surprise and jumped to 18.1 in March, well above the forecast of 8.4. The index, which measures the gap between companies reporting expansion versus contraction, received a boost mainly from a sharp increase in the volume of shipments.

Bottom line: the data points to an economy that is still holding up, a stable labor market alongside improving industrial activity, which may make it difficult for the Fed to rush and lower interest rates.

14:50

At the same time as sentiment worsened in the stock markets around the world, due to concerns about the prolongation of the war against Iran, sharp movements are also now being recorded in the bond markets. Bloomberg reported that traders are no longer pricing in any chance of an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve during 2026, after the Bank of England indicated that it would be ready to act against the rise in inflation through monetary policy – that is, to raise interest rates if necessary.

US government bond prices are falling sharply and yields are jumping. The two-year yield is up nearly 15 basis points to 3.89%, while the ten-year yield is up about 5 basis points to 4.3%.

14:20

Although oil prices fell from their highest level during the trading day so far, the negative sentiment in the world is intensifying. The DAX index falls by about 2.8%, the FTSE weakens by about 2.6% and the Kak Madev loses its value by about 2%. The declines in Wall Street futures are also deepening and are now weakening by up to 0.6%.

It is not impossible that the declines come against the background of the assessment that the war will last longer than the initial expectations. The US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, was asked during a press conference how close the US is to ending the war and replied: “We don’t want to put a clear timetable, but we are moving according to the plan. President Trump is the one who will decide when we have achieved our goals, there is no timetable for that.” However, he also noted that “we will finish the job. This is not an eternal war. She’s different, she’s focused.”

A little while ago, the Bank of England announced that it had unanimously decided to leave the interest rate in the UK unchanged at 3.75%, by a majority of 9-0. “The conflict in the Middle East has caused a significant increase in the prices of energy and other goods in the world, which will affect the prices of fuel and infrastructure for households and will lead to indirect effects through business costs,” the central bank said in its statement. “Prior to this, there was a continuous decrease in inflation in local prices and wages. Inflation in the consumer price index will be higher in the near term as a result of the new shock to the economy,” the bank warned.

13:00

The sharp declines in Europe continue. The DAX index falls by about 2.5%, the Posti weakens by about 2% and the CAC loses its value by about 1.7%. The mining stocks stand out for the negative in particular, against the background of the decline recorded in the prices of gold and silver. Among the downloads, you can find the Antofagasta andPresnillo .

Oil prices continue to climb, although at a less sharp rate than that recorded earlier in the trading day. Brent oil rises by about 6% and trades around $114 per barrel, while American oil rises by less than 1% and trades around $96 per barrel.

11:00

The declines in Europe are intensifying and futures on Wall Street are moving to declines, while the surge in oil prices is worsening. The DAX index falls by about 2.4%, while the Potsi and the KAC shed about 1.7% of their value. At the same time, the futures contracts on Wall Street register decreases of up to 0.4%.

Brent crude is now jumping more than 8% to more than $116 a barrel, while US crude is up more than 1% to $97.

In the US debt market, government bond prices continue to fall and yields continue to climb. The ten-year yield increases by approximately 2 basis points to 4.28%, while the two-year yield increases by approximately 7.5 basis points to 3.81%.

In the commodity market, gold continues to fall, at the same time as the dollar strengthens in the world. Gold is now down about 2.5% and its price is hovering around $4,700 per ounce.

10:25

European stock markets opened the trading day with sharp declines, following the declines registered last night on Wall Street. The Frankfurt stock exchange falls by about 1.6%, while the stock exchanges in Paris and London weaken by about 1.2%.

9:25

Trading in Asian stock markets continues to be conducted with sharp declines. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange lost about 2%, the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell by about 3.6%, the Shanghai Stock Exchange shed about 1.4% and the Seoul Stock Exchange weakened by about 2.7%.

Oil prices continue to climb: Brent oil rises by about 6% and trades around $114 per barrel, while American oil rises by less than 1% to the level of $96 per barrel.

06:45

The declines in Asia this morning deepen: the Nikkei index loses more than 3%; The Kospi falls by about 2.6%, the Hang Seng falls by about 1.8%. The Shanghai index is down about 0.9%.

The chip company SK Hynix falls by about 3.6%, Samsung Electronics is currently losing 3.3%, and TSMC is in a sharp decline of about 2.6%.

The futures trade close to the base levels.

05:40

The war is dragging the markets to sharp declines in Asia this morning, which follow the red trend in which trading on Wall Street ended last night. Futures, on the other hand, are currently trading slightly higher. The oil does not stop, the price of a barrel of heavy Brent stands at over 111 dollars.

The one leading the declines this morning is the Nikkei with a fall of 2.5%. The Hang Seng index loses 1.6%, and the Kospi in South Korea drops 1.5%, after yesterday (Wednesday) actually led the highest increases in the region.

Chip companies Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are trading down up to 1.9%.

Australia opened with a decrease of 1.5%.

Wall Street closed in sharp declines last night, after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said that apparently, the central bank is not expected to move forward with lowering inflation to the level he had hoped for; Powell said these things as part of the press conference held after the Federal Reserve announced that interest rates would be left unchanged at 3.75%.

Also in the background of the declines, the Israeli attack on the large gas facility in Iran, which spiked oil prices, and investors’ concerns about the reliance and entanglement of the fighting. Reuters announced tonight that Trump is considering sending thousands more troops to the Middle East and that the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion in funding for the war.

The Nasdaq index fell by about 1.5% last night, the S&P 500 index lost about 1.4% of its value and the industry-biased Dow Jones index fell by about 1.6% to a new low since the beginning of the year, and below its 200-day moving average. CNBC checked and found that the index has fallen by more than 5% since the beginning of the month and is on its way to closing its worst month since 2022.