It was the regulator's penultimate meeting before Jerome Powell steps down as chairman

The Fed has kept the rate unchanged for the second time in a row. Prospects for a rate cut are in doubt

The probability of recession in the United States is growing amid a jump in oil prices, which could trigger an inflationary spiral, says economist and former chief investment officer of PIMCO Mohammed El-Erian. His opinion is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-outlook-mohamed-el-erian-oil-prices-inflation-economy-markets-2026-3">published by</a> BusinessInsider.

'Oil is just one factor': why has an economist raised the risk of a US recession?

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

American Airlines Group Inc.

Qantas Airways Limited

Air France-KLM SA

Scandinavian airline SAS has announced that it will cut about 1,000 flights in March-April amid a sharp rise in jet fuel prices. SAS emphasized that this is only a small fraction of the more than 5,000 flights the company operates weekly, Swedish business daily Dagens Industri <a href="https://www.di.se/nyheter/sas-vd-staller-in-tusen-avgangar-i-april/">reported</a>.

Europe's first major airline cancels hundreds of flights due to fuel price spike

Associated Banc-Corp

Century Communities, Inc.

Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Primo Brands Corporation

Columbia Sportswear Company

Barron’s has <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/small-cap-value-fund-crushing-peers-f3b098da?mod=RTA">highlighted</a>&nbsp;five stocks held by Heartland Value, a fund focused on investing in small-cap companies. The fund delivered a 30.8% one-year return, compared with 25.4% for the Russell 2000 Value index. Morningstar has ranked Heartland Value among the top 4% of funds in its category based on that performance.

Five holdings of outperforming small-cap value fund Heartland 


U.S. President Donald Trump on March 18 suspended the centennial Jones Act, which requires the transportation of cargo between U.S. ports exclusively on ships built in the U.S., Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-18/trump-waives-us-shipping-law-for-oil-and-gas-amid-iran-war">reported</a> citing sources. Information in the White House <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/18/trump-jones-act-oil-iran-war.html">confirmed to</a> CNBC. The measure is aimed at cheapening the transportation of oil, gas and other goods inside the country and should help contain the growth of energy prices amid the war with Iran.

Trump suspended a century-old shipping law. Oil soared to $109

Emaar Properties PJSC

Emaar Development PJSC

Aldar Properties PJSC

J.P. Morgan analysts see downside potential for shares of key UAE developers

Drones and deals: should we wait for discounts on the real estate market in Dubai

Major U.S. stock indices opened in the negative zone on March 18. Brent oil jumped to $108 per barrel after Iran's statements about Israeli strikes on an Iranian gas field, as well as after the data on wholesale inflation in the U.S. was higher than expected, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-18/us-stock-futures-extend-rally-ahead-of-fed-rate-decision">writes.</a>

U.S. stocks down, oil down $108 - after Israeli attack on Iran gas field

Swarmer, a small-cap developer of drone software, saw its shares soar 520% on Tuesday, the first day after its IPO. Against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and increased military spending globally, investors have turned their attention to the defense segment, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-17/ai-drone-software-stock-jumps-700-in-best-ipo-since-newsmax">notes</a>.

Drone software company Swarmer skyrockets 520% in first day of trading

Oracle Corporation

Palantir Technologies Inc.

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc.

'Impressive turnaround': software makers' stocks come out on top after war breaks out

In February, the wholesale cost of goods and services in the U.S. - the segment where rising inflation usually shows up earliest - rose much more strongly than expected, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/18/ppi-inflation-february-2026.html">writes</a>.

US wholesale inflation in February significantly exceeded expectations

With the outbreak of war in the Middle East, the commodity crisis forced many investors to revise their economic forecasts and look for safe havens. All of this has had a direct impact on the currency market. Gleb Nazarenko, CEO of Astero Falcon, wrote which ones showed resilience in the crisis, and which ones were among the victims.

The dollar has strengthened since the start of the war in the Middle East. What other currencies have gone up? 

Nebius Group N.V.

Arkady Volozh's Nebius Group, a cloud provider, has raised $4 billion through the placement of convertible bonds, according to the company's statement, which is available to Oninvest. Thus, the company increased the volume of the deal - from the originally <a href="https://oninvest.com/article/nebius-privlecet-3-75-mlrd-cerez-konvertiruemye-obligacii-akcii-upali-na-5">planned</a> $3.75 billion. It needs the money to finance the construction of data centers.

Dario Amodei