Bond investors have shifted to a defensive stance since the ⁠Middle ⁠East war injected fresh risk into markets, with many ⁠loading up on short-term U.S. Treasuries ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision. On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee is widely ​expected to keep its benchmark overnight interest rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range at the end of a two-day meeting, as policymakers assess how the Iran war may influence their dual mandate of price stabi

A Chevron facility in Pascagoula, Miss., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Countries already walloped by a breakdown of the international trading order, war in Ukraine and chaotic U.S. policymaking are facing potentially lasting economic damage. (Micah Green/The New York Times) By PATRICIA COHEN Bombs are exploding in Iran and the Middle East, but the fallout is rattling households and businesses in neighborhoods all over the globe. In Kansas, homebuyers saw 30-year mortgage rates ed

U.S. equity funds ⁠were ⁠under selling pressure for ⁠a second straight week through March 11 as ​Iranian attacks on Middle East energy infrastructure and oil tankers ‌increased the risk of ‌economic stagflation. Investors divested a net $7.77 billion worth of U.S. ⁠equity ⁠funds during the week, adding to approximately $21.91 billion worth ​of net sales in the prior week, data from LSEG Lipper showed. U.S. crude prices soared 9.7% on Thursday, taking month-to-date gains ​to a

OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, delivers remarks during a press conference at The White House in Washington on on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. Late last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered an ultimatum to Anthropic, the only company that had provided the Pentagon with artificial intelligence technologies for use on classified systems. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times) By CADE METZ Late last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered an ultimatum to Anthropic

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, ⁠as ⁠Iranian strikes on two oil tankers sent crude prices ⁠surging toward $100 per barrel, further exacerbating inflation fears and sending investors fleeing equity markets. All three major U.S. stock indexes slid ​more than 1.5% in a broad selloff, with everything but energy and some defensive stocks suffering steep percentage losses. The S&P 500 notched its biggest three-day percentage drop in a month. Iran’s Supreme ‌Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba K

Wall Street closed lower on Tuesday after evidence of a cooling economy exacerbated worries that the Federal Reserve’s campaign to rein in decades-high inflation may cause a deep downturn. All three major indexes fell as data showed U.S. job openings in February dropped to the lowest level in nearly two years, suggesting that the labor market was cooling, while factory orders fell for a second straight month. Data on Monday had also pointed to weakening U.S. manufacturing act

A new generation of cryptocurrency, pegged to the dollar, is growing rapidly, promising faster payments and potentially lower interest rates. (Ben Voldman/The New York Times) By TALMON JOSEPH SMITH Cryptocurrencies were designed to be a hedge against the U.S. dollar, which crypto creators viewed as an unreliable currency. Yet one of the fastest-growing crypto coins has risen in popularity precisely because it’s pegged to the greenback. Stablecoins, as they are known, are also

Executives from ⁠top ⁠U.S. exchanges said on Tuesday prediction ⁠markets require consistent regulation to protect investors as the fast-growing asset class draws ​a surge of new users. Prediction markets let users trade contracts tied to the outcome of real-world events, ranging from elections ‌and policy decisions to economic indicators ‌and sports results. Supporters say the markets aggregate collective forecasts into prices that reflect the likelihood of an ⁠outcome, thoug

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, March 7, 2026, as Steve Witkoff, back, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, look on. President Trump insists conflict with Iran will be brief, but world leaders are preparing for severe economic blowback. (Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times) By TONY ROMM, COLBY SMITH and ALAN RAPPEPORT Fuel prices could soar and stay elevated for months. That could mak

Stocks in Asia and Europe tumbled on Monday as the Iran ⁠war ⁠entered its second week and oil prices surged as ⁠much as 30% above $100 a barrel. But Wall Street rallied and oil later sank after President Donald Trump indicated ​the war may soon be over. In my column today I put Wall Street’s resilience under the microscope. As selling snowballs across other equity markets, why has the global avalanche not yet engulfed ‌U.S. stocks? Are there reasonable explanations, or is ‌co