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Several Fed officials favoured a two-sided framing of future rate decisions, highlighting that additional increases could be warranted if inflation persists above target levels, minutes from the last FOMC meeting in March showed. The vast majority of participants judged that upside risks to inflation and downside risks to employment were elevated, and the majority of participants noted that these risks had increased with developments in the Middle East. A prolonged conflict in the Middle East would likely lead to more persistent increases in energy prices and these higher input costs would be more likely to pass through to core inflation. The Fed left the federal funds rate steady at the 3.5%–3.75% target range for a 2nd consecutive meeting in March 2026, in line with expectations. However, policymakers still signaled one reduction in the fed funds rate this year and another in 2027, though the timing remains unclear.

Fed Signals Openness to Rate Hikes

US stocks surged on Wednesday after President Trump agreed to a ceasefire with Iran and refrained from ordering large-scale attacks as threatened. The S&P 500 and the Dow gained 2.5% while the Nasdaq 100 added nearly 3%, all at one-month highs. The ceasefire was agreed for the next two weeks and reportedly included free traffic for tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, officials from Oman and other GCC countries opposed the toll system in the chokepoint campaigned by Tehran, although strikes between Iran and Israel and halts to tankers threatened the deal. Oil prices plunged and yields declined on softer concerns of energy-driven inflation. The rekindle in risk sentiment supported risk sentiment despite warnings of stagflation in the fresh FOMC minutes, supporting speculative AI stocks with Nvidia, Meta, Tesla, AMD, and Micron surging between 4% and 10%. Airlines also jumped on the improved outlook of jet fuel supply, and Delta soared 6% after posting earnings.

US Stocks Hold Surges Following Iran Ceasefire

The FTSE MIB Index rose 1680 points or 3.70 percent on Wednesday to close at 47092 points. Leading the gains are Prysmian (9.07%), Brunello Cucinelli (7.93%) and Buzzi Unicem (7.93%).

The FTSE MIB Index Closes 3.70% Higher

The DAX Index gained 1159 points or 5.06 percent on Wednesday to close at 24081 points. Gains were led by Siemens Energy (11.94%), Infineon (11.33%) and Siemens (10.17%).

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