Markets rebound, oil spikes
Global equities rallied at the end of the quarter as hopes of Middle East de‑escalation pushed investors back into risk assets, even while oil is set for a record monthly rise. Consumer sentiment also held up modestly — the Conference Board’s confidence reading inched up in March — leaving markets to price a tricky mix of higher commodity risk and resilient demand. (reuters.com; prnewswire.com)
S&P 500 closed up about 2.9% at roughly 6,528 on March 31, the Nasdaq Composite gained about 3.8% to near 21,590 and the Dow rose roughly 2.5% to about 46,341 as markets rallied on end‑of‑quarter optimism. (cnbc.com) Front‑month Brent futures posted a record monthly gain of about 64% in March, and the June Brent contract traded around $104.63 a barrel in early April trade. (cnbc.com) A Reuters survey showed OPEC crude output plunged by roughly 7.3 million barrels per day month‑on‑month to about 21.57 million bpd in March, marking its lowest level since June 2020 amid export cuts tied to the Middle East conflict. (zawya.com) Europe’s STOXX 600 finished March down about 8% for the month, ending an eight‑month winning streak and posting its steepest monthly decline in nearly four years. (lse.co.uk) Euro‑area headline inflation jumped to a preliminary 2.5% year‑on‑year in March from 1.9% in February, with energy prices accounting for the bulk of the increase. (cnbc.com) The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index edged up to 91.8 in March from 91.0 in February, a 0.8‑point rise, even as survey components showed softer net perceptions of future labour and household income conditions. (prnewswire.com) (blog.truflation.com)
