Major Indexes Pare Losses as Oil Falls Back Below $100/Barrel

Retirement Account Balances Surged Last Year. Here’s What Made the Difference

FROM 10 minutes ago

Over the past year, retirement savers have watched their balances grow substantially thanks to a booming stock market and increased contributions.

A recent analysis by Fidelity looked at tens of millions of IRA and 401(k) accounts and found the average 401(k) balance had increased more than 11% between Q4 2024 and Q4 2025. The average IRA balance rose 7% during that time.

In 2025, the S&P 500 gained nearly 18% largely due to strong growth in AI stocks such as NVIDIA (NVDA), Meta (META), and Alphabet (GOOGL).

The solid performance of the stock market may have encouraged savers to stash more in their retirement accounts, according to some financial advisors.

“I have seen that once clients experience the benefit of a rising market and the power of compounding interest, they tend to be more motivated to continue to fund their retirement accounts,” wrote Zachary Bachner, a certified financial planner (CFP) at Summit Financial Consulting, in an email.

Read the full article here.

–Trina Paul

The Iran War Is Pushing the US Economy Toward ‘Stagflation’

FROM 30 minutes ago

War in the Middle East, surging oil prices, and a stagnant labor market: The economic situation is starting to feel like the 1970s.

The outlook for the economy worsened over the weekend as the U.S. and Israel continued to strike Iran. Iran kept the Strait of Hormuz virtually closed, bottling up some 20% of the world’s crude oil supply. Fears grew that the war and its disruption to energy supplies could drag on, as leaders on both sides of the conflict showed no signs of backing down.

The prospect of a prolonged war raised the chances of the U.S. experiencing a period of high inflation and slow economic growth called “stagflation.” The last major bout of stagflation took hold in the 1970s during all-too-similar conditions, when a conflict between the U.S. and Iran caused energy prices to skyrocket. Whether stagflation takes hold again depends on how long the current war goes on, economists said.

“The U.S. economy now faces its second stagflation-like shock inside a year,” Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a commentary. “On the heels of the trade war, the Iran war will lift inflation and bond yields, disrupt energy supply chains, rattle investor and business confidence, and weaken global demand.”

Read the full article here.

–Diccon Hyatt

Financials Sector Leads S&P 500 Declines Monday

FROM 2 hr 14 min ago

Eight of the 11 industries tracked by the S&P 500 were in the red Monday morning. Financial shares were the worst of the bunch.

The S&P 500 Financials Sector was down roughly 2.1% in recent trading. Other struggling sectors were Consumer Discretionary (1.7%) and Materials (1.5%).

Franklin Resources (BEN), Capital One Financial (COF), and Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) were the worst-performing individual stocks in the sector, down 5.5%, 4.5%, and 4%, respectively.

The benchmark index was down 0.6% overall.

Hims & Hers Stock Pops on a Deal With Rival Novo Nordisk—What You Need to Know

FROM 3 hr 47 min ago

Hims & Hers Health stock is soaring to start the week.

Shares of the telehealth provider were up nearly 37% Monday morning after Hims & Hers (HIMS) said it struck a deal with Novo Nordisk (NVO) to sell the Danish rival’s weight-loss drugs on its platform. Novo Nordisk’s U.S.-listed shares were up 1% recently.

Hims & Hers said Monday that Ozempic and Wegovy will become available through its platform later this month. Novo Nordisk also said it’s dismissing its lawsuit against Hims over its sale of compounded medications.

Read the full story here.

–Aaron McDade

Why More Homebuyers Are Choosing the Mortgage Tied to the 2008 Housing Crisis

FROM 4 hr 33 min ago

High mortgage rates have been overwhelming homebuyers for the past three years, and some are turning to a mortgage option that helped fuel the 2008 housing crisis.

Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) offer fixed introductory rates that later adjust—typically to a higher rate—to reflect current market conditions. These loans have become more popular with homebuyers as mortgage rates remain persistently above 6%.

While those homeowners risk higher monthly mortgage payments should rates hike, housing industry officials said better lending standards are minimizing the risks of these loans.

“In the current timeline, these buyers still are at minimal to low risk,” said Phil Crescenzo Jr., vice president of the Southeast Division at Nation One Mortgage Corporation, in an email interview.  

Read the full article here.

–Terry Lane

Vertiv, EchoStar, Lumentum Shares Rise on News of S&P 500 Inclusion; Coherent Slips

FROM 4 hr 56 min ago

Coherent (COHR) shares surged last Monday on news Nvidia (NVDA) would invest $2 billion in the photonics and laser maker. They are not getting a boost on news the company will be joining the S&P 500.

After the bell Friday, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Coherent, Vertiv (VRT), EchoStar (SATS), and Lumentum (LITE)—which also received a $2 billion investment from the AI giant—would be joining the benchmark index before markets open March 23.

Coherent shares slipped about 0.5% before the bell Monday, although the other three companies’ stocks advanced roughly 3% each.

The quartet will replace Match Group (MTCH), Molina Healthcare (MOH), Lamb Weston Holdings (LW), and Paycom Software (PAYC), which will move to the S&P SmallCap 600.

What to Expect in Markets This Week: Data on Inflation, Housing, and Consumer Sentiment; Earnings From Oracle, Adobe

FROM 5 hr 43 min ago

Inflation will be in the spotlight this week.

Two major economic reports on prices are landing just ahead of next week’s key interest rate decision, providing fresh indicators on the cost of living as central bankers debate whether to further lower borrowing costs and investors eye energy prices. Existing-home sales and other housing data comes as economists are watching for improvements in that market.

Investors will also be evaluating momentum in the AI and software sectors, with Oracle, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Adobe set to report earnings this week. Dollar General leads a string of noteworthy retail earnings, while Tesla’s Chinese EV competitors are also on deck.

Read the full article here.

–Terry Lane

Live Nation Entertainment Stock Surges on Report DOJ Settlement Near, Would Avoid Selling Ticketmaster

FROM 6 hr 17 min ago

Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) reportedly is nearing a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that would not force it to divest Ticketmaster. Investors are cheering the development.

Shares of Live Nation soared 9% before the bell Monday after Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the matter, reported that “settlement discussions have intensified since a trial kicked off March 2 and a final agreement could be announced in the coming days.”

In 2024, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Live Nation of monopolizing the concert ticketing and promotion market, which the company denied, and sought to force it to sell its Ticketmaster unit.

Live Nation shares entered Monday up about 10% year-to-date.

Stock Market Today: Futures Plummet as Oil Tops $100/Barrel

FROM 6 hr 39 min ago

Futures contracts connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 1.1%.

S&P 500 futures were down 1.0%.

Nasdaq 100 futures retreated 1.1%.