Economic & Market Watch

In the News

Economy

• Federal Reserve officials are widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at their meeting this week as policymakers assess economic uncertainty stemming from the war in the Middle East.
• Industrial production in the United States increased 0.2% month-over-month in February, beating market expectations of 0.1% growth.

Markets

• West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded above $95/barrel, with prices highly volatile as the conflict involving Iran raises fears of supply disruptions and possible impacts to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
• U.S. stocks rebounded at the start of the week as investors consider geopolitical risks in the Middle East and look ahead to upcoming economic data that could influence the Fed’s interest rate outlook.

Current Events

• The global semiconductor industry is under threat as the war in the Middle East could potentially choke off key supplies and spike the cost of power in Taiwan, which could have ripple effects on tech, consumer electronics and car production.
• Iran launched fresh strikes across the Persian Gulf, targeting the UAE’s key Fujairah oil export terminal as U.S. allies resisted President Trump’s calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Meet the Team

CFC's economic research team—John Suter, Sam Kem and Antony Davies—share their expert, yet easily digestible, perspective on what you need to know.

Have feedback about the podcast? A topic you'd like the EMW team to cover? Get in touch at economicresearch@nrucfc.coop.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Trading Economics

More Like This