The market closed out a tumultuous week, marking the third consecutive week of the Middle East conflict and the fourth straight week of losses for the S&P 500, which ended down 1.5%. Volatility, as measured by the VIX, surged, nearing 28. The bond market saw significant action, with the 10-year Treasury yield rising by nearly 14 basis points to 4.40%, indicating a broad sell-off across the curve. Oil prices continued their ascent, with Brent crude up 4% to $112, reaching session highs and nearly 50% since the war began. Beyond crude, refined products like New York heating oil were up 70%, and Gulf Coast jet fuel more than 80%, signaling a severe supply-side shock.
This environment presents a dilemma for central banks: higher inflation suggests rate hikes, while lower growth points to cuts. Bond investors have "sniffed this out," selling off Treasuries and pushing yields higher. Even municipal bonds, typically stable, turned volatile with the first aggregate daily outflows of the year. Stock market optimism from the week's start evaporated, with the S&P 500's drawdown approaching 7% and closing below its 200-day moving average for the first time in almost a year. Sentiment indicators, like the AAII bull-bear spread, plunged to levels not seen since previous tariff fallouts, suggesting potential for further declines.
Greg Boutle from BNP Paribas described the market as being in "capitulation territory," shifting from a shallow sell-off to a more meaningful one. He highlighted the "relative resilience" of US equities, particularly mega-cap stocks, compared to European markets, which are more sensitive to geopolitical events. However, consumer discretionary and staples sectors are more vulnerable to higher energy prices, with staples, despite a recent rally, being the worst-performing sector this week. Traditional defensives like gold and Treasuries are not providing the expected safety, acting more like speculative assets or bond proxies. Boutle believes the Fed will remain on hold for the rest of the year, an environment where mega-caps can still perform, but small caps will face challenges without rate cuts.
Don S. Stryv of Goldman Sachs warned that Brent crude could reach record highs, calling the situation the "largest oil supply shock in the history of oil markets," with Persian Gulf oil exports down an estimated 17 million barrels per day. The duration of the disruption and the risk of infrastructure damage are key factors. He noted the widening Brent-WTI spread due to high freight rates and the market pricing in potential US crude export restrictions. Refined product prices are seeing an even bigger shock due to the Middle East being a major exporter of heavier refined products and a lack of strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs) for these. Governments are increasing stockpiling and implementing export restrictions, exacerbating global tightness.
Kristen Lemca, CEO of JPMorgan Wealth Management, discussed their new athlete council (featuring Tom Brady, Dwyane Wade, Megan Rapinoe) to help athletes navigate complex financial lives. This initiative addresses the challenges athletes face, often earning large sums young with short careers. JPM aims to provide clear financial guidance and build content around athletes' needs, potentially expanding to underserved groups like women and communities of color.
Chad Treadway, Global Head of Real Estate at JPMorgan Asset Management, observed a "k-shape recovery" in retail, with e-commerce fading and brick-and-mortar seeing a revival, particularly in luxury malls and grocery-anchored strip centers in high-density areas. He highlighted a significant housing shortage, advocating for building more multi-family and single-family homes, especially for middle-class families, and noted the growing market for age-restricted seniors housing. On data centers and AI, he favored advanced manufacturing facilities with high power capacity as the preferred investment, due to their integration of robotics and automation.
President Trump's unscheduled remarks near the White House added to market jitters. He stated, "we've won" militarily in Iran, and that Iran is merely "clogging up the Strait" of Hormuz, suggesting NATO should help open it. Crucially, he expressed no desire for a ceasefire, saying, "you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side." These comments, coupled with concerns about damaged energy infrastructure in the region, suggest a prolonged conflict, which further elevated oil prices and kept markets on edge.
Catherine Rooney Barra, Chief Market Strategist at StoneX Group, described the market as pricing in a "stagflationary impulse." She warned about a "sleeper risk" in fertilizer, with prices up 40% since the war began, threatening a critical spring planting season if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. This could lead to significant food inflation, potentially adding two percentage points to US inflation and even more in vulnerable regions like Africa. She advised investors to overweight commodity exporters in emerging markets (e.g., Brazil, Argentina), go long on international stocks over US, hold gold, and favor quality credit.
The trading day ended with the Dow, S&P, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 all posting significant losses, with all major indices closing at or below their 200-day moving averages. The S&P 500 also entered "oversold conditions" based on its 14-day RSI. In other news, SuperMicro Computer plunged 33% after its co-founder was indicted for illegally diverting Nvidia chips to China, though the company noted his resignation and cooperation with authorities. The dollar emerged as a beneficiary, with speculators flipping positive on the currency for the first time this year.
Looking ahead, key events include CERAWeek, the China Development Forum, and a G7 finance ministers meeting in Paris, where the ongoing energy crisis and its global implications will be top of mind.