Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Stocks are falling as uncertainty over the conflict in Iran continues to weigh on the market. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social early Thursday that Iran "better get serious soon" about peace talks. The five-day ceasefi...
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Stocks are falling as uncertainty over the conflict in Iran continues to weigh on the market. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social early Thursday that Iran "better get serious soon" about peace talks. The five-day ceasefire announced Monday by Trump expires at the end of Friday, with markets growing concerned about a potential escalation afterward. The S & P 500 hasn't posted a gain on a Friday since before the conflict began, underscoring investors' caution about what could unfold over the weekend. We're holding off from buying for now and waiting to see if the S & P Oscillator moves back into oversold territory. A few sectors are trading higher. Energy stocks gained as WTI jumped 5% and traded above $95 per barrel. Defensive sectors that investors typically flock to when they fear an economic slowdown largely held up, with utilities, health care, consumer staples, and real estate flat to modestly lower. Communication services was the worst-performing sector, driven by declines in Meta Platforms and Alphabet . Industrials sold off hard, too. Memory and memory equipment stocks are getting hit for the second day in a row after a Google researcher announced a new way to optimize memory in large language models on Wednesday. The group in focus is Micron , Western Digital , SanDisk , and equipment stocks Lam Research and Applied Materials . Morgan Stanley came to the group's defense, calling the selling a "healthy pricing in of durability concerns," and characterizing the Google news as "evolutionary development." The analyst's thesis is that memory is the bottleneck in the AI buildout, and it isn't showing signs of slowing any time soon. How long the memory cycle lasts will remain a market debate for many quarters to come, but if prices do come down, it would be a tailwind for IT hardware and ...
Cotton futures are trading with 107 to 142 point gains in the front months on Thursday. The US dollar index is $0.296 higher at $99.695. Crude oil is up $4.74 on the day to 95.06. Export Sales data showed 202,444 RB of 2025/26 cotton sold in the week ending on...
Cotton futures are trading with 107 to 142 point gains in the front months on Thursday. The US dollar index is $0.296 higher at $99.695. Crude oil is up $4.74 on the day to 95.06. Export Sales data showed 202,444 RB of 2025/26 cotton sold in the week ending on...
Lean hog futures are trading with 7 to 15 cent losses at midday. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $90.92 on Thursday morning, down 35 cents from the day prior. The CME Lean Hog Index was down another 6 cents on March 24 at $91.65. Hogs and Pigs...
Lean hog futures are trading with 7 to 15 cent losses at midday. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $90.92 on Thursday morning, down 35 cents from the day prior. The CME Lean Hog Index was down another 6 cents on March 24 at $91.65. Hogs and Pigs...
Soybeans are trading with 2 to 3 cent gains in most front months on Thursday. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price is up 2 3/4 cents at $11.01 ½. Soymeal futures are up 40 cents to $1.20, with Soy Oil futures up 85 to 91 points. The White House...
Soybeans are trading with 2 to 3 cent gains in most front months on Thursday. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price is up 2 3/4 cents at $11.01 ½. Soymeal futures are up 40 cents to $1.20, with Soy Oil futures up 85 to 91 points. The White House...
Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) is included among the 14 Best Energy Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) develops advanced fission power plants to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale to customers in the United States. On March 18, B. Riley lowered its price target […]
Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) is included among the 14 Best Energy Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) develops advanced fission power plants to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale to customers in the United States. On March 18, B. Riley lowered its price target […]
Live cattle futures are down 45 to 55 cents at midday. Cash trade has been light with a few $234 sales. The Wednesday Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed no sales on the 1,024 head offered, as bids were still $233-235 live and $368 in the beef. Feeder cattle futures...
Live cattle futures are down 45 to 55 cents at midday. Cash trade has been light with a few $234 sales. The Wednesday Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed no sales on the 1,024 head offered, as bids were still $233-235 live and $368 in the beef. Feeder cattle futures...
feellife/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview The S&P 500 Index increased by 2.66% (total return, in USD) in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the Russell 2000 Index rose by 2.21% (total return, in USD). The fourth quarter demonstrated broad resilience, as the major US indices achieved widespread gains despite softening labor market data, a record government shutdown, and increasing scrutiny of...
feellife/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview The S&P 500 Index increased by 2.66% (total return, in USD) in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the Russell 2000 Index rose by 2.21% (total return, in USD). The fourth quarter demonstrated broad resilience, as the major US indices achieved widespread gains despite softening labor market data, a record government shutdown, and increasing scrutiny of heightened artificial intelligence-related expenditures. While initial concerns regarding the sustainability of the artificial intelligence growth theme and elevated valuations led to some volatility and sector rotation, this shift broadened market leadership, further underpinned by robust corporate earnings that indicated fundamental strength. Concurrently, the Federal Open Market Committee continued its path of monetary easing, which further contributed to a broadly positive market outlook. The best performing sectors within the S&P 500 were Health Care, Communication Services, and Financials, while the worst performing sectors were Real Estate, Utilities, and Consumer Staples. For the Russell 2000, the best performing sectors were Health Care, Materials, and Communication Services, while the worst performing sectors were Consumer Staples, Information Technology, and Consumer Discretionary. Portfolio Attribution The Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Growth Fund outperformed its benchmark, the Russell Midcap Growth Index (net), during the quarter. The Information Technology and Health Care sectors contributed to returns, while the Consumer Discretionary and Utilities sectors detracted from returns. Our position in Woodward Inc. ( WWD ) (1.6%) , a manufacturer and service provider of control systems and components to the aerospace and industrials markets, was a top contributor to relative returns during the quarter. The company announced strong earnings results this quarter, featuring improved revenue and margins, which the market reacted favorably towards. Further, the company invest...
Wes Streeting pronounced the UK’s health system ‘broken’. An upbeat survey does not mean that it is fixed For the government, news that public satisfaction with the NHS has increased for the first time since 2019 came as a huge relief. After 20 difficult months in office, ministers can point to proof that one public service at least is getting better, in spite of doctors’ strikes. The annual surve...
Wes Streeting pronounced the UK’s health system ‘broken’. An upbeat survey does not mean that it is fixed For the government, news that public satisfaction with the NHS has increased for the first time since 2019 came as a huge relief. After 20 difficult months in office, ministers can point to proof that one public service at least is getting better, in spite of doctors’ strikes. The annual survey also found that the proportion of people who are dissatisfied with social care provided by councils has fallen, although the change here is less marked. Given the low base from which this boost has been measured, and ongoing problems in multiple areas, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, was careful to temper his evident glee in a speech on Wednesday, with pledges of further improvement. Since the NHS is widely regarded as his party’s proudest achievement, and the UK’s most cherished institution, a figure of 26% declaring themselves to be satisfied, compared with 51% who are dissatisfied, sounds more like a cause for concern than celebration. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
The limits of its partnership with Tehran are unsurprising. But this conflict raises broader issues for the superpower For years, official Chinese rhetoric on Iran invoked their shared historical status as grand civilisations that have struggled against western aggression. Bilateral ties date back more than half a century. In 2021, they signed a comprehensive strategic agreement pledging $400bn of...
The limits of its partnership with Tehran are unsurprising. But this conflict raises broader issues for the superpower For years, official Chinese rhetoric on Iran invoked their shared historical status as grand civilisations that have struggled against western aggression. Bilateral ties date back more than half a century. In 2021, they signed a comprehensive strategic agreement pledging $400bn of Chinese investment. And China’s economy is already flagging; it has just set its lowest growth target since 1991, underlining the importance of stability for Beijing. So its muted response since the US and Israel launched their war is striking. Beijing condemned the attack , but it was Washington that postponed the summit between their leaders because of the conflict. As Gulf states that previously mediated back away , China shows no interest in stepping up. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
michaklootwijk/iStock via Getty Images Shares of major heating and cooling equipment makers dropped sharply Thursday after news of a sweeping antitrust lawsuit rattled investor confidence in the sector’s pricing power. Johnson Controls ( JCI ) fell as much as 4.7%, while Carrier Global ( CARR ) declined 7%. Lennox International ( LII ) led losses with an 8.4% drop, and Trane Technologies ( TT ) sl...
michaklootwijk/iStock via Getty Images Shares of major heating and cooling equipment makers dropped sharply Thursday after news of a sweeping antitrust lawsuit rattled investor confidence in the sector’s pricing power. Johnson Controls ( JCI ) fell as much as 4.7%, while Carrier Global ( CARR ) declined 7%. Lennox International ( LII ) led losses with an 8.4% drop, and Trane Technologies ( TT ) slid 5.4%. The selloff followed the filing of a proposed class-action lawsuit in federal court alleging that leading HVAC manufacturers coordinated price increases over several years, potentially inflating costs for customers across residential and commercial markets. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the case Berg v. Robert Bosch, LLC, et al. alleges that several of the largest HVAC equipment manufacturers coordinated actions that drove up prices beginning in January 2020. According to the complaint, the companies, which collectively dominate the U.S. HVAC equipment industry, are accused of engaging in ongoing communications and signaling practices that effectively aligned pricing strategies beginning in 2020. Allegations target industry pricing The lawsuit claims manufacturers justified repeated price hikes by pointing to supply chain disruptions, higher input costs and regulatory changes. However, plaintiffs argue those explanations fail to fully account for the magnitude of increases, suggesting coordination may have played a role. Central to the case is the distinction between lawful “parallel behavior,” where companies independently raise prices, and illegal collusion, where firms allegedly agree in advance to do so. The complaint asserts that the latter occurred, citing industry meetings, shared data and public messaging as mechanisms that reinforced pricing discipline. Industry groups also scrutinized The filing also points to trade organizations and industry publications as potential channels for information exchange and signaling...
Google is expanding access to Search Live, a feature that lets you search for information using your voice and camera. The AI search assistant is now available in more than 200 countries and territories, as well as dozens of languages , according to an announcement on Thursday . Search Live rolled out broadly in the US last September , allowing you to point your phone's camera at something and ask...
Google is expanding access to Search Live, a feature that lets you search for information using your voice and camera. The AI search assistant is now available in more than 200 countries and territories, as well as dozens of languages , according to an announcement on Thursday . Search Live rolled out broadly in the US last September , allowing you to point your phone's camera at something and ask about it aloud, such as how to install a shelving unit. The AI assistant will then offer an audio response, along with links to information it finds on the web. Video: Google Google says it's powering the global expansion of Search Live with its new … Read the full story at The Verge.