JHVEPhoto Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) Rotary and Mission Systems was awarded a ~$478M IDIQ contract for engineering and technical support and production of the Integrated Submarine Imaging System for new-construction and in-service submarines. This contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to ~$1.19B. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, a...
JHVEPhoto Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) Rotary and Mission Systems was awarded a ~$478M IDIQ contract for engineering and technical support and production of the Integrated Submarine Imaging System for new-construction and in-service submarines. This contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to ~$1.19B. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2036. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity. More on Lockheed Martin The Shahed Drone War Is Creating A Missile Defense Supercycle For Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin: The Upside Is Already Priced In Lockheed Martin: Operationally Strong, Valuation Fully Priced - A Textbook Hold For 2026 Lockheed Martin tests containerized missile launcher with live-fire demo Colombian military plane crash kills one, dozens injured after takeoff
Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images By Seema Shah, Chief Global Strategist Geopolitical backdrop Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated sharply, marked by military exchanges and increasingly confrontational rhetoric. Attacks on key Middle Eastern energy infrastructure have heightened the risk of material supply disruptions, amplifying uncertainty across global markets. While there a...
Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images By Seema Shah, Chief Global Strategist Geopolitical backdrop Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated sharply, marked by military exchanges and increasingly confrontational rhetoric. Attacks on key Middle Eastern energy infrastructure have heightened the risk of material supply disruptions, amplifying uncertainty across global markets. While there are tentative signs of de-escalation—including reports that President Trump has ordered a five-day pause on planned strikes against Iranian power and energy facilities—the situation remains highly fluid, with risks of retaliation and broader supply chain disruption still elevated. Market reaction The escalation has triggered a sell-off in global equities, most acute in Asia, where economies are highly exposed to Middle Eastern energy supply. European equities have also fallen meaningfully as investors reassess growth and inflation risks. U.S. equities, while weaker, have been comparatively more resilient. The most pronounced reaction has been in bond markets. Following recent central bank meetings, markets have moved decisively to price a more hawkish global policy response, with yields rising sharply as investors reassess the risk that energy-driven inflation proves persistent enough to warrant tighter policy. If the shock endures, central banks face increasingly difficult trade-offs. Prolonged energy price pressures sharpen the inflation–growth dilemma, as restoring inflation to target would require a more restrictive stance at a higher cost to growth and employment. In the U.S., higher energy investment may partially offset the drag, but near-term pressure on real incomes is likely to dominate. Central bank outlook – critical for markets History suggests U.S. equities tend to struggle most during geopolitical crises when the Federal Reserve tightens policy despite deteriorating financial conditions. In such episodes, policy tightening has typically weighed more heavily on...
Inflation has been "boosted by tariffs," Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said in his press conference last week. However, he and the other Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members are uncertain how long it will take for tariffs to make their way through the economy. Powell also stated that inflation has risen in recent weeks, likely due to "the substantial rise in oil prices caused by s...
Inflation has been "boosted by tariffs," Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said in his press conference last week. However, he and the other Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members are uncertain how long it will take for tariffs to make their way through the economy. Powell also stated that inflation has risen in recent weeks, likely due to "the substantial rise in oil prices caused by supply disruptions in the Middle East." He described the situation as an "oil shock." When asked whether this oil shock would be temporary, Powell replied, "Nobody knows." The Fed chair never mentioned President Donald Trump by name. But he didn't have to. Most observers are aware that the president is the common denominator behind the factors driving inflation higher. Tariffs weren't nearly as much of an inflationary threat before Trump returned to the White House. Higher oil prices are the direct result of the attack on Iran authorized by the president. Continue reading
autsawin/iStock via Getty Images By Zain Vawda AUD/USD continues to struggle below the psychological 0.7000 handle following softer-than-expected CPI data. Market participants still seem to be erring on the side of caution, with more rate hikes still expected from the RBA moving forward. Soft CPI print fails to move the needle Australia’s annual inflation rate showed signs of cooling in February 2...
autsawin/iStock via Getty Images By Zain Vawda AUD/USD continues to struggle below the psychological 0.7000 handle following softer-than-expected CPI data. Market participants still seem to be erring on the side of caution, with more rate hikes still expected from the RBA moving forward. Soft CPI print fails to move the needle Australia’s annual inflation rate showed signs of cooling in February 2026, dipping to 3.7%. This result was slightly lower than the 3.8% market forecast and the figures seen in the previous two months, though it remains stubbornly above the central bank’s 2–3% target range. A significant driver of this slowdown was the easing of goods inflation, which dropped to 3.5% from 3.8% in January. This was largely fueled by a sharp decline in transport costs, particularly automotive fuel, which fell by 7.2%, a much steeper drop than the 2.7% decline recorded before the recent Middle East conflict. Other sectors contributing to the downward trend included: Alcohol and tobacco: Eased to 4.3% Education: Slowed to 4.8% Clothing: Eased to 4.9% Communication: Dropped to 0.8% While several categories cooled, price growth remained persistent in other areas. Inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages held steady at 3.1%, and financial services remained at 2.4%. Conversely, costs accelerated for recreation (4.0%) and housing, with the latter jumping to 7.3% from 6.8%. Services inflation remained unchanged at 3.9%. On a monthly basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained flat, a notable shift from the 0.4% increase seen in January. Additionally, the trimmed mean CPI, a key measure of underlying inflation, edged down to 3.3%, coming in below both the previous figure and market expectations of 3.4%. These latest numbers arrive at a time when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has already pushed interest rates up to 4.10% to fight stubborn inflation. The RBA is worried that current price hikes might lead to "second-round effects," such as a cycle where wage...