Stable Market Minute - 30th March 2026: Middle East Tensions Persist

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In a dramatic turn of events at the start of last week, the outlook for the markets shifted following Trump's post on Truth Social, impacting the ongoing conflict in Iran. Over the weekend, tensions escalated with additional US troops deploying to the Middle East and strikes targeting Iran's power infrastructure, resulting in outages. Trump's comments about potentially taking Iran's oil or invading Kharg Island have further heightened market uncertainty.

At the end of last week, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 experienced a nearly three percent downturn. However, markets opened more positively this morning, recovering from some of those losses. Oil prices, which spiked to approximately $115 per barrel last night, have slightly cooled. Gold remains stable at around $4,500, while currency markets show no major movements with GBP/USD at 1.3240, GBP/EUR at 1.15, and EUR/USD at 1.15.

This week is bustling with significant economic data releases as we approach the Easter weekend. German inflation figures are expected today, followed by a speech from Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve. On Tuesday, UK GDP figures will be released, setting the stage for US retail sales and manufacturing PMI on Wednesday. The week concludes with the crucial US non-farm payroll report on Friday, which is especially significant given the 92,000 job losses reported in February.

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