“I think what we saw over the prior 27 days was just the first stage of a deeper correction.”

Top insights from the latest market news from Friday, March 13, from The Motley Fool analysts on Team Rule Breakers and Team Hidden Gems.

Stock markets are down this month as oil surges on fears over ongoing military strikes in the Middle East, yet equity investors are still pricing in “a short conflict with limited economic fallout,” according to Seema Shah,

A military conflict with Iran, a labor-linked affordability crisis and a tepid stock market have put the U.S. economy on uncertain footing in the first quarter of 2026.

Today, March 12, 2026, oil-linked stocks and defensive names climbed while travel, tech, and gold miners bore the brunt of the selloff.

Live Updates Economic Growth Slowed in Q4 2025 1 minute ago Live year, GDP was up 2.1%, or a quarter point lower than its prior reading. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (NBEA), the downward revision came due to adjustments in consumer and government spending and exports.

Stock futures added to gains after a key inflation reading Friday, but major indexes were poised to close mostly lower for the week as oil prices remain elevated.

Market confidence in a short war was misplaced. This isn’t a time to be confident about the outcome.

With oil soaring and the Iran war threatening global stability, Hartnett said it probably won't take much more before someone steps in.

Renewed inflation worries, combined with gains in oil prices, have shifted expectations for Federal Reserve policy. Traders have scaled back bets that the central bank will cut in