Pessimistic
Last updated: 2026-03-03 22:17:20 ET
Pulse AI Brief
Updated Mar 3, 2026 10:01 PM ET
South Korea's Kospi plunged 7% as Asia-Pacific markets extended a broad selloff tied to the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict. The VIX hit its highest level since November, signaling acute investor anxiety, while Jim Cramer urged retail investors to hold positions rather than panic-sell into the volatility.
Risk-off sentiment is hammering equities globally, with energy stocks and defense names diverging sharply from the broader tape. Trump himself acknowledged the war will push oil prices higher for Americans — a rare admission of economic cost that adds to stagflation concerns already weighing on rate expectations.
A prolonged conflict threatens to reprice the entire macro environment, with energy supply disruption through the Strait of Hormuz the central tail risk. Markets are now pricing in a scenario where the Fed is forced to hold rates even as growth slows.
The U.S. war with Iran is rattling energy and financial markets. Gasoline prices jumped overnight while stock prices tumbled.
Iranian drones struck the United States Consulate in Dubai, UAE on Tuesday, one day after a similar Iranian attack on the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia...
Most U.S. citizens were not warned to leave the region before the United States and Israel launched the war on Iran.
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'Not looking to make a quick deal'
Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social about Iran echoed a conspiracy theory that has been circulating online for years.
The US State Department says Americans should "depart now via commercial means" as strikes continue.
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As chaos spreads from Iran, global shipping is buckling under the strain.
A longer war means a harsher global economic fallout
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