Dow tumbles more than 750 points to new closing low for 2026, fueled by inflation woes; Fed holds steady on rates – CNBC

U.S. equities closed out Wednesday’s session solidly in the red.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.36% to end at 6,624.70, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 1.46% to 22,152.42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 768.11 points, or 1.63%, to 46,225.15.

— Sean Conlon

The energy shock caused by the Iran war is “unlikely” to trigger a recession, according to Bank of America.

Analyst Paulina Strzelinska noted that while fears of stagflation persist, “growth expectations are improving, earnings remain positive, inflation is so far disinflating, and bond yields are not rising persistently.”

According to Strzelinska, the environment best resembles the risk-on shocks the economy absorbed between 2005 and 2009. Rather than a stagflationary moment like some experts worry about, Strzelinska thinks the economy is likely to remain in boom or recovery, which lasts seven months on average.

— Itzel Franco

In an aerial view, Marathon Petroleum Corp’s Los Angeles Refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in the North America, operates as gas prices rocket upward due to worldwide oil supply disruptions caused by the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, on March 10, 2026 in Carson, California.

David McNew | Getty Images

On Wednesday, seven stocks in the S&P 500 traded at new 52-week highs.

Tickers that hit this milestone included:

• Marathon Petroleum trading at all-time highs back to its spinoff from Marathon Oil in June 2011
• Valero trading at all-time highs back to its spin-off from PG&E Corp in 1980
• Quanta Services trading at all-time highs back to its IPO in February 1998
• Micron trading at all-time highs back to IPO in June 1984
• SanDisk trading at all-time highs back to its completed separation from Western Digital in February 2024
• Western Digital trading at all-time highs back to its listing on the NASDAQ in June 2012
• Ventas trading at all-time high levels, back to its spin-off from Vencor in 1998

During the session, 12 stocks in the index traded at new 52-week lows. Select names included:

• Paramount Skydance Class B trading at lows not seen since August 2009
• Tractor Supply trading at lows not seen since February 2024
• Brown-Forman trading at lows not seen since June 2012
• Conagra Brands trading at lows not seen since September 2009
• Campbell Soup Company trading at lows not seen since May 2003
• General Mills trading at lows not seen since December 2018
• McCormick trading at lows not seen since March 2020
• Copart trading at lows not seen since February 2023
• CoStar Group trading at lows not seen since February 2019

— Lisa Kailai Han, Christopher Hayes

The Dow Industrials dipped below a key technical level Wednesday that suggests trouble is ahead.

The Dow Industrials fell below its 200-day moving average for the first time since June 2025. The indicator shows whether the long-term trend in an asset or index is positive or negative.

Investors will watch what happens next for the index, as a close below the 200DMA would be the first for the Dow since June 20, 2025. If traders do not step in as they have in the past, that suggests the index could drop further.

The index was last trading just above that level.

.DJI, 1-day

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to hold its key interest rate steady as policymakers navigate their way through higher-than-expected inflation readings, mixed signs on the labor market – and a war.

In a widely expected decision, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 11-1 to keep the benchmark federal funds rate anchored in a range between 3.5%-3.75%. The rate sets overnight funding costs for banks but influences a broad range of consumer and business borrowing.

The committee in its post-meeting statement made few changes to its view on the economy, with a slightly faster pace of growth and higher inflation projections for the full year in 2026. Read more.

— Jeff Cox

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang speaks at the NVIDIA GTC global AI conference in San Jose, California, U.S. March 16, 2026.

Fred Greaves | Reuters

Nvidia sidestepped the megacap technology sector’s slide on Wednesday.

Nvidia ticker 0.4% higher in Wednesday afternoon trading. All other Magnificent Seven stocks traded in the red, led down by Amazon, Apple and Microsoft with declines of more than 1% each. CNBC’s Magnificent Seven index slid more than 1%.

CNBC Mag 7, 1-day

The Global Shipping ETF (BOAT) climbed more than 2% on Wednesday after President Donald Trump temporarily waived U.S. law for the sector.

Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the shipping law, the White House confirmed Wednesday. It was done to help stabilize the trade of resources such as oil, natural gas, fertilizer and coal, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a statement.

BOAT ETF, 1-day

Shares of commodity-focused Genco Shipping & Trading rose more than 4%. Oil transporter Frontline added 4% in midday trading.

— Alex Harring, Gina Francolla and Kevin Breuninger

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks as he holds a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), at the U.S. Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., U.S., Dec. 10, 2025.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

The Federal Reserve has little choice but to stay on the sidelines this week as it navigates a mix of complicated and conflicting forces playing out in the U.S. economy.

Markets are pricing in a near-zero chance that the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee will be cutting at this meeting — or any other in the near future. Futures pricing suggests policymakers won’t consider easing until at least September, more likely October, and even then just a single cut this year.

For Wednesday’s decision, Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues have to wrestle with the Iran war, fears of an inflation spike and mixed signals from the labor market. The combination of factors all but assures the Fed will stand pat, keeping its key interest rate targeted between 3.5% to 3.75%. Updates to economic and rate projections also aren’t expected to show major changes.

“The decision itself is almost guaranteed — a rate hold at the March meeting. But any hints Chair Powell might drop about the path of future interest rates will be key,” said BeiChen Lin, senior investment strategist at Russell Investments. “Broadly speaking, the U.S. economy is still on solid footing. This means however that the bar for further rate cuts in the U.S. may be quite elevated.” Read more.

— Jeff Cox

Lensar’s more than 32% fall on Tuesday is an opportunity, according to BTIG.

The firm upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, with a price target of $10, indicating a 45% gain from Tuesday’s close. That level, though, would still be a slight loss compared to Monday’s close. BTIG analyst Ryan Zimmerman wrote the sell-off offers the stock a “second chance.”

Lensar sank after the termination of the medical device company’s acquisition by Alcon, which cited both cost and Federal Trade Commission headwinds to completing the deal. But Zimmerman noted that the pending merger slowed revenue growth. 

“We think as the dust settles, LNSR can reignite its momentum, pick-up where it left off and refocus on the launch of ALLY,” Zimmerman wrote, pointing out the company’s adaptive cataract treatment product. Lensar rose slightly in premarket trading. 

LNSR 5-day chart.

Deutsche Bank sees a buying opportunity in SL Green Realty, which has tumbled more than 15% so far this year on fears about artificial intelligence disrupting the workforce.

Investors are seemingly ignoring the New York office giant’s strong leasing fundamentals, so capital markets are a necessary catalyst for the stock, analyst Peter Abramowitz said.

“As such, we expect strong execution on asset sales and refinancings (particularly One Madison and 245 Park) this year to be a positive catalyst and calm investor nerves about equity value in the portfolio, which should help narrow the stock’s -51.4% discount to NAV,” he wrote in a note Wednesday. “In addition, this should allow investor focus to eventually return to solid leasing dynamics and the growing occupancy opportunity in 2026-2027.”

Abramowitz has a price target of $44 on the stock, implying 15% upside from Tuesday’s close.

— Michelle Fox

A container ship is seen docked at the Port of Los Angeles on March 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

President Donald Trump issued a 60-day waiver of a longstanding U.S. shipping law in an attempt to stabilize oil markets amid the Iran war, the White House confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday.

The temporary suspension of the Jones Act “will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

The Trump administration “remains committed to continuing to strengthen our critical supply chains,” Leavitt said. Read more.

— Kevin Breuninger

Oil prices moved higher on Wednesday after Iran threatened to hit oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The move higher also comes after Israel reportedly struck Iran’s largest gas processing facility.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were last higher by more than 2% at nearly $99 per barrel. Brent crude futures gained more than 5% at around $109 a barrel.

WTI crude vs. Brent crude, 1-day

The three major averages fell on Wednesday morning.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 235 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, as did the Nasdaq Composite.

— Sean Conlon

A woman shops for items at a Costco store on April 28, 2025 in Alhambra, California.

Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images

Wholesale prices rose sharply in February, providing another sign that inflation continues to percolate even aside from rising energy prices.

The producer price index, a measure of pipeline costs that producers receive for their products, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.7% on the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core PPI increased 0.5%. Excluding food, energy and trade services, PPI rose 0.5%.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for increases of 0.3% for both measures. Read more.

— Jeff Cox

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:

• Nvidia — Nvidia rose nearly 1% after Reuters reported, citing sources, that the chipmaker got approval from the Chinese government to sell its H200 chips in China. The company is also reportedly preparing to make available in China a version of its Groq AI chip.
• Micron Technology — The memory and storage solutions firm saw shares tick up 2.1% ahead of its fiscal second-quarter earnings report expected after the bell on Wednesday.
• Macy’s — The retailer popped 8% on better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter. Macy’s earned $1.67 per share, excluding  on revenue of $7.64 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of $1.53 per share on revenue of $7.62 billion.

Read here for the full list.

— Liz Napolitano

The Lululemon head office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

Isabella Falsetti | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Shares of Lululemon fell about 1% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the athleisure company’s guidance for the current quarter and full year came in weaker than expected.

However, the company’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue exceeded analyst expectations.

LULU, 1-day

South Korea’s Kospi led gains in Asia on Wednesday as investors assessed Japan trade data and awaited U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.

The Kospi gained over 5% to close at 5,925.03 while the small-cap Kosdaq was up 2.41% to 1,164.38. A five-minute trading halt was activated after the Kospi 200 futures surged 5%, according to an official note.

Index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose over 7.5% and nearly 9%, respectively. Samsung’s gains come even as its unionized workers in South Korea voted to approve a strike, escalating a dispute over bonuses and increasing the risk of disruptions at the world’s largest memory chipmaker.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.87% to 55,239.4 while the Topix added 2.49% to close at 3,717.41 after the country reported that exports climbed 4.2% from a year ago in February, beating estimates.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 1.6% rise. Exports had risen 16.8% jump in the previous month.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.31% higher, ending the trading day at 8,640.6.

Hong Kong Hang Seng index was up 0.66% as of its last hour of trading, while the CSI 300 rose 0.45% to 4,658.33.

— Lee Ying Shan

South Korea’s Kospi led gains in Asia on Wednesday as investors assess Japan trade data and await U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.

Markets expect the Fed to keep interest rates steady between 3.5% and 3.75% on Wednesday stateside.

The Kospi gained over 3% while the small-cap Kosdaq was 1.18% higher

Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.91%, while the Topix added 0.95% after the country reported that exports climbed 4.2% from a year ago in February, beating estimates.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 1.6% rise. Exports had risen 16.8% jump in the previous month.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.25% higher.

Hong Kong Hang Seng index climbed 0.3%, while the CSI 300 inched 0.13% higher.

— Lee Ying Shan

Paul Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), speaks with members of the media after ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., Dec. 2, 2025.

Eduardo Munoz | Reuters

Paul Atkins, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on Tuesday said the regulatory agency will seek comment around a potential move to scrap the requirement for quarterly financial reports.

“So we’re going out for comments to see what people say about that. … I think it’s appropriate to ask for comment at this point in time,” Atkins said to media at a blockchain event.

Atkin’s statement follows a Wall Street Journal report from Monday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the SEC is preparing a proposal to get rid of the requirement that companies must report their earnings every quarter. According to the WSJ, the SEC is considering giving companies the option to instead provide results twice per year.

— Pia Singh

Check out the stocks moving after Tuesday’s bell:

• Lululemon — Shares of the athletic apparel retailer topped the Street’s fiscal fourth quarter expectations, but shares declined about 1% on the back of weaker-than-expected sales and earnings forecasts for full-year 2026. Lululemon said it is expecting sales to be between $11.35 billion and $11.50 billion, below expectations of $11.52 billion, per LSEG. Its earnings guidance of $12.10 to $12.30 per share also missed consensus estimates of $12.58. 
• Docusign — The software stock gained 1.3% in the after-hours session. DocuSign beat fourth-quarter estimates and gave strong guidance for its first quarter and fiscal year. The company anticipates first-quarter revenues to come out between $822 million and $826 million, while analysts polled by LSEG expected $813 million.
• Oklo — The nuclear tech company posted a full-year loss of 72 cents per share, compared to the loss of 74 cents per share a year earlier. Shares fell more than 2%.

— Pia Singh

Tue, Mar 17 20266:02 PM EDT

U.S. equities closed out Wednesday’s session solidly in the red.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.36% to end at 6,624.70, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 1.46% to 22,152.42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 768.11 points, or 1.63%, to 46,225.15.

— Sean Conlon

The energy shock caused by the Iran war is “unlikely” to trigger a recession, according to Bank of America.

Analyst Paulina Strzelinska noted that while fears of stagflation persist, “growth expectations are improving, earnings remain positive, inflation is so far disinflating, and bond yields are not rising persistently.”

According to Strzelinska, the environment best resembles the risk-on shocks the economy absorbed between 2005 and 2009. Rather than a stagflationary moment like some experts worry about, Strzelinska thinks the economy is likely to remain in boom or recovery, which lasts seven months on average.

— Itzel Franco

In an aerial view, Marathon Petroleum Corp’s Los Angeles Refinery, one of the largest oil refineries in the North America, operates as gas prices rocket upward due to worldwide oil supply disruptions caused by the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, on March 10, 2026 in Carson, California.

David McNew | Getty Images

On Wednesday, seven stocks in the S&P 500 traded at new 52-week highs.

Tickers that hit this milestone included:

• Marathon Petroleum trading at all-time highs back to its spinoff from Marathon Oil in June 2011
• Valero trading at all-time highs back to its spin-off from PG&E Corp in 1980
• Quanta Services trading at all-time highs back to its IPO in February 1998
• Micron trading at all-time highs back to IPO in June 1984
• SanDisk trading at all-time highs back to its completed separation from Western Digital in February 2024
• Western Digital trading at all-time highs back to its listing on the NASDAQ in June 2012
• Ventas trading at all-time high levels, back to its spin-off from Vencor in 1998

During the session, 12 stocks in the index traded at new 52-week lows. Select names included:

• Paramount Skydance Class B trading at lows not seen since August 2009
• Tractor Supply trading at lows not seen since February 2024
• Brown-Forman trading at lows not seen since June 2012
• Conagra Brands trading at lows not seen since September 2009
• Campbell Soup Company trading at lows not seen since May 2003
• General Mills trading at lows not seen since December 2018
• McCormick trading at lows not seen since March 2020
• Copart trading at lows not seen since February 2023
• CoStar Group trading at lows not seen since February 2019

— Lisa Kailai Han, Christopher Hayes

The Dow Industrials dipped below a key technical level Wednesday that suggests trouble is ahead.

The Dow Industrials fell below its 200-day moving average for the first time since June 2025. The indicator shows whether the long-term trend in an asset or index is positive or negative.

Investors will watch what happens next for the index, as a close below the 200DMA would be the first for the Dow since June 20, 2025. If traders do not step in as they have in the past, that suggests the index could drop further.

The index was last trading just above that level.

.DJI, 1-day

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 18, 2026.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday voted to hold its key interest rate steady as policymakers navigate their way through higher-than-expected inflation readings, mixed signs on the labor market – and a war.

In a widely expected decision, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 11-1 to keep the benchmark federal funds rate anchored in a range between 3.5%-3.75%. The rate sets overnight funding costs for banks but influences a broad range of consumer and business borrowing.

The committee in its post-meeting statement made few changes to its view on the economy, with a slightly faster pace of growth and higher inflation projections for the full year in 2026. Read more.

— Jeff Cox

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang speaks at the NVIDIA GTC global AI conference in San Jose, California, U.S. March 16, 2026.

Fred Greaves | Reuters

Nvidia sidestepped the megacap technology sector’s slide on Wednesday.

Nvidia ticker 0.4% higher in Wednesday afternoon trading. All other Magnificent Seven stocks traded in the red, led down by Amazon, Apple and Microsoft with declines of more than 1% each. CNBC’s Magnificent Seven index slid more than 1%.

CNBC Mag 7, 1-day

The Global Shipping ETF (BOAT) climbed more than 2% on Wednesday after President Donald Trump temporarily waived U.S. law for the sector.

Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the shipping law, the White House confirmed Wednesday. It was done to help stabilize the trade of resources such as oil, natural gas, fertilizer and coal, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a statement.

BOAT ETF, 1-day

Shares of commodity-focused Genco Shipping & Trading rose more than 4%. Oil transporter Frontline added 4% in midday trading.

— Alex Harring, Gina Francolla and Kevin Breuninger

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks as he holds a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), at the U.S. Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., U.S., Dec. 10, 2025.

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

The Federal Reserve has little choice but to stay on the sidelines this week as it navigates a mix of complicated and conflicting forces playing out in the U.S. economy.

Markets are pricing in a near-zero chance that the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee will be cutting at this meeting — or any other in the near future. Futures pricing suggests policymakers won’t consider easing until at least September, more likely October, and even then just a single cut this year.

For Wednesday’s decision, Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues have to wrestle with the Iran war, fears of an inflation spike and mixed signals from the labor market. The combination of factors all but assures the Fed will stand pat, keeping its key interest rate targeted between 3.5% to 3.75%. Updates to economic and rate projections also aren’t expected to show major changes.

“The decision itself is almost guaranteed — a rate hold at the March meeting. But any hints Chair Powell might drop about the path of future interest rates will be key,” said BeiChen Lin, senior investment strategist at Russell Investments. “Broadly speaking, the U.S. economy is still on solid footing. This means however that the bar for further rate cuts in the U.S. may be quite elevated.” Read more.

— Jeff Cox

Lensar’s more than 32% fall on Tuesday is an opportunity, according to BTIG.

The firm upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, with a price target of $10, indicating a 45% gain from Tuesday’s close. That level, though, would still be a slight loss compared to Monday’s close. BTIG analyst Ryan Zimmerman wrote the sell-off offers the stock a “second chance.”

Lensar sank after the termination of the medical device company’s acquisition by Alcon, which cited both cost and Federal Trade Commission headwinds to completing the deal. But Zimmerman noted that the pending merger slowed revenue growth. 

“We think as the dust settles, LNSR can reignite its momentum, pick-up where it left off and refocus on the launch of ALLY,” Zimmerman wrote, pointing out the company’s adaptive cataract treatment product. Lensar rose slightly in premarket trading. 

LNSR 5-day chart.

Deutsche Bank sees a buying opportunity in SL Green Realty, which has tumbled more than 15% so far this year on fears about artificial intelligence disrupting the workforce.

Investors are seemingly ignoring the New York office giant’s strong leasing fundamentals, so capital markets are a necessary catalyst for the stock, analyst Peter Abramowitz said.

“As such, we expect strong execution on asset sales and refinancings (particularly One Madison and 245 Park) this year to be a positive catalyst and calm investor nerves about equity value in the portfolio, which should help narrow the stock’s -51.4% discount to NAV,” he wrote in a note Wednesday. “In addition, this should allow investor focus to eventually return to solid leasing dynamics and the growing occupancy opportunity in 2026-2027.”

Abramowitz has a price target of $44 on the stock, implying 15% upside from Tuesday’s close.

— Michelle Fox

A container ship is seen docked at the Port of Los Angeles on March 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

President Donald Trump issued a 60-day waiver of a longstanding U.S. shipping law in an attempt to stabilize oil markets amid the Iran war, the White House confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday.

The temporary suspension of the Jones Act “will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

The Trump administration “remains committed to continuing to strengthen our critical supply chains,” Leavitt said. Read more.

— Kevin Breuninger

Oil prices moved higher on Wednesday after Iran threatened to hit oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The move higher also comes after Israel reportedly struck Iran’s largest gas processing facility.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were last higher by more than 2% at nearly $99 per barrel. Brent crude futures gained more than 5% at around $109 a barrel.

WTI crude vs. Brent crude, 1-day

The three major averages fell on Wednesday morning.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 235 points, or 0.5%. The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, as did the Nasdaq Composite.

— Sean Conlon

A woman shops for items at a Costco store on April 28, 2025 in Alhambra, California.

Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images

Wholesale prices rose sharply in February, providing another sign that inflation continues to percolate even aside from rising energy prices.

The producer price index, a measure of pipeline costs that producers receive for their products, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.7% on the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core PPI increased 0.5%. Excluding food, energy and trade services, PPI rose 0.5%.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for increases of 0.3% for both measures. Read more.

— Jeff Cox

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:

• Nvidia — Nvidia rose nearly 1% after Reuters reported, citing sources, that the chipmaker got approval from the Chinese government to sell its H200 chips in China. The company is also reportedly preparing to make available in China a version of its Groq AI chip.
• Micron Technology — The memory and storage solutions firm saw shares tick up 2.1% ahead of its fiscal second-quarter earnings report expected after the bell on Wednesday.
• Macy’s — The retailer popped 8% on better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter. Macy’s earned $1.67 per share, excluding  on revenue of $7.64 billion. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a profit of $1.53 per share on revenue of $7.62 billion.

Read here for the full list.

— Liz Napolitano

The Lululemon head office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

Isabella Falsetti | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Shares of Lululemon fell about 1% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the athleisure company’s guidance for the current quarter and full year came in weaker than expected.

However, the company’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue exceeded analyst expectations.

LULU, 1-day

South Korea’s Kospi led gains in Asia on Wednesday as investors assessed Japan trade data and awaited U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.

The Kospi gained over 5% to close at 5,925.03 while the small-cap Kosdaq was up 2.41% to 1,164.38. A five-minute trading halt was activated after the Kospi 200 futures surged 5%, according to an official note.

Index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose over 7.5% and nearly 9%, respectively. Samsung’s gains come even as its unionized workers in South Korea voted to approve a strike, escalating a dispute over bonuses and increasing the risk of disruptions at the world’s largest memory chipmaker.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.87% to 55,239.4 while the Topix added 2.49% to close at 3,717.41 after the country reported that exports climbed 4.2% from a year ago in February, beating estimates.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 1.6% rise. Exports had risen 16.8% jump in the previous month.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.31% higher, ending the trading day at 8,640.6.

Hong Kong Hang Seng index was up 0.66% as of its last hour of trading, while the CSI 300 rose 0.45% to 4,658.33.

— Lee Ying Shan

South Korea’s Kospi led gains in Asia on Wednesday as investors assess Japan trade data and await U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.

Markets expect the Fed to keep interest rates steady between 3.5% and 3.75% on Wednesday stateside.

The Kospi gained over 3% while the small-cap Kosdaq was 1.18% higher

Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.91%, while the Topix added 0.95% after the country reported that exports climbed 4.2% from a year ago in February, beating estimates.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 1.6% rise. Exports had risen 16.8% jump in the previous month.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.25% higher.

Hong Kong Hang Seng index climbed 0.3%, while the CSI 300 inched 0.13% higher.

— Lee Ying Shan

Paul Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), speaks with members of the media after ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., Dec. 2, 2025.

Eduardo Munoz | Reuters

Paul Atkins, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on Tuesday said the regulatory agency will seek comment around a potential move to scrap the requirement for quarterly financial reports.

“So we’re going out for comments to see what people say about that. … I think it’s appropriate to ask for comment at this point in time,” Atkins said to media at a blockchain event.

Atkin’s statement follows a Wall Street Journal report from Monday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the SEC is preparing a proposal to get rid of the requirement that companies must report their earnings every quarter. According to the WSJ, the SEC is considering giving companies the option to instead provide results twice per year.

— Pia Singh

Check out the stocks moving after Tuesday’s bell:

• Lululemon — Shares of the athletic apparel retailer topped the Street’s fiscal fourth quarter expectations, but shares declined about 1% on the back of weaker-than-expected sales and earnings forecasts for full-year 2026. Lululemon said it is expecting sales to be between $11.35 billion and $11.50 billion, below expectations of $11.52 billion, per LSEG. Its earnings guidance of $12.10 to $12.30 per share also missed consensus estimates of $12.58. 
• Docusign — The software stock gained 1.3% in the after-hours session. DocuSign beat fourth-quarter estimates and gave strong guidance for its first quarter and fiscal year. The company anticipates first-quarter revenues to come out between $822 million and $826 million, while analysts polled by LSEG expected $813 million.
• Oklo — The nuclear tech company posted a full-year loss of 72 cents per share, compared to the loss of 74 cents per share a year earlier. Shares fell more than 2%.

— Pia Singh

Tue, Mar 17 20266:02 PM EDT