Dow Jones Top Markets Headlines at 5 PM ET: Why Fed Rate-Cut Prospects Have Dimmed, With or Without a Cease-Fire | Stocks ...

Why Fed Rate-Cut Prospects Have Dimmed, With or Without a Cease-Fire

Minutes from the Fed's March meeting showed officials continued pushing back their expectations about when inflation might resume a decline toward their 2% goal.

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Stocks Jump After U.S., Iran Walk Back From the Brink

The Dow industrials jumped 2.8%, the largest gain since last spring, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite rose to their sixth straight day of gains.

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Oil Prices Continue to Tumble After Cease-Fire Despite Slow Reopening of Strait of Hormuz

While prices have eased, there is a huge backlog of ships trying to get through the vital waterway and the two-week reprieve remains fragile.

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Iran Tightens Its Grip on Hormuz Despite Cease-Fire

President Trump demanded opening the strait. Tehran's Revolutionary Guard is limiting ship traffic and charging tolls

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U.S. Crude Oil Stockpiles Rise for Seventh Straight Week

U.S. crude oil inventories rose for a seventh consecutive week, while gasoline and diesel stockpiles fell, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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Why a Plunging Dollar Is Missing Out on the Relief Rally

The cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran sparked a rally in stocks, bonds, and gold, but the dollar wasn't getting any love.

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Eurozone Retail Sales Fell Ahead of Iran War Energy-Price Surge

Volumes were down 0.2% on month compared with flat growth in January, a little weaker than the decline expected by a consensus of economists.

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German Factory Orders Returned to Growth Ahead of Iran War

Manufacturing orders climbed 0.9% in February, recovering a little from the 11.1% slump in the first month of the year.

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Indian Central Bank Holds Rates as Mideast War Keeps Outlook in Flux

The Reserve Bank of India governor said the monetary board had judged it prudent to wait and see how growth and inflation develop.

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Wall Street Is Whiffing on Its Economic Forecasts

Early 2026 has seen some particularly big analyst misses, and they are adjusting to more volatility.

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Trump Backs Off Threat to Level Iran

The president backed off a threat to wipe out the Iranian civilization, saying he agreed to a two-week cease-fire with Iran.

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Fed Minutes Suggest a Lengthy Iran War Could Lead to Rate Hikes

Since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, borrowing costs have risen and markets have come under pressure, tightening conditions without any policy move from the Fed.

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Fed's Jefferson: Labor Market Could Be Stabilizing

Federal Reserve governor Philip Jefferson pointed to shifts in employment data that suggest the job market may no longer be weakening as it was in 2025.

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Insurers' $1 Trillion Buildup in Private Credit Is Leaving Regulators in the Dust

Treasury Department officials plan to meet with states about market risk.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 08, 2026 17:15 ET (21:15 GMT)