Linea Mercati Interview 3/30/26
March 31, 2026Linea Mercati Interview 3/31/26
April 1, 2026The New York Stock Exchange opened higher on Tuesday, attempting once again to rebound with hopes of an end to hostilities in the Middle East, despite the lack of clear signals.
Around 1:50 PM GMT (3:50 PM in Paris), the Dow Jones was up 1.25%, the Nasdaq gained 1.90%, and the broader S&P 500 rose 1.50%. “On this last day of a particularly gloomy March, the market seems to be experiencing a renewed sense of hope regarding the imminent end of the war ,” Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities told AFP.
According to the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Donald Trump reportedly told his advisors he was prepared to halt his military campaign, believing that forcing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would prolong the conflict “beyond its four- to six-week timeframe .” The newspaper reported that Washington wants to try to persuade Tehran, through diplomatic channels, to unblock this strategic waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons normally transit. The market is “very sensitive to any good news ,” Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth Management told AFP on Monday. “But the current state of negotiations remains unclear ,” analysts at Briefing.com noted.
“This is not good for the government (…) and I think President Trump is aware of that.”
And oil prices continue their soaring climb, with the increase now clearly impacting consumers’ wallets. The average price of gasoline at American service stations has surpassed $4 per gallon (3.78 liters), the American Automobile Association (AAA) announced Tuesday, its highest level in nearly four years. “This isn’t good for the government… and I think President Trump is aware of that ,” says Peter Cardillo. Especially since the midterm elections, crucial for maintaining the Republican majority in Congress, are just a few months away.
In this context, investors are awaiting a consumer confidence indicator, due to be released at 2:00 PM GMT. The market will also be watching a flurry of figures on the state of the US labor market on Friday, including non-farm employment. Since the New York Stock Exchange is closed that day (Good Friday), “we won’t have a reaction until Monday ,” notes Peter Cardillo.
On the bond market, the yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds eased further, to 4.31% from 4.35% at Monday’s close. Among individual stocks, shares of computer chip designer Marvell Technology (+7.37% to $94.28) were in demand after semiconductor giant Nvidia announced its intention to invest $2 billion in the company to develop its artificial intelligence projects. Food group McCormick (-6.15% to $50.41), known for its spices, notably under the Ducros brand, declined after Tuesday’s announcement of its merger with the food division of British consumer goods giant Unilever. McCormick will pay $15.7 billion (€13.7 billion) to Unilever and will offer shares as part of the agreement, under which its shareholders will own 35% of the new entity. The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly (+2.78% to $911.29) seemed to benefit from the announcement of the acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, which develops treatments for sleep disorders.
