Trader's US Market Pulse

FOMC Holds Rates Steady

• 🔥 Federal Reserve maintains target range for federal funds rate at 3½ to 3¾ percent.
• 🔥 Fed Chair Powell press...

Dual whammies hammer stocks: hotter Feb PPI +0.7% m/m (vs +0.3% est) and Israeli strikes on Iran gas infrastructure.

• Inflation heat: Core PPI +0.5%...

• Phantom inflation exposed: PCE core overstated at 3.1% vs market 2.5% due to imputed financial services and 2-year stale shelter data; 'Realflation'...

META shares climb 2-3% amid reports of up to 20% workforce cuts (~15-16K jobs) to fund $135B AI infrastructure push (data centers, talent).

• Meta...

Bond trend alert: Long-term Treasuries deliver the real market shock over stocks in second Trump presidency.

• 30Y yields testing key channel support...

Key FOMC signals for traders:

• Rates steady at 3.50%-3.75%, as expected.
• SEP dot plot shows median 1 rate cut in 2026, unchanged from December.
  -...

• Tom Lee optimistic: Growth stocks/Granny ETFs outperform benchmarks despite extending Iran war; elevated oil aids US energy exports, favors scarce...

Key elements for swing traders:

• Fed policy decision and dot plot projections released
• Global markets reacting to oil prices
• Key economic data influencing immediate impacts

Energy Price Surges

• 🔥 Diesel Tops $5/Gallon: U.S. diesel prices jumped above $5 a gallon on Tuesday, the highest since December 2022, due to...

Fuel trend: Diesel and gas spike to multi-month highs from Middle East war strains.

• Diesel hits $5.04/gal (first since Dec 2022), up 34% since March...

Major stock indexes gain as oil edges higher following U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that spiked prices. Options traders' crash fears have pulled back nearly to pre-attack levels, boosting equity resilience.

• US retaliation: Executive order freezes $380B Canadian bank deposits, hits millions of US customers.
• Carney counter: Threatens to dump $319B US...

FOMC traders on alert: Iran war uncertainty drives expected rate hold today.

• Two-day meeting wraps Wednesday; rates unchanged amid conflict.
• Iran...

Trader catalysts amid two-speed economy:

• NVIDIA: Jensen Huang announces $1T chip orders
• Meta: 16K layoffs to fund AI capex, stock rises
• Fed meeting: No cuts possible; oil >$100, Iran locks Hormuz
  Position for tech dispersion in oil-constrained macro.

Bond volatility spikes from clashing forces:

• Iran war drives safe-haven flows to short-term Treasuries as defensive play
• $12.4T rollover wall...

• Core PCE at 3.1% Y/Y in Jan, +0.36% m/m or +0.4% M/M vs consensus
• Hotter than expected, highlights sticky inflation gap
• Oil shock set to reinforce Fed caution on easing

Hawkish FOMC tilt eyes bond yields higher, growth stocks pressured.

BEA revises Q4 2025 GDP growth to just 0.7%, a critical turning point for the US economy amid severe fiscal instability and cooling. Key macro signal for near-term equity and bond swings.

Quick pre-open intel for Tuesday's session:

• Overnight developments recap
• Analyst upgrades/downgrades highlighted
• Stocks to watch before the bell
  TipRanks/The Fly's 1:18 video – perfect catalyst scan.

Trader alert: Middle East oil surge traps Fed in hawkish hold.

• Iran war energy shock drives 99% odds of no March cut per Fed Watch
• Bloomberg...

Stock Market Rebound

• 🔥 Dow up 400-500 points: Dow up 400 points as stocks rebound and oil prices retreat with broad-based rally continuing...