{"id":133815,"title":"What happened overnight – Thursday 19th March 2026","publisher":"Share Talk","author":"sharetalk","published":"2026-03-19T08:55:17+00:00","modified":"2026-03-19T08:55:17+00:00","canonical_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/what-happened-overnight-thursday-19th-march-2026/","markdown_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/what-happened-overnight-thursday-19th-march-2026.md","json_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/what-happened-overnight-thursday-19th-march-2026.json","category":"Blogs","categories":["Blogs","Technology","Technology, Media & Telecoms"],"tags":["Asia","Bangkok","Denmark","Endeavour Mining","Fed","Federal Reserve","Finland","FRANCE","FTSE 100","GERMANY","Glencore","Greenland plan","Hong kong","Japan","Manila","mining stocks","Mumbai","Nasdaq Composite","NATO alliance","Netherlands","Nikkei 225","Norway","S&P 500","shanghai","Singapore","Sweden","Sydney","Taiwan","UK","United States","Wall Street","Wellington"],"featured_image":"https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/overnight-1-1.webp?fit=750%2C406&quality=80&ssl=1","format":"news","language":"en-GB","content":"### Stocks slide as oil surges on Middle East escalation\n\nGlobal markets came under pressure after a sharp escalation in the Iran conflict sent energy prices higher and rattled investor sentiment.\n\nUS President Donald Trump said Israel had “violently lashed out” by striking Iran’s **South Pars gas field**, prompting Iran to retaliate with missile attacks on **Qatar and Saudi Arabia**.\n\nTrump warned that the US would “massively blow up” the South Pars field if Iran carried out further strikes on Qatar.\n\nEnergy markets reacted immediately. **Brent crude** jumped more than **5% to above $113 a barrel**, while **natural gas prices rose around 3%**, intensifying concerns over supply disruption.\n\nEquity markets fell across the board. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped more than **3%**, while South Korea’s benchmark index declined **2.8%**. The **MSCI Asia-Pacific index (ex-Japan)** fell over **2.5%**, and European markets were set to open down more than **1.5%**.\n\nIn currency markets, the **US dollar** continued to attract safe-haven demand, with the dollar index up **2.5% since the conflict began**, though it edged slightly lower after a recent gain.\n\nWall Street also closed sharply lower. The S&P 500 fell **1.4% to 6,624.70**, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped **1.5% to 22,152.42**. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined **1.6% to 46,225.15**, marking its lowest close of 2026.\n\nThe sell-off was driven by a combination of **rising energy prices and renewed inflation concerns**, after the Federal Reserve opted to keep interest rates on hold at **3.75%**.\n\nInvestors remain wary that further attacks on energy infrastructure could push oil and gas prices even higher, complicating the outlook for inflation, monetary policy and global growth."}