---
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"
date: 2026-03-19
canonical: "https://www.share-talk.com/what-happened-overnight-thursday-19th-march-2026/"
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"]
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"
---

# What happened overnight – Thursday 19th March 2026

**Published:** March 19, 2026
**Author:** sharetalk
**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)

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### Stocks slide as oil surges on Middle East escalation

Global markets came under pressure after a sharp escalation in the Iran conflict sent energy prices higher and rattled investor sentiment.

US 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**.

Trump warned that the US would “massively blow up” the South Pars field if Iran carried out further strikes on Qatar.

Energy 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.

Equity 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%**.

In 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.

Wall 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.

The 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%**.

Investors 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.

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