Stock Market Live March 17, 2026: S&P 500 (SPY) Flat as Oil Gushes Higher
The roller coaster ride continues. With oil now back above $95, the major indices are flat. The S&P 500 is up 0.06%, or by about four points. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is…
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Stock Market Live March 18, 2026: S&P 500 (SPY) Flat on Hot Inflation Reading
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Newest firstOil Back Above $98 Again
Oil prices are back above $98 after the U.S. hit Iranian production facilities, including the world’s biggest natural gas field.
As noted by CNN, the latest attacks will add to fears of a longer-lasting war. “Energy markets are having to continuously price in a more prolonged disruption to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, with little sign of de-escalation or a resumption in oil and LNG flows through the key chokepoint,” Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy at ING.
Iran is now warning of a major response, with warnings that facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are now at risk of being hit. There are also reports that NATO is refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
ETFs for Volatility Spikes
With the U.S.-Iran war showing no signs of cooling, volatility is likely to spike even more. If you’re looking to trade higher volatility, check out ETFs such as:
ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (UVXY): The ETF was designed to match two times (2x) the daily performance of the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index.
iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures (VXX): The VXX provides exposure to the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index.
ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (VIXY): ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF provides long exposure to the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index, which measures the returns of a portfolio of monthly VIX futures contracts with a weighted average of one month to expiration.
Analysts at Citi Reinstate Buy Rating on Netflix
Netflix is up slightly this morning after analysts at Citi reinstated a buy rating.
“We like Netflix for three reasons: 1) We see scope for NFLX to increase its FY26 EBIT guidance, 2) we expect a US price hike in 4Q26, and 3) we expect larger share repurchases. We see ~5% to ~17% upside from these catalysts,” said the firm, as quoted by CNBC.
Live coverage has ended. The full story is below.
Full Coverage
The story so farFutures are in the red again.
This time, it’s thanks to hotter-than-expected inflation ahead of the Federal Reserve announcement later today. The producer price index (PPI) was up 0.7% in February, which was well above estimates of 0.3%.
With that, the Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged. Not helping, the Personal Consumption Expenditures index was already showing that prices were pushing higher. That’s a sign of rising costs even before the war with Iran.
As we await the Fed’s response and how it frames the Iranian conflict amid inflationary risks, the S&P 500 is down 0.17%, or 11 points. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is down 0.5%, or by $3.34. The Dow is down 0.17%, or by 81 points. The Nasdaq is down 0.14%, or by 32 points. Oil is down slightly at $96.16. Gold is down $128 at $4,874, as Bitcoin slips $1,530.
Market Movers: Micron
Micron (NASDAQ: MU | MU Price Prediction) will post earnings after the closing bell.
As we noted just yesterday, “Wall Street is looking for EPS of $8.74 to $8.77 for the quarter, with revenue of about $19.03 billion. Helping, analysts at Wedbush raised their price target on MU to $500 from $320, noting that Micron’s earnings outlook continues to improve.”
Wells Fargo reiterated its buy rating on the stock with a $470 price target. Also, according to RBC Capital, which has an outperform rating and a $525 price target, stronger demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is expected to accelerate.
Market Movers: Nvidia
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) was on the move on a Reuters report that the company won China’s approval to sell its H200 chips to China. Additionally, there’s news that NVDA is developing a version of the Groq AI chip for sale in the Chinese market.
“We have received purchase orders, and we’re in the process of restarting our manufacturing,” CEO Jensen Huang said, as quoted by CNBC. “That’s new news for all of you, and it’s different than it was two weeks ago or three weeks ago, but that’s our condition today … and our supply chain is getting fired up.”
Analysts at Bank of America also reiterated a buy rating on Nvidia with a $300 price target. The firm also said NVDA is a top pick following an analyst’s Q&A period at the GTC conference.
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Ian Cooper
Ian Cooper is a veteran market analyst and investment strategist with more than 20 years of experience covering stocks, commodities, and macro trends. Since 1999, he has helped investors identify market opportunities using a blend of technical analysis, fundamental research, and market sentiment.
He is the creator of the ADD News Flow Strategy, which focuses on trading market reactions to major news events and investor psychology. Cooper was also among the analysts who warned about the 2008 financial crisis and major financial institution collapses ahead of the broader market.
Before joining 247 Wall St., Cooper wrote extensively for InvestorPlace and other financial publications, covering market trends, trading strategies, and investment opportunities.
