CNBC — 2026-03-31#

Lead Story#

US equities posted their best session since May, with the Dow surging over 1,100 points, as President Trump signaled the U.S.-Iran war could conclude in weeks,. The prospect of an imminent exit sparked a massive relief rally, though crude oil prices remain highly elevated at $118.35 per barrel.

Markets & Economics#

The broad S&P 500 futures rise after major averages post best session since May was defined by massive gains across the board, with the Nasdaq Composite skyrocketing 3.8% and the S&P 500 climbing 2.9%. Trump is slated to address the nation on the Iran war Wednesday night, telling reporters earlier that troops could leave in “two or three weeks”. Overseas, South Korea’s Kospi leads rebound in Asia markets, rocketing 8.44% higher alongside strong export data, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rallied 5.24% on the back of rising business sentiment,. Despite the optimism, experts warn the market may be experiencing end-of-quarter window dressing as inflation fears tied to the war linger.

Business & Earnings#

Looking at after-hours action, Stocks making the biggest moves after hours saw Nike plunge nearly 9% after missing North American revenue estimates with $5.03 billion and issuing weak guidance. Elsewhere, Crypto asset manager CoinShares is set to debut on the Nasdaq under the ticker CSHR following a $1.2 billion SPAC merger with Vine Hill Capital, positioning the $6 billion European asset manager for U.S. expansion,,. In the tech world, Anthropic leaks part of Claude Code’s internal source code due to a release packaging error, potentially giving competitors insight into the viral coding assistant that recently hit a $2.5 billion revenue run rate,,.

Investing & Commentary#

On Mad Money, Jim Cramer outlined three major ways the market will pivot if the Middle East conflict genuinely ends. He anticipates a noticeable drop in the 10-year Treasury yield as war-driven inflation on commodities like fertilizer and aluminum subsides. Furthermore, Cramer sees a massive resurgence for high-growth tech stocks—highlighting Tuesday’s pops in Nvidia and Marvell—as well as a revival for big bank stocks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as dealmaking thaws,.

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