U.S. stock indices closed higher on March 18, with the Dow up 0.1%, the Nasdaq rising 0.47%, and the S&P 500 gaining 0.25%. Major European indices also ended in positive territory, with Germany's DAX 30 up 0.71% and the UK's FTSE 100 climbing 0.83%.
Large-cap tech stocks were mixed: Google rose 1.64%, Amazon advanced 1.63%, and Tesla increased 0.94%, while Microsoft, Nvidia, and Facebook declined less than 1%. A Google team recently visited China to inspect liquid cooling equipment for data center servers.
Memory chip stocks broadly advanced, with Western Digital surging over 9% and Seagate Technology climbing more than 5%. Micron Technology rose over 4%, reaching a record market capitalization of $519.6 billion.
Airline stocks gained, with Delta Air Lines up over 6% and American Airlines rising more than 3%. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly fell nearly 6%, and Intel dropped over 3%.
Most U.S.-listed Chinese stocks declined: Tencent Music plunged 24% after releasing its Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings report. Cango fell nearly 16%, while Huya and Niu Technologies dropped over 8%. XPeng and Kingsoft Cloud each declined more than 4%. Among gainers, X Financial, Atour Lifestyle, and Bilibili led the advance.
UPCAR surged intraday, at one point soaring nearly 300% and triggering multiple trading halts before closing up 62.73%.
Gold and silver prices retreated, with spot gold falling below $5,000 at the March 17 open, and silver dipping under $79.
International oil prices rose overall on March 17, with WTI crude futures opening at $95 per barrel and Brent crude futures reaching $103.5, up over 3% on the day.
Cryptocurrencies saw a slight pullback, with Bitcoin trading at $74,296, down 0.51%, while Ethereum, Solana, and Dogecoin also declined.
According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut this week is 0%, with a 98.9% chance of rates remaining unchanged and a 1.1% chance of a 25-basis-point hike. The likelihood of a cumulative 25-basis-point cut by June stands at 78.1%.
The U.S. government plans to further ease sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry to boost crude production amid rising oil prices following conflict in Iran. Measures, which could be announced as early as this week, may include granting more individual licenses to foreign companies allowing participation in Venezuelan oil operations without violating U.S. sanctions.
On March 17, the U.S. President reiterated his dissatisfaction with NATO, stating when asked about reassessing U.S. relations with or potential withdrawal from the alliance: "It's something we should think about. I don't need Congress to make that decision."