CNBC Business News Update - Market Close: Stocks Lower, Dow Closes At Its Low For The Year On Inflation Fears, Fed Holds Rates Steady 3/18/26

Episode Date: March 18, 2026

From Wall Street to Main Street, the latest on the markets and what it means for your money. Updated regularly on weekdays, featuring CNBC expert analysis and sound from top business newsmakers. Anchored and reported by CNBC's Jessica Ettinger. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I'm Jessica Ettinger, CNBC. Wall Street opens Thursday morning after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. As expected, the Dow fell to a new 20266 low as inflation fears rise. The Dow was down 768 points, 1.5% McDonald's shares leading the way down. Those shares were down 3%. The S&P 500 index down 91 points, 1.3%. The NASDAQ falling 3%. 27 points. That was about 1.5%. Invita shares were lower down 8 tenths of 1%. No interest rate change from the Fed, as it watches the labor market and inflation. Fed Chair J. Powell, noting that inflation is largely in goods and is a result of tariffs, but the U.S. attack on Iran has caused an oil shock. The net of the oil shock will still be some downward pressure on spending and employment and upward pressure on inflation, of course. Prices at the pump went up another five cents a gallon Wednesday. The biggest thing to anchor on is $4 at the retail gasoline pump. Okay. Think about 2020 and then you think about 2008. Once you went to $4, it was the thing that

changed the psychology of the consumer and led to both an economic slowdown and a market turned down. Evercores Julian Emmanuel on CNBC. Some states have hit $4 average gas. Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington State, with Florida and Illinois very close. Americans now are paying 92 cents more for a gallon of regular than they were a month ago. Micron out with strong quarterly results after the closing bell. Revenue almost tripled. Demand for memory chips soars. The producer price index for last month popped up 7 tenths of a percent. That was a lot more than expected. That's a measure of inflation at the wholesale level. As producers pay higher prices, for inputs. Then that can get passed down to retailers and ultimately to consumers. Here's CNBC's

Rick Santelli. Hostsale side of inflation, the producer price index. Headline number expected to be up three-tenths of a percent comes in hot, up seven-tenths of a percent. That would be the highest level since July of 25. Food prices rose 2.4 percent. And within that, the index of fresh and dry vegetables soared 48% last month. BNI economist Vincent Reinhart says there's some more tough news for consumers inside those PPI numbers. Trade margins went up. That suggests that tariffs had been absorbed last year along the production and sale process and businesses are claw on some of that back, i.e. consumers will be paying a little bit more of the tariff burden. By 2030, in less than four years, women will control about 45% of global wealth.

Not only are they earning their own money, men often have shorter lifespans, so women inherit. And they need to step up. A lot of women are like, I don't feel, I feel so untoward to talk about money for myself. Actually, you need to get really comfortable talking about money for yourself. That's MS Now is Mika Brzeinski on CNBC, and a new HSBC report finds, while women know more about money than ever before. Many are not financially fluent. The bank aims to provide wealth management for women. On Thursday's watch list, earnings are coming from FedEx, Olive Garden Parent Darden restaurants, and CigNet Jewelers. We find out how many people applied for unemployment benefits last week,

and it's round one of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament. Jessica Edinger, CNBC. CNBC Cures Defying Rare Disease, Premiers Thursday, 7 Eastern. You know,