From the Desk

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Recent Economic Commentary

Brandon Casey, Member Strategies - 3/16/2026

U.S. stocks are higher Monday morning as oil prices fell below $100 per barrel. All three major averages are up more than 1% in early trading as the market looks to bounce back from another losing week. The war with Iran continued over the weekend, though the president said a deal could be reached, perhaps as soon as this week.

U.S. industrial production rose 0.2% in February, modestly outpacing the consensus expectation for a 0.1% increase, according to Federal Reserve data. Manufacturing output, which makes up roughly three-quarters of total production, also increased 0.2%, while mining posted a stronger 0.8% gain and utilities output declined 0.6%. These figures follow a 0.7% overall increase in January.

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