{"id":59923,"date":"2026-03-18T14:38:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:38:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:38:18","slug":"fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/","title":{"rendered":"Fed Holds Rates Steady Amid Middle East Volatility; Disney Shareholders Back Board"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/#Fed_Maintains_Policy_Stance_Amid_Geopolitical_Clouds\" >Fed Maintains Policy Stance Amid Geopolitical Clouds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/#Inflation_Pressures_and_Economic_Outlook\" >Inflation Pressures and Economic Outlook<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/#Disney_Shareholders_Re-elect_Board_Reject_Proposals\" >Disney Shareholders Re-elect Board, Reject Proposals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/#Energy_Markets_and_Regional_Conflict\" >Energy Markets and Regional Conflict<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/fed-holds-rates-steady-amid-middle-east-volatility-disney-shareholders-back-board\/59923\/#Credit_Markets_and_Corporate_Updates\" >Credit Markets and Corporate Updates<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at a target range of 3.50% to 3.75%<\/strong>, with Chair Jerome Powell citing &quot;uncertain&quot; economic implications from escalating Middle East tensions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>February PCE inflation is estimated at 2.8% with Core PCE at 3.0%<\/strong>, as the Fed warns that near-term inflation expectations have risen due to higher energy costs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Disney (<a href=\"\/stock\/DIS\">DIS<\/a>) shareholders elected all 11 board nominees<\/strong> and approved executive compensation, soundly rejecting several activist proposals regarding religious discrimination and accessibility reviews.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Geopolitical tensions spiked following an Iranian attack on Qatar&#39;s Ras Laffan area<\/strong>, prompting reports that the <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> administration may lift summer gasoline regulations to curb energy prices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Labor demand has &quot;clearly softened&quot; while the economy expands at a solid pace<\/strong>, leading the Fed to maintain its current policy stance to promote its dual mandate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fed_Maintains_Policy_Stance_Amid_Geopolitical_Clouds\"><\/span>Fed Maintains Policy Stance Amid Geopolitical Clouds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)<\/strong> voted 11-1 to maintain the federal funds rate at <strong>3.50% to 3.75%<\/strong> during its March meeting. The lone dissenter, Miran, favored a <strong>25-basis-point cut<\/strong>, even as the committee noted that the economy continues to expand at a <strong>&quot;solid pace.&quot;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated that last year\u2019s rate cuts have brought policy to a <strong>&quot;plausible neutral estimate.&quot;<\/strong> However, he cautioned that the <strong>Middle East conflict<\/strong> creates significant uncertainty, with near-term energy price hikes expected to push up overall inflation.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Inflation_Pressures_and_Economic_Outlook\"><\/span>Inflation Pressures and Economic Outlook<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Powell estimated that <strong>February PCE inflation hit 2.8%<\/strong>, while <strong>Core PCE reached 3.0%<\/strong>, largely driven by elevated goods prices. While <em>long-term inflation expectations remain consistent with the 2% goal<\/em>, near-term expectations have trended higher.<\/p>\n<p>The Fed remains <strong>&quot;attentive to risks on both sides&quot;<\/strong> of its mandate as the labor market shows signs of cooling. While <strong>consumer spending remains resilient<\/strong>, Powell highlighted that the <strong>housing sector remains weak<\/strong> and labor demand has notably softened.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disney_Shareholders_Re-elect_Board_Reject_Proposals\"><\/span>Disney Shareholders Re-elect Board, Reject Proposals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At the <strong>Disney (<a href=\"\/stock\/DIS\">DIS<\/a>)<\/strong> annual shareholder meeting, investors voted to elect all <strong>11 company nominees<\/strong> to the board of directors. Shareholders also <strong>approved executive compensation<\/strong> and ratified <strong>PricewaterhouseCoopers<\/strong> as the independent auditor for fiscal 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Activists saw several proposals defeated, including requests for a <strong>report on religious discrimination<\/strong> and an <strong>independent review of accessibility practices<\/strong>. The rejection of these proposals signals <em>continued shareholder confidence in the current management&#39;s strategic direction.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Energy_Markets_and_Regional_Conflict\"><\/span>Energy Markets and Regional Conflict<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Tensions in the Middle East escalated as <strong>Qatar\u2019s Interior Ministry<\/strong> reported a fire in the <strong>Ras Laffan area<\/strong> following an Iranian attack. In response to rising energy costs, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> administration<\/strong> is expected to lift <strong>summer gasoline regulations<\/strong> shortly to provide relief at the pump.<\/p>\n<p>Market reaction was swift, with <strong>Spot <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold-price.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold<\/a><\/strong> falling 2.2% to <strong>$4,896.94\/oz<\/strong> following the Fed announcement. <em>The U.S. 10-year yield pared earlier gains to sit at 4.214%<\/em>, while the yield curve steepened as investors weighed the impact of infrastructure attacks in the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Credit_Markets_and_Corporate_Updates\"><\/span>Credit Markets and Corporate Updates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A <strong>Wall Street Journal<\/strong> exclusive highlighted growing stress in a fund holding consumer and small-business loans. The fund includes assets from major fintech players such as <strong>Affirm (<a href=\"\/stock\/AFRM\">AFRM<\/a>)<\/strong> and <strong>Block (<a href=\"\/stock\/SQ\">SQ<\/a>)<\/strong>, marking a potential area of concern for the broader credit market.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>Fitch Ratings<\/strong> suggested that U.S. transport infrastructure remains largely shielded from high gas prices due to strong <strong>pricing power<\/strong>. The agency noted that current energy volatility is <em>unlikely to significantly dent toll road revenues or airport traffic<\/em> in the immediate future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at a target range of 3.50% to 3.75%, with Chair Jerome [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5012],"tags":[809,1684,1947,3709,3861,3880,4055],"class_list":["post-59923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","tag-dis","tag-gold","tag-oil","tag-fed","tag-sq","tag-fomc","tag-afrm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}