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good morning. There are only a few minutes left until the release of the personal consumption expenditure price index for February. Watch live on CNBC for numbers and analysis.
Stock futures are falling this morning. All three major averages recorded significant increases yesterday.
Here are five important things investors need to know to start their trading day.
1. murky water
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a prime-time address to the nation at the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC, USA.
Alex Brandon | Getty Images
of Dow Jones Industrial Average Yesterday marked its best day in a year, closing up more than 1,300 points, despite Iranian accusations that the US violated the cease-fire agreement between the two countries.
Here’s what you need to know:
In a statement posted on social media, the speaker of Iran’s parliament said Israel’s attack on Lebanon, the incursion of Iranian airspace by drones, and the denial of Iran’s right to enrich uranium are all violations of the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that the opening of the Strait of Hormuz was a key condition of the ceasefire agreement, but oil tanker traffic had been halted following Israeli attacks in Lebanon. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt denied those reports on Wednesday, telling reporters: “We are seeing increased traffic in the Strait today.” US oil prices rose again this morning after posting their biggest one-day drop since 2020 yesterday. Brent crude oil futures are also rising as the ceasefire is in jeopardy. Follow us here for live market updates.
2. Rejected
In this illustrated photo, the Anthropic logo is displayed on a smartphone screen. An AI company is suing the Pentagon after the Pentagon moved to blacklist the company following disagreements over safeguards that limit the use of AI systems in surveillance and autonomous weapons.
Jonathan Ra | Null Photo | Getty Images
Anthropic yesterday lost a bid to temporarily block its blacklisting by the Pentagon. A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., sided with the Pentagon, denying an artificial stay while the case against the Pentagon progresses.
The artificial intelligence startup sued the Pentagon last month after the department labeled Anthropic a “supply chain risk” following disagreements over how the agency could use its AI technology.
Wednesday’s ruling comes after a federal judge in San Francisco sided with Anthropic in a separate but related case last month. The judge granted the company a preliminary injunction blocking the government from enforcing Anthropic’s Claude ban.
3. Cut out
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell attends a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on March 19, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietch | Getty Images
Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s March meeting released yesterday show that central bank officials still expect to cut interest rates this year, despite widespread uncertainty from the Iran war and President Trump’s tariff policies.
“Many participants concluded that if inflation declines as expected, it would likely be appropriate to lower the target range for the federal funds rate over time,” the minutes read. The consensus forecast was for one rate cut in 2026.
Traders are also increasingly expecting one rate cut this year following the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran. The market’s odds of a rate cut this year rose from just 14% to 43% after President Trump’s announcement Tuesday night.
4. After $14 million
Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang looks on at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19, 2026.
Ludovic Marin | AFP | Getty Images
9 months ago Meta invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI and brought in CEO Alexandr Wang to overhaul its AI business. Well, there’s something to show for it.
The tech giant announced its first major AI model yesterday. This is the first model from the AI division led by Wang. The new model, named Muse Spark, has a lot going for it. Meta had a hard time breaking into the artificial intelligence market. Its newest AI model families include OpenAI, Anthropic, and google continue to dominate.
As CNBC’s Jonathan Bunyan points out, Muse Spark is also unique and marks a major shift in strategy for Meta as it seeks new AI revenue streams.
5. Is it time to go shopping?
People walk past the Lululemon department store on June 5, 2024 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
With major barriers such as high cost and injection-only options increasingly in the rearview mirror, the use of GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs is likely to continue to increase. Analysts say this could present an opportunity for retailers.
CNBC’s Melissa Repko reported that researchers predict demand for clothing will increase as shoppers update their closets after losing weight. By some estimates, GLP-1 users could generate up to $13 billion in additional spending on clothing annually.
GLP-1-fueled buying sprees could be a boon for some retailers in particular. Shoppers may seek value at big-box stores such as: walmart and target As sports brands reduce some sizes, we may see growth for sports brands as GLP-1 users become more active.
daily dividend
Seven-figure homes are the norm in 13 U.S. housing markets. According to Realtor.com, “pure luxury” markets, where at least half of the active listings are over $1 million and there are fewer than 500 such listings, are:
—CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Lisa Kai-Lai Han, Sarah Ming, John Meloy, Li Ying Xiang, Sam Meredith, Spencer Kimball, Kevin Browninger, Brian Sullivan, Pippa Stevens, Ashley Caputo, Jeff Cox, Jonathan Vanian, Melissa Repko and Haley Cucinello contributed to this report. Melody Warner edited this version.
