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U.S. banks are on heightened ​alert for potential cyberattacks amid the unfolding U.S. war in Iran. "The industry remains vigilant and ​ready to respond to cyber threats at all times, and especially when global cybersecurity risks are heightened," observed Todd Klessman, ​managing director for financial services cyber and technology at industry group SIFMA. "We continue to monitor the current situation with a focus on operational resilience, which is foundational to the integrity and ​stability of the U.S. capital markets," Klessman added. Meanwhile, CNBC reports that threats of cyberattacks pose a critical risk to the U.S. at a time when the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the leading readiness body, is contending with a partial government shutdown, furloughs, and a management reshuffle. The agency has reportedly lost about a third of its employees since Donald Trump took office.

 

CNBC

Reuters

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have triggered a surge in oil prices, raising concerns about higher gasoline costs and renewed inflation pressures in the United States. Benchmark crude rose sharply following the conflict and is already up nearly 24% this year. Since oil prices are the primary driver of gasoline costs, sustained increases could quickly translate into higher prices at the pump. Economists estimate that a 5% rise in oil prices typically adds about 0.1 percentage point to annual inflation. While gasoline accounts for only about 3% of consumer spending, higher fuel costs can ripple through the economy by increasing transportation and shipping expenses. The overall impact will depend on how long the conflict and any energy-market disruptions last. If short-lived, the inflation bump could be modest and temporary. However, a prolonged spike, such as oil reaching $100 per barrel, could meaningfully lift inflation and make the Federal Reserve less likely to cut interest rates.

 

USA Today

Wall Street Journal

Reuters reports that the U.S. Treasury Department and bank regulators are considering a comprehensive review of bank ​liquidity rules. They say existing rules are ineffective and impede lending. Treasury Secretary ⁠Scott Bessent said the current framework "has excessively and unnecessarily limited banks’ ability to ​do what they are supposed to do - lend." The Bank Policy Institute, which represents larger lenders, said: "Proper calibration of liquidity regulations will allow banks to deploy their excess liquidity to better support economic growth rather than ⁠government growth."

 

Reuters

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted final rule and form amendments to reflect the requirements of the recently enacted Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act (HFIA), which will increase transparency into the holdings and transactions of directors and officers of foreign private issuers (FPIs). Directors and officers of FPIs with a class of equity securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) must begin disclosing their holdings and transactions in the FPI’s equity securities on March 18, 2026, the effective date of the HFIA Act. 

 

Reuters

SEC.gov

The Supreme Court has declined to hear a dispute over whether art generated by artificial intelligence can be copyrighted under U.S. law. The case involved Stephen Thaler, a computer scientist from Missouri who was denied a copyright for a piece of visual art made by his AI system. Thaler had appealed to the justices after lower courts upheld a U.S. Copyright Office ​decision that the AI-crafted visual art at issue was ineligible for copyright protection ​because it did not have a human creator. The Trump administration had urged the Supreme Court not to hear Thaler's appeal. "Although the Copyright Act does not define the term 'author,' multiple provisions of the act make clear that the term refers to a human rather than a machine," the administration said.

 

Reuters

BASF CEO Markus Kamieth has said that if the German chemical group finds its U.S. unit has a legal claim, it will sue for import tariff reimbursement after the U.S. Supreme Court nixed many of President Trump's tariffs. "If this change in regulations does indeed result in a legal title for BASF Corporation, we of course have a fiduciary duty to pursue this claim," he said.

 

Reuters

Blackstone’s $82bn flagship private credit fund, Bcred, experienced $1.7bn in net outflows in the first quarter, marking a significant test for the $2tn private credit industry as investor unease grows. Redemption requests reached 7.9% of the fund’s assets, exceeding the 5% threshold that allows Blackstone to limit withdrawals. To meet requests in full, Blackstone and its employees invested $400m into the fund, a move the firm said demonstrated alignment with investors rather than liquidity strain. While Bcred attracted nearly $2bn in new commitments during the quarter, it faced approximately $3.7bn in redemption requests. The outflows come amid broader industry pressures, including high-profile writedowns, restructurings and a recent decision by rival Blue Owl to halt redemptions in one of its funds. The developments are closely watched as a potential stress test for semi-liquid private credit funds, which allow periodic exits despite holding illiquid assets. 

 

Bloomberg

Financial Times

Reuters

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson has escalated his criticism of the company's board, accusing it of poor governance and slow engagement regarding his proposed changes. In a letter to shareholders, Wilson expressed frustration with the lack of responsiveness from the board, claiming it does not possess the brand expertise needed for Lululemon's long-term success. In response, the company stated that it has engaged with Wilson in good faith and disagreed with his version of events. Wilson is advocating for a board refresh and has proposed three director candidates but feels his requests have not been properly considered. Lululemon noted it has sought to meet with Wilson’s nominees but faced restrictions placed by him.

 

Bloomberg

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

​The departments of State, Treasury, and Health and Human Services have moved to cease their use of Anthropic's AI products. The trio of U.S. cabinet-level agencies join the Pentagon in switching to rivals such as OpenAI under the auspices of a new White House directive. President ​Donald Trump has ordered all U.S. government agencies to phase out their use of Anthropic, which has been declared a supply-chain risk by the ​Defense Department.

 

Reuters

Goldman Sachs' departing top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, is to testify before the U.S. House Oversight ​Committee after having resigned over links to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Ms. Ruemmler welcomes the opportunity to appear before the Committee,” said Jennifer Connelly, her spokeswoman. “At the time she interacted with Jeffrey Epstein, she was a practicing criminal defense attorney and shared a client with him,” Connelly said. “She has done nothing wrong and had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal activity on his part.” Documents recently released by the U.S. Justice Department ​showed Ruemmler accepted gifts from Epstein and ​advised him on handling media inquiries about ⁠his crimes.

 

Bloomberg

CNBC

Reuters

France 24 reports that self-styled "influencers" in Dubai are grappling with the shocking reality of missile strikes as Iran retaliates against U.S.-Israeli military actions. Many expatriates shared videos of smoke rising above the city, expressing disbelief at the sudden violence. Israeli influencer Hofit Golan exclaimed: "OMG!" as she filmed a nearby building on fire. The situation marks a "back-to-reality" moment for influencers, who often remain disconnected from geopolitical issues.

 

France 24

Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Tessa West, a professor of psychology at New York University and the author of “Job Therapy: Finding Work That Works for You”, says many members of Gen Z “are woefully unprepared for surviving - let alone thriving - in their jobs”. She believes “a combination of having fewer real-world relationship experiences, spending their education years in remote environments, and learning to communicate largely through asynchronous methods [means] these 20-somethings have missed opportunities to develop the skills needed to navigate the complex world of work.” Her suggested remedy is that leaders must change how they think about communication for everyone in the workplace with one goal in mind: “Make it clear and direct.”

 

Wall Street Journal

Burger King appeared to mock rival McDonald’s after a video of chief executive Chris Kempczinski tasting the new Big Arch burger was widely criticized online for his unconvincing reaction. The fast-food chain posted a clip of its U.S. and Canada president, Tom Curtis, enthusiastically taking a large bite of a Whopper and joking that the only thing missing was a napkin, prompting social media users to compare the two videos. Burger King said the clip, originally filmed in February to promote an updated Whopper with a new bun and packaging, was shared as a “fun way” to highlight the product amid the online buzz around McDonald’s latest burger launch.

 

USA Today

International Business Times