Top Pros' Top Picks 3/16/26

Author

Mike Larson
March 16, 2026

Mike Larson | Editor-in-Chief

Crude oil prices are holding most of their recent gains, though they’ve been retreating the last few hours. Stocks are bouncing back along with Treasuries, while gold and silver are giving up some ground. The dollar is dipping.

Iranian missile and drone attacks continued in the Middle East over the weekend, as did US and Israeli strikes in Iran and Lebanon. President Trump asked several foreign nations to join US efforts to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, but he has received a mixed response so far. Only a small handful of tankers have transited the waterway since the conflict began Feb. 28 amid worries over mine and missile damage.

Meanwhile, Iran targeted the United Arab Emirates’ main oil trading hub of Fujairah on Saturday. It lies outside the Strait, providing an alternate way for the UAE to get oil to market. Brent crude oil futures tagged $105 a barrel overnight before cooling off. US WTI futures were recently hovering around $95.

Brent, WTI Crude Oil Futures (% Change Since Feb. 27)

Source: TradingView

War talk has largely drowned out central bank chatter recently. But the Federal Reserve is meeting this week, as are several major foreign central banks. The Fed won’t cut interest rates on Wednesday with higher oil prices putting upward pressure on inflation. But investors will be listening for clues on what it might do at the next few meetings.

Finally, Meta Platforms Inc. (META) is reportedly considering thousands of layoffs as it ramps up AI spending. The firm could eliminate 20% of its workforce – at a time when it’s also planning $135 billion in capital expenditures to build out data centers and expand its AI initiatives.

Meta just inked a mega-deal for AI computing capacity with Nebius Group NV (NBIS), for instance. Meta will get $12 billion in services through 2027, plus another potential $15 billion over a half-decade. Meta stock rose 3% in early trading, while Nebius stock jumped 14%.

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MARKET OVERVIEW

S&P 500

6,632.19 (-0.61%) ↓

VIX

25.07 (-7.80%) ↓

Dow Jones Industrial Average

46,558.47 (-0.26%) ↓

Gold

$5,026 per ounce (-0.71%) ↓

Nasdaq Composite

22,105.36 (-0.93%) ↓

Oil

$95.44 per barrel (-3.31%) ↓

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TOP INVESTING IDEA

In this panel from the 2026 MoneyShow Las Vegas, Andrew McCormick, Ophelia Snyder, Tony Edward, Merlin Rothfeld, and Matt Hougan break down how blockchain infrastructure is starting to reshape the financial system. The conversation covers the stablecoin race, why major financial firms are rushing into the space, how tokenized assets could change trading and settlement, and what the next phase of crypto regulation may look like.

The panel also digs into whether the ETF market is becoming overcrowded, how tokenization could affect traditional investment products, and why the move toward blockchain-based rails may have consequences far beyond crypto. 

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FEATURED PICKS FROM MONEYSHOW EXPERTS

  • Consumer Confidence: How Will People React as Energy Prices Jump?
    👉️ TICKER: SPY
    Reflecting some answers pre- and some post-the start of the war, the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index slipped a modest 1.1 points in March to 55.5. That was a bit better than the estimated 54.8. The internals were mixed, though, as current conditions were up while expectations fell, writes Peter Boockvar, editor of The Boock Report.

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LARSON'S LINKS
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UPCOMING EVENTS