On March 18, at dawn Beijing time, the three major U.S. stock indexes closed higher, continuing their upward trend from the previous trading day, with overall market sentiment optimistic. By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 46.85 points, or 0.10%, to 46,993.26 points; the NASDAQ Composite Index gained 105.35 points, or 0.47%, to 22,479.53 points; and the S&P 500 Index advanced 16.71 points, or 0.25%, to 6,716.09 points.

The energy sector emerged as the core main driver of the market’s performance. Driven by the Middle East situation and fluctuating crude oil prices, U.S. crude oil ETFs closed at 1097.1, up 19.79 points, or 1.84%. Stocks of energy companies such as Exxon Mobil gained more than 1%, becoming a key driving force behind the index’s rise. Airline stocks also performed strongly. With expectations that travelers are booking tickets in advance to hedge against rising fuel costs, Delta Air Lines surged over 6%, and United Airlines rose more than 3%.

Technology stocks showed internal divergence. The NASDAQ 100 ETF rose 0.49%, and the S&P 500 ETF increased by 0.26%, but certain growth stocks such as NVIDIA experienced slight declines, indicating a trend of market rotation from high-valued to low-valued stocks. European markets also strengthened, with Germany’s DAX index rising 0.71% to 23,730.92 points, forming a linked upward trend with U.S. stocks.

Currently, market focus is on the upcoming Federal Reserve monetary policy decision, with the market generally expecting the Fed to keep interest rates unchanged. Tony Pasquariello, Goldman Sachs’ hedge fund business chief, reminded that current downside risks to U.S. stocks are severely underestimated. Against the backdrop of持续geopolitical conflicts, he suggested investors appropriately increase cash allocation and adopt a defensive investment strategy.