President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony for newly sworn in Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, March 24, 2026.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Hello, this is Dylan Butts writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.
Markets are struggling for direction as investors weigh ever-shifting signals from the Iran conflict.
On Tuesday, there were some indications from Washington on a possible de-escalation in the Mideast conflict. But between Trump’s claims of talks with Iran and Tehran’s denial, as well as reports on a potential U.S. troop deployment in the Middle East, investors and observers are understandably confused.
What you need to know today
President Donald Trump reiterated on Tuesday that the U.S. and Iran were “in negotiations right now” and suggested Tehran was eager to make a peace deal, even as the Islamic Republic denies it is in direct talks with Washington.
Those comments were followed by a report from The New York Times, citing two unnamed officials, suggesting that Washington had sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war.
That plan was reportedly sent through Pakistan, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently saying that his country was willing to facilitate talks between the warring parties.
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, however, reported that the Pentagon was readying plans to deploy about 3,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
As investors track these quickly shifting signals and reports, U.S. stocks pulled back in Tuesday trading, giving back some of the sharp gains seen in the previous session. Futures for key indexes, however, were trading higher.
Oil prices, which rallied on Tuesday after tumbling in the prior session, resumed their slide and were last down 6%.
Meanwhile, impacts from the conflict in the Middle East continue to reverberate worldwide. The Philippines on Tuesday became the first country to declare a “national energy emergency” as the ongoing conflict threatens fuel supply chains.
— Dylan Butts
And finally…
Meta must pay $375 million for violating New Mexico law in child exploitation case, jury rules.
A New Mexico state court jury on Tuesday held Meta liable for $375 million in civil damages after a trial that centered on allegations that the tech giant violated state consumer protection laws and misled residents about the safety of apps like Facebook and Instagram.
The civil trial began with opening arguments in Santa Fe last month. New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2023 following an undercover operation involving the creation of a fake social media profile of a 13-year-old girl that he previously told CNBC “was simply inundated with images and targeted solicitations” from child abusers.
— Jonathan Vanian
