CNBC Business News Update Market Midday: Stocks Higher, Iran Rejects US Peace Offer But Investors Are Optimistic, Diesel Prices Soar 3/25/26
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Mar 25, 2026 
Phil LeBeau, an automotive reporter tracking U.S. car-buying shifts and hybrid sales, and Rebecca Babin, a market strategist analyzing Strait of Hormuz flows and energy risks. They discuss maritime movements through the strait and how oil flows, not headlines, shape markets. They also cover surging diesel and rising pump prices, plus changing consumer preferences toward mid-size and hybrid vehicles.
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Markets Rally On Signs Of Shipping Normalization
- Wall Street rose midday as investors grew hopeful about U.S.-Iran communications rather than immediate ceasefire news.
- Rebecca Babin pointed to nine ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and an IMO letter as signs to watch before treating crude as a fundamentals trade.
Use Strait Transit Data Before Trading Oil
- Watch actual ship transits and IMO communications before trading crude on headlines.
- Rebecca Babin recommends using barrel flow data through the Strait of Hormuz as the key signal to shift trading stance.
Barrels Matter More Than Headlines For Oil
- Shipping volume, not headlines, will determine when oil trading shifts from headline-driven to fundamentals-driven.
- Babin: if headlines flow faster than barrels, the market still has a problem despite rhetoric easing.