March 28 External Headlines: Rubio Says Iran Conflict Will Continue for 2 to 4 Weeks, Iran Nuclear Facilities Attacked, Refuses to Respond to Negotiations, US Big Seven Stocks Lose Over $850 Billion

Global financial media’s headlines of joint concern last night and this morning mainly include:

1. Rubio states the war with Iran will last “weeks rather than months”; Iran nuclear facilities attacked refuse to respond to negotiations

2. U.S. House Republicans abandon TSA funding agreement, forming a new standoff with the Senate

3. U.S. stocks sold off, heavily impacting AI leading stocks; “Big Seven” tech companies lose over $850 billion in market value

4. Meta faces legal setbacks, plunging 12% in two days; aggressive AI capital spending and legal risks pressure its stock price

5. Guggenheim Chief Investment Officer: Persistently high oil prices may lead to a 10% drop in U.S. stock market

6. Roubini believes the probability of the U.S. escalating the war with Iran exceeds 50%, expects the Fed will have no choice but to raise interest rates

Rubio states the war with Iran will last “weeks rather than months”; Iran nuclear facilities attacked refuse to respond to negotiations

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the U.S. expects military operations against Iran to conclude in weeks rather than months, and that all objectives can be achieved without deploying ground troops.

After meeting with G7 foreign ministers in France, Rubio told reporters that Washington’s “military operation is progressing in line with or even faster than expected and is anticipated to conclude at an appropriate time — taking weeks, not months.”

Although Rubio stated that objectives can be achieved without ground troops, he acknowledged that some forces are being deployed to the region “to ensure the president has the maximum range of options and flexibility in case of unforeseen circumstances.”

Rubio discussed with G7 foreign ministers a possibility that, even if the conflict ends, Iran may still attempt to levy tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that countries in Europe and Asia benefiting from trade through this waterway should work together to ensure freedom of passage and downplay U.S. reliance on that trade.

U.S. House Republicans abandon TSA funding agreement, forming a new standoff with the Senate

President Donald Trump’s direct payment to airport security personnel alleviated one of the most troublesome issues for lawmakers in the immigration enforcement dispute, but it effectively stifled momentum for a funding agreement in Congress.

House Republicans on Friday rejected a bipartisan Senate bill aimed at ending the partial government shutdown and providing funding for most functions of the Department of Homeland Security.

Instead, they plan to vote on a spending proposal that would fund the department, including immigration enforcement and border patrol, until May 22. This will create a new confrontation with Senate Democrats, who have stated that such a proposal is doomed to fail without new constraints on Trump’s immigration enforcement actions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated plans for a vote as soon as possible, suggesting it could happen as early as this weekend.

U.S. stocks sold off, heavily impacting AI leading stocks; “Big Seven” tech companies lose over $850 billion in market value

Over the past week, rising inflation has heightened concerns that interest rates will remain elevated for a longer period, alongside unfavorable factors facing individual companies, leading to a significant downturn in large tech stocks.

The overall market value of the “Big Seven” tech companies has cumulatively evaporated over $850 billion in the past week.

Meta recorded its worst weekly performance since October 2025, with a decline of over 11% during the week. Earlier this week, the company lost a landmark social media lawsuit, prompting continued reactions from Wall Street.

Meta faces legal setbacks, plunging 12% in two days; aggressive AI capital spending and legal risks pressure its stock price

Meta Platforms’ stock fell nearly 4% on Friday, continuing a nearly 8% drop from the previous trading day.

This decline comes as the company faces adverse rulings in two separate legal cases. A jury in New Mexico ruled that Meta must pay $375 million in fines for failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platform. A jury in Los Angeles found the company liable for a young woman’s social media addiction, ordering it to pay approximately $4.2 million.

Analysts from Bloomberg Industry Research stated that settlement costs for addiction claims could reach billions of dollars. Meta has stated it disagrees with the ruling and is exploring its legal options.

Guggenheim Chief Investment Officer: Persistently high oil prices may lead to a 10% drop in U.S. stock market

Guggenheim Partners Investment Management stated that if oil prices remain high for several months, the U.S. stock market could drop by up to 10%, and the retail-driven “buy the dip” approach that has supported the market in recent years may be affected.

The company’s Chief Investment Officer Anne Walsh stated that if crude oil prices continue to hover around $100 per barrel for three consecutive months, as fuel costs rise and begin to pressure household budgets and investor sentiment, the stock market will face significant downside risk, with greater risks stemming from behavioral shifts rather than inflation.

“When people need to spend more money to fill up their tanks, they start making choices,” Walsh said in an interview. “This could affect consumer sentiment and ultimately impact market sentiment.”

The risk lies precisely in this, especially if the pace of AI adoption exceeds expectations.

Roubini believes the probability of the U.S. escalating the war with Iran exceeds 50%, expects the Fed will have no choice but to raise interest rates

Roubini predicted that President Donald Trump is more likely to escalate the war with Iran to seek victory rather than retreat and risk more severe consequences for the economy and international order.

The former White House economist stated during an interview at a conference of economists and business leaders at Lake Como in Italy on Friday: “My baseline judgment is that the probability of escalation exceeds 50%. The chance of escalating and failing is lower than the chance of escalating and winning, but it comes with enormous risks.”

The CEO of Roubini Macro Associates offered a relatively optimistic view on the issue of the Iran war. He is well-known for issuing pessimistic warnings at the critical moment of the 2008 global financial crisis.