Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Wall Street brunch, our Sunday look ahead to this week's

market-moving events, along with the weekend's top news and analysis.

Hello, today is Sunday March 8th, and I'm your host, Kim Khan.

The oil market will remain the key focus this week after WTI Crude posted its biggest weekly

rise since the contract launched in 1983, up 36%.

WTI and Brent Futures that are traded on the hyperliquid blockchain top $95 a barrel over the weekend.

On IG Group's weekend market, which offers spread betting and CFDs, U.S. crude was trading just below 95.

Kuwait has reduced production and refining as the conflict in the Middle East sends ripple

effects across the region, including a near total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Qatar's energy minister warned that Persian Gulf exporters could shut down production

within days, potentially driving oil to $150 a barrel.

Prediction markets are also pricing in further upside. On polymarket traders see about a 25%

chance that oil tops $150 a barrel, a 90% probability it moves above $100, and a roughly 7% chance

that declines past $200. Economists of Goldman Sachs say a sustained 10% rise in oil prices typically boosts headline

CPI by about 28 basis points.

If oil prices increased by $10 and remain elevated for three months, U.S. year-over-year

headline CPI inflation could likely rise from 2.4% in January to 3% in May, they said.

We'll get the latest consumer inflation numbers on Wednesday when the February CPI is released.

Forecasts call for a 0.3% monthly gain in the headline,

with the annual rate nudging up to 2.5%.

Core CPI is expected to rise 0.2% on the month,

with the yearly rate holding at 2.5.

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