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Thursday, Mar 19, 2026
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Midday Stock Roundup

Indexes jumped in midday trading on prospects of Democrat control of the Senate will lead to higher government spending.

The S&P 500 climbed 1.3% to 3,775.96 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 1.9% to 30,961.18 and the Nasdaq rose 0.4% to 12,871.30.

The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond increased 9.8% to 1.049%.

Oil climbed 1.8% to $50.85 a barrel.

The price of gold fell 2.4% to $1,908 per ounce.

DRUG MAKER

Newport Beach-based Evolus Inc. (Nasdaq: EOLS) jumped 15% to $4.05 a share and a $137 million market cap. The provider of aesthetic products to remove wrinkles revealed it has paid Oxford Finance LLC $76.4 million to discharge all its outstanding obligations.

FINANCE

Santa Ana-based Banc of California Inc. (NYSE: BANC) rose 11% to $17.13 and an $859 million market cap. Other Orange County-based banks also increased including Pacific Premier Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq: PPBI), up 9.7% to $34.50 and a $3.3 billion market cap, First Foundation Inc. (Nasdaq: FFWM), up 4.9% to $20.92 and a $934 million market cap, and Pacific Mercantile Bancorp. (Nasdaq: PMBC), up 4.4% to $5.43 and a $129 million market cap. The KBW Nasdaq Bank Index, which tracks regional banks, jumped 7.6% to 105.53.

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Peter J. Brennan
Peter J. Brennan
With four decades of experience in journalism, Peter J. Brennan has built a career that spans diverse news topics and global coverage. From reporting on wars, narcotics trafficking, and natural disasters to analyzing business and financial markets, Peter’s work reflects a commitment to impactful storytelling. Peter’s association with the Orange County Business Journal began in 1997, where he worked until 2000 before moving to Bloomberg News. During his 15 years at Bloomberg, his reporting often influenced financial markets, with headlines and articles moving the market caps of major companies by hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2017, Peter returned to the Orange County Business Journal as Financial Editor, bringing his heavy business industry expertise. Over the years, he advanced to Executive Editor and, in 2024, was named Editor-in-Chief. Peter’s work has been featured in prestigious publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, and he has appeared on CNN, CBC, BBC, and Bloomberg TV. A Kiplinger Fellowship recipient at The Ohio State University, he leads the Business Journal with a dedication to uncovering stories that matter and shaping the local business community and beyond.
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