Public Markets 3h Briefing

Market Volatility

Bank stocks wsj.com plunged as investors fretted over credit risks and AI disruption fears. The S&P 500 recorded its worst weekly performance since June, with consumer lenders like American Express among the hardest hit.

Fixed Income

Treasuries bloomberg.com posted their best monthly gain in a year as yields fell across the curve. The bond market signaled growing unease over geopolitical tensions and private credit contagion risks bloomberg.com.

Private Markets

Apollo Global Management bloomberg.com netted $250 million in paper profits from x AI debt investments. Meanwhile, SpaceX bloomberg.com is targeting a confidential IPO filing as soon as March, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Commodities

Oil futures wsj.com rose on increased risk of U.S.-Iran conflict, while gold wsj.com capped its most historic month ever with an 11% February gain. U.S. crude production hit a six-month low in December at 13.7 million barrels per day bloomberg.com.

Currency & Macro

The dollar investing.com posted its first monthly gain since October amid geopolitical tensions and hawkish Fed signals. The New York MTA threatened to sue the Trump administration over $60 million in stalled subway funding bloomberg.com.

Corporate & Credit

RBC faced high-yield desk attrition bloomberg.com after losses tied to First Brands' collapse. Wells Fargo investing.com upgraded Liberty Formula One citing balanced risk-reward, while Figs Inc investing.com received bullish Wall Street coverage following strong Q4 results.

Tech & AI

OpenAI investing.com hit a $730 billion valuation after Amazon, NVIDIA, and SoftBank injected $110 billion. The crypto market saw trend-following funds find relief after January's sharp selloff bloomberg.com.

Regional Concerns

The collapse of UK property lender Market Financial Solutions ft.com sent shockwaves through Wall Street, with lenders facing losses linked to a Bangladeshi politician's real estate empire.