Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Market Volatility and Energy Crisis
The S&P 500 wsj.com showed resilience even as the U.S. Senate green-lit attacks against Iran amid escalating Middle East conflict. European bond markets bloomberg.com saw stabilization last just one day as the energy crisis quashed rate-cut bets. Korea's Kospi investing.com fell 12% in a single day amid massive foreign investor liquidation, while South Korea's benchmark investing.com bounced nearly 10% after an Iran-driven rout. The euro bloomberg.com is sliding as a surge in oil and natural gas prices calls attention to Europe's vulnerability, with the common currency slumping on oil-price surges that lift the Canadian dollar. Sterling investing.com outperformed the euro amid market deleveraging.
Energy Markets and Geopolitics
Adani Total Gas Ltd. bloomberg.com tripled gas prices for industrial consumers beyond 40% of their daily allocation as the Middle East war squeezes fuel availability. Asian LNG prices bloomberg.com surged to three-year peaks over Iran conflict, forcing a shutdown at the world's largest export plant in Qatar. Saudi Arabia wsj.com started shifting crude exports to the Red Sea as Hormuz disruption mounted, with about 10 million barrels loaded from the Al-Muajjiz terminal in the first four days of March. Bangladesh bloomberg.com is preparing to reduce deliveries to petrol pumps as the country tries to stretch existing reserves amid escalating Middle East conflict. India's Mangalore Refinery bloomberg.com halted fuel exports as Iran war hits feedstock, telling customers it will suspend oil product exports.
Corporate Performance and Earnings
JD.com wsj.com posted its first quarterly loss in more than three years as the food-delivery subsidy war in China continued to take a toll. Best Buy wsj.com forecasted tepid growth as consumer demand slows, projecting weak growth for the year ahead. Nissan ft.com warned of Sunderland closure if UK excluded from 'Made in Europe' rules, with EU proposals requiring vehicles for corporate fleets and small EVs to be assembled within the bloc. Volkswagen Group wsj.com delivered 4 million all-electric vehicles since 2013, taking around 10 years to deliver its first million pure electric vehicles and one year to reach four million deliveries. Target wsj.com accelerated in-store investments, planning to open more than 30 locations this year as part of its strategy to drive long-term, sustainable growth.
Financial Markets and Investment
High-grade firms bloomberg.com snapped a week-long absence from Europe's debt market, with borrowers including Baker Hughes offering the continent's first high-grade corporate debt deals in a week. Broadcom wsj.com AI business is booming while the rest is complicated, having difficulty impressing investors with blowout chip projections. DoorDash wsj.com tapped Ziwe and Rob Rausch for social ads people actually like, putting social at the heart of marketing. CrowdStrike wsj.com CEO shook off software concerns as fourth-quarter sales rose, saying demand and revenue are climbing despite market fears about AI's impact. USA Rare Earth Inc. bloomberg.com is planning to acquire the remaining minority interest of a Texas rare earth deposit in an all-stock transaction valued at about $73 million.
Central Bank and Policy Responses
The European Central Bank bloomberg.com should avoid knee-jerk reactions to the war in Iran and stick to its data-focused approach to setting interest rates, according to Governing Council member Olli Rehn. The ECB bloomberg.com is monitoring the impact of surging energy costs due to the Iran war extremely carefully and will consult projections to decide whether action is needed, according to Governing Council member Joachim Nagel. The Swiss National Bank bloomberg.com repeated its intervention threat with inflation stuck near zero, with Vice-President Antoine Martin saying the central bank's willingness to intervene to stem gains in the franc has risen amid fallout from the US war in Iran.
Emerging Markets and Global Trade
Bangladesh readies cuts to cope with energy supply disruption as the country tries to stretch existing reserves. Indian automakers bloomberg.com delayed Mideast shipments as Iran war snarls exports, with a clutch of companies delaying shipments to the Middle East and North Africa. Southeast Asian governments wsj.com are on alert for economic impact of Iran crisis, taking steps to limit fallout from higher oil prices and supply-chain disruptions. Mainland Chinese investors bloomberg.com sold a record $3.5 billion of Hong Kong stocks in a single session, underscoring waning appetite for the city's shares seen as more vulnerable to geopolitical uncertainty.
Technology and AI Impact
A new worry bloomberg.com is rippling across the stock market: entire businesses, not just their employees, may be thrown out of work due to AI. While most economists say fears of an AI job apocalypse are overblown, concerns about "creative destruction" are growing. The economic question ft.com we forget to ask about AI isn't about singularity or robot takeovers, but who captures the value added. Private equity firms finance.yahoo.com are weighing data company deals amid AI fears, with concerns about potential regulatory scrutiny and technological disruption.
Precious Metals and Safe Havens
Gold and the US dollar ft.com jumped as investors turned to gold, not bonds, as a haven from war in Iran amid fears of an inflation shock. Silver prices investing.com have limited upside over the next 12 months according to UBS. Fresnillo wsj.com earnings jumped on higher precious metal prices, with record prices for gold and silver enabling the miner to deliver its highest dividend since listing in 2008.
Defense and Aerospace
South Korean defense contractor LIG Nex1 Co. bloomberg.com shares jumped on reports that Gulf nations may expand orders for its missile interceptors to fend off Iranian strikes. Airbus investing.com gained after Citi upgraded stock to Buy and lifted target price. Wizz Air investing.com shares fell 8% after Middle East crisis triggered profit warning, with the airline warning that the conflict could impact its financial performance.
Banking and Financial Services
Banks bloomberg.com are issuing significant risk transfers at a record pace as they use the tool to hedge a wider range of loans, including leveraged buyouts and fund financing. 7IM bloomberg.com says Middle East risks won't be priced in by markets "until we get another week or two" into the war. Allianz Global Investors bloomberg.com is considering purchasing dollars after months betting against the US currency as the war in the Middle East revives its status as a haven asset. State Street Investment Management bloomberg.com and Apollo Asset Management discussed the risks and opportunities of integrating private market products into retail investment strategies.
Corporate Restructuring and M&A
Magellan Financial Group Ltd. bloomberg.com shares surged the most in about 20 years after the Australian asset manager agreed to buy Barrenjoey Capital Partners in a deal valued at about A$1.6 billion. USA Rare Earth Inc. is planning to acquire the remaining minority interest of a Texas rare earth deposit in an all-stock transaction. MMG Ltd. bloomberg.com is seeking M&A opportunities to boost its copper portfolio and assessing takeover targets in Latin America and Africa.
Real Estate and Construction
UK construction activity bloomberg.com unexpectedly declined at a sharper pace in February, with housebuilding particularly weak according to a closely watched survey. Britain's housebuilding slowdown deepened in February, with the closely watched PMI showing unexpected declines. New Zealand house prices bloomberg.com edged higher in February, though the property market remained broadly subdued with values still down on a year earlier and more than 17% below their 2022 peak.
Retail and Consumer
Primark wsj.com got a permanent CEO as owner ABF looks to steady ship, with Eoin Tonge taking the reins at a time when the retailer faces sluggish sales. Rentokil investing.com shares jumped 12% as North America growth lifted 2025 results. Admiral Group investing.com earnings beat drove shares up. WH Smith investing.com reported slower LFL growth in H1 amid UK softness, with shares slipping.
Media and Entertainment
Paramount bloomberg.com is on track to be one of the biggest borrowers in the US high-yield bond market after Fitch Ratings cut its credit ratings to junk following its Warner deal. ITV ft.com is 'actively engaged' with Sky to sell broadcast division, with chief Carolyn Mc Call saying a 5% slide in advertising revenue will not affect ongoing talks. Movie theaters wsj.com face competition from streaming, with calls to bring back live entertainment to compete.
Mining and Commodities
The Democratic Republic of Congo's mines ministry bloomberg.com said a landslide in a major tantalum mining area occupied by rebels left many dead on Tuesday. MMG Ltd. is seeking M&A opportunities to boost its copper portfolio. USA Rare Earth Inc. is planning to acquire a Texas rare earth deposit. Nigeria bloomberg.com is a winner at $85 oil while Congo has most to lose, with the surge in oil prices improving the current account balance of just three sub-Saharan African economies.
Technology and Innovation
Apple wsj.com used low prices to attack rivals during memory-chip crunch