[U.S. Stock Market Opening] Dow Jones opens down 22 points, Nasdaq rises 0.3%, U.S. February CPI in line with expectations, oil prices up about 2% (updating continuously)

U.S. February inflation data met expectations across the board, with the overall CPI year-over-year increase holding steady at 2.4%, and the month-over-month rise rising by 0.1 percentage points to 0.3%. Core CPI remained at 2.5% year-over-year, while the monthly increase slowed by 0.1 percentage points to 0.2%. However, it is worth noting that this does not yet reflect the impact of the Middle East war causing international oil prices to surge.

International oil prices rose about 2%, with New York crude up 1.7% at $84.89 per barrel, and Brent crude up 2% at $89.6.

The Dow opened down 22 points at 47,683, the Nasdaq rose 0.3% to 22,765, and the S&P 500 gained 7 points to 6,788.

Hong Kong stocks and ADR markets are continuously updating. For details, see: Next Page

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Market Trends:

[21:30] The Dow opened down 22 points at 47,683; Nasdaq up 0.3% at 22,765; S&P up 7 points at 6,788.

[19:04] Dow futures up 133 points; Nasdaq futures up 0.2%; S&P futures up 16 points.

[01:50] Dow futures up 121 points at 47,866; S&P futures up 18 points at 6,805; Nasdaq futures up 58 points or 0.2% at 25,041.

[12:47] [Iran Crisis] Oil prices rise; Federal Reserve stance shifts hawkish? US banks: market may be misjudging the situation; large rate cuts still possible.

[10:48] [Iran Crisis] EIA: Brent crude will stay above $95 for the next two months; expected to fall back to around $70 by year-end.

[09:53] NVDA | NVIDIA partners with competitors of OpenAI, providing 1 gigawatt Vera Rubin chips to Thinking Machines.

[08:59] [Fed Chair] Republican Senator Thom Tillis meets with Waller, reiterates that the DOJ will block nominations before ending investigation of Powell.

[08:31] [Iran Crisis] IEA reportedly proposes releasing over 180 million barrels from oil reserves; oil prices turn from rising to falling.

[07:45] [AI + Defense] Anthropic states its AI tools are blacklisted, potentially costing the company billions.

[07:25] [AI + Oracle] Oracle beats earnings expectations, surges 8% after hours.

[06:26] [Iran Crisis] Iran plans to lay sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz; thousands in stock; Trump: will face unprecedented military consequences (updating).

Below $1: U.S. stock market on March 10====

Tuesday: White House: US did not escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz; Dow turns down 34 points; oil prices sharply recover.

Market focuses on latest developments in Middle East, oil prices remain soft, and the Dow turns lower. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright posted on social media that the U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, but the post was soon deleted. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. did not escort any ships.

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The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded, claiming the U.S. military escort story is a complete lie, and any actions by the U.S. and allies will be blocked within Iran’s missile and drone range.

Markets hope for an end to the US-Iran conflict. NY crude closed at $83.45, down 11.94%; Brent crude also fell 11.28%, closing at $87.8.

The Dow once rose 479 points but closed down 34 points at 47,706; the S&P fell 0.21%; the Nasdaq edged up 0.01%. The Golden Dragon Index, reflecting Chinese concept stocks, rose 1.96%.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday was the most intense day of military action against Iran, with the most fighters and bombers deployed. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley said the U.S. is striking Iranian missile boats.

Hegseth said this was a targeted, precise strike, not a prolonged “nation-building” campaign.

UAE oil refinery operations have been suspended after drone attacks. Seven countries’ energy ministers (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US) held a meeting Tuesday to discuss releasing oil reserves. CNBC sources say the U.S. considers a joint release of 300-400 million barrels appropriate.

Amazon is returning to the bond market. Bloomberg reports the company is issuing up to 11 tranches, with maturities from 2 to 50 years. The longest tranche, maturing in 2076, is preliminarily priced about 1.55 percentage points above U.S. Treasuries.

The dollar index fell 0.3% to 98.93; U.S. 10-year Treasury yields steadied at 4.159%. Gold rebounded 1.9% to $5,206 per ounce.

Key stocks: Memory stocks continued to rebound; Micron (MU) up 3.5%, back above $400; Sandisk (SNDK) up 5%.

Oracle (ORCL) will report earnings after market close.

JH Henderson’s global multi-asset team head Adam Hetts and portfolio manager Oliver Blackbourn said that supply disruptions, rising oil and gas prices, and lack of clear cooling pathways are increasing inflation risks and market volatility. If conflict persists, economic pressures could deepen; but U.S. political considerations might quickly resolve the situation as a “victory” or rapid end, leaving asset outlook uncertain.

Hong Kong stocks and ADR markets are continuously updating. For details, see: Next Page

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Market Trends:

[21:30] Memory stocks rebound; Micron up 2%; Dow up 101 points; Nasdaq up 0.3%; oil prices retreat 8%.

[18:00] Dow futures up 101 points; Nasdaq futures up 0.3%; oil prices retreat 7%; Oracle (ORCL) earnings after close.

[12:43] Dow futures down 183 points at 47,586; S&P futures down 24 points at 6,777; Nasdaq futures down 84 points or 0.3% at 24,906.

[12:09] [Apple] Apple reduces reliance on China; iPhone production in India now accounts for 25%.

[11:00] AI + Defense | Anthropic sues, demands U.S. DoD remove from blacklist.

[10:31] [Iran Crisis] Trump says war will end soon; gold stabilizes and rebounds.

[08:28] [Iran Crisis] Dozens of oil tankers reach the strait, Iran issues warnings; Trump at press conference: war with Iran will end soon but no timeline promised (updating).

[08:26] [AI + NVIDIA] NVIDIA reportedly plans to launch open-source AI platform “NemoClaw.”

[08:00] [Apple] Apple reportedly delays smart home display device launch, waiting for new Siri.

Below $1: U.S. stock market on March 9====

Monday: Trump: War nearly over; oil prices plunge; Dow surges 239 points

U.S. President Trump told foreign media that the war is almost over, and it’s very complete; Iran has no navy, no communications, no air force, only scattered missiles. Their drones are being destroyed everywhere, including drone manufacturing plants.

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“If you look, they have nothing left. In military terms, there’s nothing remaining,” Trump said. The U.S. can do many things in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Iran that blocking the waterway will have consequences. “They’ve shot all they can, they’d better not play any tricks, or it will be the end of their country… If they do anything bad, it will be Iran’s end, and you will never hear that name again.” Trump also said the strait is currently open, claiming ships are entering, but he is still “considering taking control.”

That same afternoon, the U.S. Department of Defense posted on X (formerly Twitter): “We are just getting started” and “We will not show mercy.”

Following the statements, oil prices plummeted, and U.S. stocks rose. Brent crude fell 1.5% to $91.2; NY crude dropped 3.4% to $88.

The Dow initially surged 886 points to a high of 46,615 but closed up only 239 points at 47,740; the S&P fell 0.8%; the Nasdaq rose 1.4%, closing at 22,695.

Brent crude once surged nearly 30%, approaching $120 per barrel. G7 finance ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss coordinated release of strategic petroleum reserves by IEA to counter the spike after Gulf tensions.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the G7 has not yet decided on releasing emergency reserves after the US-Israel war.

In Brussels, Lescure told reporters, “Our consensus is to use all necessary means to stabilize the market, including possible release of reserves.” He noted that governments are closely monitoring the situation, with no supply issues so far in Europe and the U.S.

Japan’s Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said, “The IEA calls on countries to coordinate releasing oil reserves. Given current circumstances, the G7 agrees to continue closely monitoring energy markets and take necessary measures, including releasing reserves.” He added that OECD, World Bank, and IMF officials are involved. The G7 will soon hold a ministerial meeting to discuss further steps.

As of 2022 data, IEA member countries’ emergency oil reserves under OECD control are estimated at over 1.2 billion barrels, mostly crude oil. IEA rules require all members to maintain emergency reserves equivalent to at least 90 days of net imports, sufficient to support at least three months of normal consumption.

Market stabilizes; the dollar index drops 0.1% to 98.877; U.S. 10-year Treasury yields fall to 4.107%.

Gold’s decline narrows to 0.6%, at $5,138; silver rises 2.5% to $86.63.

U.S. military continues to demonstrate force. According to BBC, U.S. B-52 and B-1 heavy bombers are stationed at Royal Air Force Fairford in the UK, with three B-52s landing in one day—the first time B-52s have appeared in the UK since the conflict began.

B-52s are typical “forward-deployed” strategic bombers, signaling a large-scale air campaign or imminent escalation. As heavily armed “old yellow cows,” once enemy air defenses are weakened, they can deliver massive conventional ground-attack munitions to destroy infrastructure, industrial targets, or large ground forces.

Additionally, U.S. stock markets will open one hour earlier at 9:30 p.m. Hong Kong time due to daylight saving time.

Swiss bank UBS notes that the oil market has entered a panic state, with prices surging into triple digits, mainly driven by market sentiment, as the conflict itself has not seen any substantial changes. So far, supply disruptions are mainly due to cautious ships avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, causing trade blockages, not military blockades. However, this week and beyond, Middle Eastern oil supply could face up to 75% shutdown.

The bank says it will continue to monitor the situation closely. No significant damage to energy infrastructure has been observed; Iran’s military power appears to be weakening. Solutions to ensure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remain feasible. Given the fog of war, they reaffirm a neutral stance on oil and natural gas, maintaining the expectation that energy prices will peak at current or slightly higher levels.

Hong Kong stocks and ADR markets are continuously updating. For details, see: Next Page

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Market Trends:

[18:20] Dow futures down 492 points; Nasdaq futures down 1.1%; oil surges over 10%, breaking $100; markets open one hour earlier.

[12:07] Dow futures down 1,006 points at 46,511; S&P futures down 130 points at 6,613; Nasdaq futures down 542 points or 2.2% at 24,127.

[12:07] [Iran Crisis] Iran conflict impacts financial markets; senior strategist Yardeni: probability of a market crash by year-end increases to 35%.

[11:15] Tencent reportedly plans to acquire Warner Bros. via Paramount, investing hundreds of millions.

[10:33] [Iran Crisis] Oil prices surge past $100, NY crude up 30%, with other Middle Eastern producers cutting output.

[10:20] [Iran Crisis] Oil prices spike, dragging down Asia-Pacific stocks; “Black Monday” hits Japan and Korea with declines over 7%; South Korea considers implementing oil price caps.

[09:56] [Iran Crisis] JPMorgan estimates Middle Eastern oil capacity may decrease by 4 million barrels daily by next weekend.

[09:50] [Iran Crisis] Schroders’ Alex Tedder: Oil may hit $100; “I won’t reduce energy stocks in the next two or three years.”

[08:17] [Iran Crisis] Gold drops over 2%, testing $5,000; oil surge intensifies inflation fears.

[07:30] [Iran Crisis] Black Monday begins; oil prices up 20%, approaching $111; Trump: low cost; Dow futures plunge 1,112 points (updating).

[07:30] [Global Outlook] Focus on Middle East conflict and US inflation data; markets open one hour earlier.

[07:30] Concerns over oil supply disruptions and worse-than-expected US jobs data caused last Friday’s sharp decline; Dow once fell 945 points to 47,009; VIX volatility index soared 21.6% to 28.88. The Dow closed down 453 points; S&P down 1.33%; Nasdaq down 1.59%.

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