Global Markets: U.S. Stock Indices Close Lower; Optical Communication Concept Stocks Rise Against the Trend; Gold and Silver Prices Advance

U.S. Stock Market: The three major U.S. stock indices closed lower on March 24. At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 84.41 points to 46,124.06, down 0.18%; the S&P 500 declined 24.63 points to 6,556.37, down 0.37%; the Nasdaq Composite dropped 184.87 points to 21,761.89, down 0.84%. According to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. President Trump said at the White House on the 24th that the U.S. and Iran are negotiating, and Iran has “agreed to permanently abandon nuclear weapons.” On the 24th, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the U.S. intends to propose a one-month ceasefire plan to discuss a 15-point agreement aimed at ending the war.

Large tech stocks mostly fell, with Oracle down over 4%, Google down over 3%, Microsoft, Netflix, and Micron Technology down over 2%, Amazon and Meta down over 1%, and Nvidia slightly down; Apple, Intel, and Tesla saw slight gains.

Optical communication stocks mostly rose, with Applied Optoelectronics up nearly 19%, Lumentum up over 10%, Corning up over 8%. Software stocks declined, with C3.ai down over 6%, Adobe down over 3%, and Applovin down over 5%.

Popular Chinese concept stocks showed mixed results, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index down 0.43%. Bilibili fell over 3%, Baidu, NIO, and NetEase down over 1%, Li Auto up over 3%, and Pinduoduo up 1.91%.

European Stock Market: The three major European indices on March 24 showed mixed performance. The FTSE 100 in London closed at 9,965.16, up 71.01 points or 0.72%; France’s CAC 40 closed at 7,743.92, up 17.72 points or 0.23%; Germany’s DAX closed at 22,636.91, down 16.95 points or 0.07%.

Commodity Markets: International oil prices plunged at the close. On the same day, NYMEX WTI crude oil futures for the current month rose $0.26 to $88.39 per barrel, up 0.30%. COMEX gold futures for the current month rose $67.60 to $4,474.9 per ounce, up 1.53%. COMEX silver futures rose $2.09 to $71.445 per ounce, up 3.01%. Spot gold increased $67.51 to $4,474.38 per ounce, up 1.53%. Spot silver rose $2.11 to $71.26 per ounce, up 3.05%.

Overnight Highlights

Ignoring Iran’s Denial, Trump Claims U.S.-Iran Negotiations Are Ongoing

On the 24th, President Trump said at the White House that the U.S. and Iran are negotiating, and Iran has “agreed to permanently give up nuclear weapons.” The day before, Trump claimed there was dialogue between the U.S. and Iran, but Iran explicitly denied this. Trump stated that the U.S. is “negotiating,” with Secretary of State Blinken and Vice President Harris involved alongside his son-in-law Kushner and special envoy Wittekov. He emphasized that the primary U.S. condition is that Iran “must never possess nuclear weapons,” and Iran has “clearly agreed to give up nuclear weapons forever.”

Israeli Media: U.S. Intends to Propose One-Month Ceasefire to Discuss 15-Point Iran Deal

According to Israel’s Channel 12 on the 24th, the U.S. plans to propose a one-month ceasefire to discuss a 15-point agreement aimed at ending the war with Iran.

Trump: Iran Agrees to “Never Possess Nuclear Weapons”

On the 24th, U.S. President Trump stated that the U.S. is negotiating with Iran and that U.S. forces have “freedom of action” over Tehran; he also said Iran has “begun rational communication” and has agreed to “never possess nuclear weapons.”

U.S. Engages Multiple Parties in Talks on U.S.-Iran Peace Possibility, Waiting for Iran’s Response

On March 24, CCTV learned that the U.S. is discussing with multiple mediators the possibility of high-level peace talks with Iran as soon as this week, but is still awaiting Tehran’s response. The U.S. has reportedly proposed a 15-point ceasefire plan, with some concessions on key clauses, but no definitive agreement has been reached. Meanwhile, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are acting as intermediaries, with Pakistan expressing willingness to host the talks.

Middle East Conflict Raises Living Costs; Poll Shows Trump’s Approval at New Low Since Re-Entering White House

According to CCTV News, a poll released Tuesday by Reuters and Ipsos shows Trump’s approval rating dropped from 40% last week to 36%, the lowest since he re-entered the White House. As Middle East conflicts impact ordinary Americans’ living costs, public perception of Trump’s handling of these issues has worsened significantly. The latest poll, conducted through Monday, shows only 25% of Americans approve of Trump’s management of living costs.

Arm Personally Develops Chips! 136-Core AI CPU Directly Competes with Intel and AMD

On Tuesday (March 24), Arm Holdings plc announced it has begun selling mass-produced self-developed chips for the first time, aiming to gain a larger share in the AI wave. During an event in San Francisco, Arm launched the “Arm AGI CPU,” designed for new data center workloads, offering leading rack-scale performance with matching scale and efficiency.

Thai Oil Tanker Safely Passes Strait of Hormuz, Signals Limited Passage for “Non-Hostile Ships”

According to CCTV and other media, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow confirmed on Tuesday that, after negotiations with Iran and Oman, a Thai oil tanker that had been anchored in the Persian Gulf for days successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Subsequently, Thai-listed company Bangchak announced that an oil tanker reloading its cargo from the Middle East recently safely transited the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel is currently crossing the Indian Ocean and is expected to deliver crude oil to Thailand in early April. The tanker had been anchored in the Persian Gulf since March 11.

NASA’s Major Strategic Shift: Abandon Lunar Orbit Space Station, Invest $20 Billion in Lunar Base

Amid accelerating global space competition and rising geopolitical tensions, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced on Tuesday that NASA will cancel plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and instead use related components over the next seven years to build a lunar base costing $20 billion.

Amazon Zoox to Launch Robotaxi in Austin and Miami, Commercialization Pending Approval

On Tuesday (March 24), Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary Zoox announced plans to launch its Robotaxi service to the public later this year in Austin, Texas, and Miami, Florida. Zoox will soon deploy its driverless taxis in limited areas within these cities for testing, initially serving only employees and their families and friends. Later, the company will introduce an “Explorer Program” allowing the public to join a waitlist and experience the service.

Amazon Rumors Trigger Software Sector Panic; “AI Disruption” Resurges

On Tuesday (March 24), U.S. software stocks plummeted following reports that Amazon is developing new AI tools, reigniting concerns of industry disruption that have persisted for months. As of press time, the iShares Expanded Tech Software Sector ETF (IGV) fell over 4.3%. UiPath and HubSpot declined over 8%, Palantir and SAP over 4%, Microsoft and Google C also dropped nearly 3%.

“The Big Seven” Fails Simultaneously! Wall Street Exclaims: AI’s Biggest Winner Has Changed Hands

In the turbulent and uncertain start of the 2026 U.S. stock market, one sector remains remarkably resilient: memory and storage. Despite recent declines in SanDisk, Western Digital, and Seagate, these companies continue to lead the S&P 500’s gains this year, performing strongly in 2025 as well.

U.S. Venture Capital Fund Surges 8x in 4 Days Since Listing—What Drives Retail Investors to Gamble Wildly?

As of press time, the Fundrise Innovation Fund (VCX), listed on the NYSE last Thursday, surged over 30% on Tuesday, with a latest price of $262, more than 8 times its IPO price of $31.25. (VCX minute chart, source: TradingView)

AI Battle Heats Up: Claude Can Operate Computers, AI Agents Moving Toward Practical Use

U.S. AI company Anthropic announced that its Claude model can now manipulate users’ computers to complete tasks, marking progress toward creating an AI agent competitive with OpenClaw (“Lobster”). According to Anthropic, upon receiving user commands, Claude can open applications, browse web pages, and fill out spreadsheets. This feature is available in macOS versions of Claude Cowork and Claude Code.

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