Bank of Japan Signals Rate Flexibility Amid Yen Volatility 
Oil Prices Surge Amid Middle East Tensions as Houthi Attacks Escalate Conflict 
Aluminum Prices Surge Toward Four-Year Highs After Gulf Smelter Strikes 
Iran Strikes Oil Tanker Near Dubai Amid U.S. Threats and Ongoing Middle East Conflict 
Gold Prices Rebound in Asia Amid Iran War Ceasefire Hopes 
China Manufacturing PMI Hits 12-Month High Amid Energy Price Concerns 
U.S. Trade Rep Dismisses WTO's Future Role After Failed Cameroon Summit 
Australia Bans Card Payment Surcharges Starting October 2025 
Goldman Sachs Sees Value in European Real Estate Stocks Despite Sharp Selloff 
Bessent: Global Oil Market Well Supplied as U.S. Eyes Hormuz Navigation Control 
Bank of Korea Nominee Shin Hyun-song Calls for Flexible Monetary Policy Amid Iran War Risks 
RBC Capital: European Medtech Firms Show Minimal Middle East and Energy Risk Exposure 
South Korea March Exports Expected to Surge to Near Five-Year High Amid AI-Driven Chip Demand 
U.S. Stock Futures Surge After WSJ Report on Trump's Iran War Exit Strategy 
Asia Markets Tumble as Gulf Conflict Drives Oil Prices to Historic Highs 
WTO Digital Trade Moratorium Expires Amid Stalled Negotiations 
Oil Prices Surge to Record Monthly Highs as Middle East War Rattles Global Markets 
U.S. stock index futures held steady Wednesday evening after the S&P 500 hit a record high, driven by Netflix’s strong earnings and optimism over President Donald Trump’s AI investment initiative. S&P 500 Futures were flat at 6,118.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures dipped 0.1% to 21,970.50. Dow Jones Futures remained steady at 44,354.0 points.
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) shares soared 10% after reporting 19 million new subscriber additions in Q4 2024, smashing expectations. Revenue rose 8% to $9.5 billion, while net income increased 12% to $915 million. The streaming giant announced U.S. and international price hikes, citing higher programming investments.
AI stocks surged as Trump unveiled a $500 billion AI initiative, Stargate, a joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), and SoftBank (TYO:9984). The project aims to build AI data centers and power facilities in Texas, boosting the sector’s growth. Oracle shares rose 7%, Microsoft gained 4.1%, and Nvidia climbed 4.4%.
Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM) surged 16%, while Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) rose 2%, pushing the S&P 500 to a record high of 6,100.81 points before closing 0.6% higher at 6,086.28. The NASDAQ Composite rose 1.
