Most Important News

1. Iran President Sets Three Conditions to End War, Seeks US, Israel Compensation;
2. Microsoft Eyes Massive Texas Data Center Abandoned By Oracle;
3. FBI Warns Of Potential Iranian Drone Attacks On California;
4. Oil Spikes Despite Record IEA Reserve Release;

Stock futures declined sharply on Thursday as escalating oil prices fueled supply concerns amid the Iran conflict.

As of 08:28 EST (or 3:28 PM in Riyadh), the broad-based S&P 500 Futures fade 41.0 points or 0.60% to 6,738, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Futures are trading lower by 146.5 points or 0.57% to 24,837, the blue-chip Dow Jones Futures weaken 376.0 points or 0.79% to 47,072.

Crude prices surged, with WTI and Brent both jumping around 6%, despite a US announcement to release oil from its strategic reserve.

As of 03:28 PM Riyadh Time, top pre-market movements are as follows:

Oil Spikes Despite Record IEA Reserve Release

West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 8.45% to $94.62 despite International Energy Agency releasing 400 million barrels of emergency reserves, after reports Iran targeted three more vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, stoking inflation concerns and pressuring risk assets. Read in detail>>

US To Release 172M Barrels Of Oil

Late Wednesday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US will release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It will take about 120 days to deliver the fuel. 

Polymarket Traders Turn Bearish On S&P 500

S&P 500 index(SPX.US) closed 0.084% lower as Polymarket pricing implies only 12% odds of a higher March 12 open, with $26,319 wagered, amid surging oil, Iran shipping attacks, tighter private-credit conditions, and rising 10-year Treasury yields. Read in detail>>

Iran Warns Oil Could Hit $200

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said ending the war requires recognition of Iran’s rights, compensation from the US and Israel, and guarantees against future aggression. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned oil could reach $200 per barrel and reportedly attacked three commercial ships Wednesday.

US To Trim Strategic Oil Reserves

United States plans to slightly reduce Strategic Petroleum Reserve holdings, signaling potential marginal supply increase to crude markets. Move may influence oil-linked instruments including United States Oil Fund Lp Units(USO.US) and broader risk sentiment reflected in ETF-S&P 500(SPY.US). Read in detail>>

FBI Warns Of Potential Iranian Drone Attacks

FBI warning of possible Iranian drone strikes on US West Coast heightens geopolitical and homeland-security risk, potentially pressuring broad US equities via heightened volatility in ETF-S&P 500(SPY.US), defense-sector repricing, and energy-market risk premia. Read in detail>>

ARK Redefines Defense Around Space, AI

ARK Invest pivots “defensive” exposure toward space infrastructure, AI-enabled semiconductors, drones, and secure networks, highlighting ARKX holdings Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.(KTOS.US), AeroVironment, Inc.(AVAV.US), Rocket Lab(RKLB.US), Teradyne, Inc.(TER.US), Trimble Inc.(TRMB.US), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(AMD.US), and Archer Aviation(ACHR.US) as structural defense beneficiaries. Read in detail>>

Oil Surge Hits Futures, Delays Fed Cuts

US equity futures fall as Brent nears $100, stoking inflation fears and pushing Goldman Sachs to delay expected Federal Reserve rate cuts to September; Dow Jones Industrial Average(DJI.US), S&P 500 index(SPX.US), NASDAQ-100(NDX.US) futures drop alongside rate‑sensitive Russell 2000 . Read in detail>>

Trump Administration Revives Trade Pressure Campaign

US launches two new trade probes into industrial overcapacity and forced labor across 16 partners, seeking to rebuild tariff leverage after Supreme Court curtailed President Trump’s prior tariff program, potentially reshaping import costs, supply chains, and corporate margin outlooks. Read in detail>>

Nvidia Backs Nebius With $2 Billion

Nebius Group N.V. Class A(NBIS.US) soared 16.2% after announcing a $2 billion strategic investment from NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA.US), validating its AI technology and lifting shares despite a subsequent 2.7% after-hours pullback, with the stock still well below its 52-week high. Read in detail>>

Bumble Soars On Strong Earnings Outlook

Bumble, Inc. Class A(BMBL.US) jumps 22.89% premarket after beating Q4 expectations and issuing strong Q1 revenue guidance, despite weak medium- and long-term trend and growth scores in Benzinga Edge rankings, highlighting short-term momentum versus structurally weaker longer-term profile. Read in detail>>

Morgan Stanley Limits Redemptions Amid Outflows

Morgan Stanley(MS.US) falls 2.42% after restricting redemptions in its private credit fund due to elevated withdrawals, with Benzinga Edge ratings flagging weak price trends across all timeframes and poor quality score, raising concerns over liquidity management and investor confidence. Read in detail>>

UiPath Drops Despite Beat, Buyback Plan

UiPath, Inc. Class A(PATH.US) slides 9.21% despite Q4 earnings beat and new $500 million share repurchase program, while guiding fiscal 2027 revenue to $1.754–$1.759 billion above prior $1.744 billion estimate, yet maintaining weak trends and value rating in Benzinga Edge assessments. Read in detail>>

Adobe Edges Lower Ahead Of Earnings

Adobe Systems Incorporated(ADBE.US) dips 0.36% before reporting, with analysts expecting $5.87 EPS on $6.28 billion revenue; Benzinga Edge cites weak price trends across timeframes and moderate quality score, focusing investor attention on whether results can reaccelerate growth and sentiment. Read in detail>>

Amazon Plans €14.5 Billion Euro Bond

Amazon.com, Inc.(AMZN.US) files pricing term sheet for up to €14.5 billion eight-tranche euro-denominated bond offering with the SEC, signaling major debt raise likely for refinancing, capital expenditure, or strategic investments, potentially impacting leverage profile and funding costs. Read in detail>>

Nvidia Showcases Alpamayo, Expands AV Platform

NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA.US) CEO Jensen Huang publicly demoed Alpamayo self‑driving software in a Mercedes, calling it human‑like and “revolutionary,” previewed a 2027 robotaxi network, integrated Hesai Group(HSAI.US) LiDAR into DRIVE AGX Hyperion 10, and highlighted open‑source AI agent platform NemoClaw. Read in detail>>

Broadcom Unveils High-Speed AI Data Chip

Broadcom Limited(AVGO.US) launches Taurus BCM83640 networking chip enabling 1.6–3.2 Tbps optical modules, doubling per-connection data throughput and improving energy efficiency in AI data centers, reinforcing its AI infrastructure leadership and supporting surging hyperscaler demand. Read in detail>>

Microsoft Eyes Massive Texas Data Center

Microsoft Corporation(MSFT.US) is negotiating to lease a large Texas data center site abandoned by Oracle Corporation(ORCL.US), signaling continued hyperscale cloud expansion, potential multi‑billion‑dollar infrastructure investment, and intensifying US regional competition for AI, cloud computing, and enterprise workloads. Read in detail>>

Oracle Invests $2.2 Billion In TikTok

Oracle Corporation(ORCL.US) invests $2.2 billion for a 15% stake in TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, valuing TikTok’s US business near $14 billion after ByteDance’s divestiture under US national security law, while also hosting TikTok’s US data and security infrastructure. Read in detail>>

Palantir Falls Amid Geopolitics, ETF Flows

Palantir(PLTR.US) premarket shares fell 1.06% to $150 as Iranian Revolutionary Guard named it a potential target, pressuring sentiment. Heavy weights in $IGV, $AIPI, $EGGY amplify ETF-driven volatility despite strong 12‑month gains and bullish analyst ratings. Read in detail>>