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With the ceasefire in the Middle East, Qatar is mobilizing engineers and workers to resume production at the world's largest liquefied natural gas export plant. The Ras Laffan facility is undergoing necessary maintenance, with some production expected to resume in the coming days. The overall annual capacity is 77 million tons of liquefied natural gas.

Bed Bath & Beyond announces the acquisition of F9 Brands for nearly $150 million to expand its Beyond Home Services platform. The transaction is expected to be completed after the 2026 shareholders' meeting. This move marks the company's shift toward high-value, project-oriented categories.

Barclays report indicates that the US-Iran ceasefire agreement is expected to improve European stock market sentiment, reduce geopolitical risks, and drive a short-term rebound. However, rising oil prices remain a major concern, potentially impacting global growth and inflation. It is expected that European corporate earnings growth will slow down by 2026, and high oil prices could completely offset earnings growth. Nevertheless, the global economy is in a more favorable position compared to the past.

Hovnanian Enterprises stock rose 4% after forming a $200 million joint venture with GTIS Partners. The partnership will be used for building and selling homes, with GTIS investing $150 million and Hovnanian contributing $50 million, involving seven different communities. The stock increase was also influenced by market strength following the Iran ceasefire agreement.

BTIG's survey shows that, influenced by the Iran conflict and rising mortgage rates, homebuilders experienced a significant decline in demand in March, with sales and foot traffic falling short of expectations. The proportion of builders reporting a decline in sales increased to 35%, and the proportion reporting a decrease in foot traffic also rose to 35%. Pricing conditions worsened, with more builders lowering prices and offering additional incentives. Overall, market confidence has become more cautious.

Aerospace and Defense Company Arxis Inc. plans to raise up to $1.06 billion through its initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, with plans to list on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol ARXS. The company reported a net profit of approximately $46 million last year and expects to incur a loss in 2024. Its main markets are in the defense and aerospace sectors.

Unity Software stock price rises 8% due to extension of VR partnership with Meta. The new agreement enhances support for VR developers, helping them create quality applications and games on Meta's platform. This collaboration continues the long-term partnership between the two companies in the virtual reality field.

Morgan Stanley analysis indicates that auto suppliers typically rebound strongly after energy crises, while tire manufacturers tend to be defensive during economic downturns and often recover quickly. Currently, market expectations are improving, leading to gains in the automotive sector. However, investors should exercise caution and pay attention to the potential long-term impacts of high oil prices.

Raymond James pointed out that the Islamabad ceasefire agreement could break down, mainly focusing on the specific details of reopening the strait, emphasizing that the ceasefire aims to protect energy infrastructure rather than genuine reconciliation. Attention should be paid to freedom of navigation, coordination with Iranian armed forces, and potential demining efforts.

Xcel Brands reports a fourth-quarter loss of -$0.32 per share, with revenue of $1.2 million, flat year-over-year but down 85% compared to fiscal year 2024. The company implemented cost-cutting measures, leading to an improvement in EBITDA loss. Revenue for fiscal year 2025 declined to $4.9 million, with a reduced adjusted EBITDA loss. Management is pleased with brand progress and expects new brands to be launched successively in 2026.

The United States and Iran have reached a ceasefire agreement, leading to declines in several defense and energy stocks. The Pentagon's war funding request is expected to be reduced from $200 billion to between $80 billion and $100 billion. The stock market generally rebounded, and crude oil prices also dropped nearly 14%.

SoftBank has commissioned banks to prepare for its first euro-denominated bond issuance and will hold an investor conference call. The potential issuance includes 6-year and 10-year fixed-rate unsecured bonds, coinciding with SoftBank Group's expansion of artificial intelligence investments.

After Trump agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Iran, Canadian and U.S. stock index futures surged significantly, gold prices also rose sharply, and crude oil prices fell due to hopes of shipping resumption. Analysts are paying attention to the oil transportation situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the implementation details of the ceasefire agreement.

Nurix Therapeutics announces Q1 FY2026 results, with an adjusted loss of -$0.79 per share, below expectations, and revenue of $6.25 million significantly below forecasts. Nonetheless, due to strong cash position, the stock price rose by 3.06%. The company focuses on developing bexobrutideg for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with R&D expenses increasing.

Beasley Broadcast Group in Florida announced its Q4 earnings, with losses smaller than expected, and the stock price surged 111.53% in pre-market trading. Despite a 21.1% year-over-year decline in revenue, digital business revenue increased by 9.7%. The company has implemented cost-cutting measures, and future debt will be significantly reduced.

Investing.com - After a two-week ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, European steel manufacturers and mining stocks surged on Wednesday, easing energy supply concerns and generally boosting metal prices.
As of 07:35 AM Eastern Time(, 11:35 AM Greenwich Mean Time), shares of Salzgitter, ArcelorMittal, Aperam, ThyssenKrupp, Acerinox, Otto Kunz, and SSAB rose between 7.5% and 16.5%.
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European steel producers are highly sensitive to energy costs, which have been a pressure on the sector since the escalation of Middle East conflicts.
Expectations of a potential disruption in the Strait of Hormuz supply drove oil prices sharply lower on Wednesday, providing relief for energy-intensive industries.
Mining stocks also rose

Samsung Electronics' shareholder, Shinhan Bank, plans to sell 15 million shares through block trades, with a transaction value of up to 3.1 trillion KRW, making it one of the largest stock sales in Korea. The proceeds will be used to pay high inheritance taxes, and the transaction is expected to be completed before April this year.

Investing.com -- According to Bloomberg on Wednesday, Standard Chartered Bank is seeking to merge its majority stake in Zodia Custody Ltd. with a digital asset operations division under its umbrella.
The report states that the bank plans to integrate Zodia's cryptocurrency custody business into its corporate and investment banking division, which offers similar services.
Under this plan, Zodia Custody will continue to operate as an independent SaaS business for digital asset custody.
It is currently unclear whether Standard Chartered has engaged in negotiations with minority shareholders of Zodia Custody, including Northern Trust, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, National Australia Bank, and SBI Holdings.

As the situation in the Middle East changes, the temporary ceasefire agreement between Iran and the U.S. has had a huge impact on the current market!

We can see that after the market received news of the Middle East situation changing, the US dollar index suddenly plummeted, dropping over 60 points in an instant, which in turn drove many non-USD currencies higher. The RMB also appreciated as a result, and the gold market was no exception, experiencing a significant surge. Prices once soared to around 4858, with a large bullish candlestick on the daily chart, catching many off guard. Is this the arrival of spring for gold? Is it too soon, leaving no opportunity to get in...

As gold prices gradually pull back, is now a good entry point? Regarding this question, Xiaoli advises caution; because today's sudden rise in gold was mainly driven by geopolitical tensions, which are not strongly related to the market itself. Although the price has increased

U.S. stock index futures surged on Wednesday as Trump announced a temporary ceasefire agreement with Iran, boosting market expectations for an improvement in Middle East tensions. The sharp decline in oil prices supported expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, leading to a strong stock market performance. Energy stocks pulled back, while airline and mining stocks rose. Meanwhile, the seven major U.S. tech giants generally advanced, with Levi's stock soaring.