US Stock Market Three Major Indices Decline Collectively, International Oil Prices Surge

On March 24, the three major U.S. stock indices all declined. As of the latest report, the Dow fell 0.72%, the Nasdaq dropped 0.50%, and the S&P 500 decreased by 0.49%.

In commodities, international oil prices surged. As of the latest report, WTI crude oil rose nearly 5%, trading at $92.3 per barrel.

Global News

Iran’s Supreme Leader Advisor Reaffirms Conditions to End War

Iran’s new Supreme Leader military advisor, Raisi, emphasized in an interview broadcast on Iran’s national TV on March 23 that Iran will only cease war once it receives full compensation, all economic sanctions are lifted, and it gains international legal guarantees that the U.S. will not interfere in Iran’s affairs. Raisi also stressed that the dispute between Iran and the U.S. is not only about this conflict or the June 2022 attack by Israel and the U.S. on Iran, but has persisted for 47 years since the victory of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, and must be “settled once and for all.”

Pakistani Prime Minister: Ready to Host US-Iran Talks

According to Reuters on March 24, the Pakistani Prime Minister stated that Pakistan is prepared to host talks between the U.S. and Iran to resolve ongoing conflicts.

Israeli Media: U.S. Plans to End Iran War by April 9

Israeli Ynet News reported on March 23 that an Israeli official said the U.S. has set April 9 as the target date to end the war against Iran. The official also indicated that talks between Iran and the U.S. are expected to take place later this week in Pakistan.

Insider Trading Again? $600 Million Oil Futures Sold Before Trump’s Relaxed Remarks

Before the U.S. stock market opened on Monday, Trump suddenly announced on social media that he would pause attacks on Iran’s energy facilities for five days and claimed to have had productive talks with Iran. However, after the market sharply reversed, warnings of insider trading emerged. Between 6:49 and 6:50 a.m. New York time on Monday, approximately 6,200 Brent and WTI crude oil futures contracts changed hands—just 15 minutes before Trump’s statement.

Middle East Conflict Shatters Rate Cut Dreams! Market Starts Discussing Rate Hikes; Deutsche Bank: Fed Will Avoid Past Mistakes

Investors initially expected the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates two to three times this year, but now many believe there may be no rate cuts at all. Some are even discussing the possibility of rate hikes. According to CME’s FedWatch tool, the probability that the federal funds rate will remain at the current 3.5%-3.75% level through the December 2026 meeting is as high as 74%.

New Strong Cycle of Storage Begins! Wedbush: Some Product Prices Could Rise by 150%

Wall Street investment bank Wedbush recently pointed out that the surge in memory demand driven by AI infrastructure development and tight supply will push the prices of certain memory products up by over 100%. In a report released Monday, Wedbush analysts stated that DRAM and NAND storage prices are rising rapidly, with expected price increases reaching triple digits by the first half of 2026 compared to the fourth quarter of 2025.

Company News

Largest Chip Manufacturing Plan Ever Launched: Why Is Elon Musk So Ambitious?

Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced one of his most ambitious visions yet—Terafab. On March 22, Musk held a launch event for the Terafab project in Austin, Texas, announcing the joint effort by Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI to build a 2-nanometer wafer factory. This project is seen as a key move for Musk to break through the global chip supply bottleneck.

Maps Also Going “Commerce”: Apple Expands Advertising Footprint to Boost Service Revenue

Well-known Apple leaker Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to introduce ads into its Maps app as part of its strategy to boost revenue from its services division. Gurman cited sources saying the announcement could come as early as this month. The system will operate similarly to Google Maps’ ad model, allowing retailers and brands to bid for ad placements around search keywords.

SK Hynix Plans U.S. IPO to Raise Up to $10 Billion for AI Infrastructure

It is reported that South Korea’s SK Hynix is planning to raise between 10 trillion and 15 trillion Korean won (approximately $67 to $100 billion) through a U.S. listing. Major memory chip manufacturers are rushing to expand capacity to meet the demand driven by the AI boom.

OpenAI in Talks with Fusion Startup Helion for Major Energy Deal; Altman Resigns to Avoid Conflicts

Early Tuesday in Beijing, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that he will resign as chairman of Helion, a fusion energy startup in which he has invested, as Helion begins exploring large-scale cooperation with OpenAI. Altman wrote on social media that it’s difficult to serve on both companies’ boards as they discuss collaboration. His resignation will make it easier for both companies to handle related matters.

Alibaba Damo Academy Launches Xuantie C950: 5nm Process, Over 3x Performance of Previous Generation

Alibaba’s Damo Academy chief scientist Meng Jianyi stated that the Xuantie C950, the “world’s highest-performance RISC-V CPU,” uses a 5nm process, runs at 3.2GHz, and scores over 70 in the SPECint2006 benchmark, setting a new global record for RISC-V CPU performance. It is suitable for cloud computing, generative AI, high-end robotics, and edge computing, with an overall performance more than three times that of the previous Xuantie C920.