Preview of US Stock Market | Three major stock index futures all fell, ceasefire agreement dawn ushered in 37.2 billion US dollars to enter the US stock market.

1. Before the U.S. stock market opened on Friday, the futures of the three major U.S. stock indexes fell together. As of the time of writing, Dow Jones futures fell by 0.35%, S&P 500 index futures fell by 0.36%, and Nasdaq futures fell by 0.57%. 2. As of the time of writing, the DAX index in Germany fell by 1.36%, the FTSE 100 index in the UK fell by 0.51%, the CAC 40 index in France fell by 0.86%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 index fell by 1.27%. 3. As of the time of writing, WTI crude oil rose by 2.25% to $96.61 per barrel. Brent crude oil rose by 2.25% to $104.18 per barrel. Market News Ceasefire Agreement Sparks "Greedy Hour" in U.S. Stock Market! $37.2 billion enters the market, setting a new weekly inflow record since the 2024 election. In the week ending on March 25, the hope of easing tensions in the Middle East due to U.S. President Trump's delay of attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure and proposal for a war-ending agreement boosted market sentiment. Strong fund inflows were attracted to U.S. stock funds. Data from the London Stock Exchange Group shows that investors poured a net $37.24 billion into U.S. stock funds, marking the largest single-week inflow since mid-November 2024 and breaking a trend of net selling for three consecutive weeks. Iran: The Strait of Hormuz has been closed. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, and any passage through this route will face "severe measures." Ships are prohibited from passing through any route or traveling to any destination "between ports of enemies, hostile allies, and supporters of the United States and Israel." Earlier reports from Iranian media stated that three container ships of different nationalities were forced to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz after warnings from the Iranian navy. Pricing system collapses! Middle East oil price benchmarks distorted by war, forcing Asian refiners to activate "Plan B." Distortions caused by the war have led to significant price fluctuations, prompting Asian oil refiners to seek alternative pricing mechanisms for Middle East crude oil benchmarks. They believe that the current benchmarks have become disconnected from the reality of the physical market. As the shortage of barrels used to assess prices in the region worsens due to the war, key benchmark prices in the Middle East become increasingly volatile; meanwhile, actions by France's TotalEnergies also contribute to this instability. The price of Oman crude oil had once neared $180 per barrel, causing concerns on Wall Street that the reality of oil shortages may be more serious than it appears prices later fell sharply. Federal Reserve's Barr: Middle East conflict adds uncertainty, "standing still" is the optimal choice at present. Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr stated that policymakers have the capability to maintain interest rates unchanged, but the ability to push inflation back to the 2% target has become complex due to factors such as the Middle East conflict. Barr emphasized that the impact of tariffs on inflation may persist beyond this year, while also noting that non-housing services inflation and core inflation excluding volatile food and energy categories remain high. In a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Thursday, Barr stated, "Given the significant uncertainty about the potential impact of developments in the Middle East on the U.S. economy, combined with the other factors I mentioned, it is just prudent to spend a little time assessing the situation. Our current policy stance puts us in a good position to maintain stability while evaluating data, evolving forecasts, and risk balances." Individual Stock News Market volatility does not hinder expansion pace, Blue Owl (OWL.US) of Rio Tinto plc Sponsored ADR Family Office Channel deepens private placement market. According to reports, Blue Owl Capital Inc. is expanding its specialized team to attract ultra-high-net-worth individuals to the private placement market. The organization believes that investors will temporarily set aside recent market anxieties and further increase exposure to this traditionally limited sector. Currently, Blue Owl is working to revitalize investor confidence in its flagship retail fund and actively seeking cooperation with family offices, covering a variety of opportunities from large-scale joint investments to collective investment tools. A year ago, the company poached Blake Shorthouse from KKR (KKR.US) to lead this business layout, and the team has now expanded to about 8 people. According to sources, by the end of last year, out of Blue Owl's $307 billion in managed assets, funds from affluent investor institutions accounted for only $9 billion. Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOGL.US) triggers reshuffle in storage chip stocks with "black technology": Surging flash memory stocks stand at a crossroads. The continued sell-off of storage chip stocks for two days has revealed differentiation within the artificial intelligence investment boom. A breakthrough technology promoted by Alphabet Inc. Class C is believed by analysts to potentially suppress demand for certain types of storage chips, while affecting others minimally. On Friday, stocks of flash memory manufacturers for long-term storage devices used in running artificial intelligence, including Kioxia Holdings, which had seen significant gains in the past few months, continued to decline. Meanwhile, leading enterprises in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for artificial intelligence accelerators like NVIDIA Corporation showed stable stock prices, Samsung Electronics recovered all lost ground, and SK Hynix was close to doing the same. Banco Santander S.A. Sponsored ADR (SAN.US) expects profit growth and efficiency improvement, warns of inflation and slowdown risks. Banco Santander S.A. Sponsored ADR Executive Chairman Ana Botn stated that the bank's efficiency will improve this quarter, and annual profits will grow in 2026. "In the first quarter of 2026, we continued the positive trend of recent years, achieving growth in customer base and revenue; at the same time, costs are expected to decrease year-on-year," Botn said in a speech prepared for Banco Santander S.A. Sponsored ADR's annual shareholder meeting on Friday. Therefore, she expects "efficiency to improve by about 250 basis points." Despite this, Botn also emphasized the increasing economic uncertainty. She pointed out, "The world is facing a situation of rising inflation and slowing growth, and over time, these threats are becoming increasingly likely." Novartis AG Sponsored ADR Pharmaceuticals (NVS.US) acquires Excellergy for $2 billion, strengthens focus on food allergies and immune diseases. Novartis AG Sponsored ADR Pharmaceuticals has agreed to acquire biotechnology company Excellergy Inc. for up to $2 billion to enhance its product portfolio in the treatment of food allergies and other immune diseases. The Swiss pharmaceutical company stated that the deal includes upfront and milestone payments and is expected to be completed in the second half of this year, subject to various conditions including regulatory approvals. The core asset of this acquisition is the innovative candidate drug Exl-111 developed by Excellergy. As a novel trispecific effector cell response inhibitor (ECRI), Exl-111 primarily targets the IgE (immunoglobulin E) mediated immune pathway. It is understood that IgE is a key factor in the treatment of various allergic diseases, triggering an exaggerated response in the body to substances that are normally harmless. End of ChatGPT's monopoly era! Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) reportedly opening Siri to external AI assistants, transforming iPhone into an "AI gateway platform." According to sources, Apple Inc. plans to open Siri to external artificial intelligence (AI) assistants as part of an effort to strengthen the iPhone's position as an AI platform. Sources state that Apple Inc. is preparing for this change as a major upgrade to Siri in the upcoming iOS 27 operating system update. Currently, Siri can call ChatGPT through a partnership with OpenAI, but Apple Inc. will allow Siri to integrate with other competitive products. These changes are part of Apple Inc.'s efforts to reverse its decline in the AI field, where the company has long lagged behind its Silicon Valley peers. Giving a new look to Siri, which was first launched nearly 15 years ago, is at the core of this turnaround plan. Sources indicate that Apple Inc. is developing new tools to allow AI chat applications like Siasun Robot&Automation, installed through the App Store, to integrate with Siri. Important Economic Data and Events Preview 22:00 Beijing time: Final value of the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index for March in the U.S. 01:00 Beijing time the next day: Total U.S. Rig Count for the week ending on March 27. 23:00 Beijing time: Remarks by FOMC Voter and Richmond Fed President Barkin in 2027. 23:30 Beijing time: Opening remarks by FOMC Voter and San Francisco Fed President Daly at a conference on macroeconomics and monetary policy in 2027. 23:35 Beijing time: Speech by FOMC Voter and Philadelphia Fed President Paulsen on economic prospects and monetary policy in 2026. 03:30 Beijing time the next day: CFTC releases its weekly Commitments of Traders report.