Global Markets: U.S. Stock Indices Rise Collectively, Memory Chip Stocks Rally, International Oil Prices Surge Over 2%

U.S. Stock Market: The three major U.S. stock indices all closed higher on March 17. At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 46.85 points to 46,993.26, up 0.1%; the S&P 500 increased 16.71 points to 6,716.09, up 0.25%; the Nasdaq Composite gained 105.35 points to 22,479.53, up 0.47%.

Most large tech stocks rose, with Qualcomm, Google, and Amazon up over 1%, Tesla up 0.94%, Apple up 0.56%, Nvidia down 0.7%, Broadcom down over 1%, and Intel down over 3%.

In earnings reports, Lululemon’s Q4 revenue for fiscal 2025 was $3.64 billion, up 1% year-over-year; diluted EPS was $5.01, compared to $6.14 in the same period last year. Oklo reported a net loss of $106 million for fiscal 2025, compared to a net loss of $73.62 million last year; plans to deploy its first power plant by 2028.

Several storage chip stocks hit new closing highs, with Western Digital up over 9%, Micron Technology up over 4%, and SanDisk up over 2%. Airline stocks rose, with Delta up over 6% and American Airlines up over 3%.

Most popular Chinese concept stocks declined, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index down 0.73%. Tencent Music dropped over 24%, Kingsoft Cloud down over 4%, Xpeng Motors down over 4%, iQiyi down over 2%; Bilibili up over 4%, GDS Holdings up over 2%.

European Markets: The three major European stock indices all closed higher on March 17. The FTSE 100 in London closed at 10,403.6, up 85.91 points or 0.83%; France’s CAC 40 closed at 7,974.49, up 38.52 points or 0.49%; Germany’s DAX closed at 23,730.92, up 166.91 points or 0.71%.

Commodity Markets: International oil prices rose on March 17. At the close, NYMEX WTI crude futures for the current month increased $2.52 to $96.02 per barrel, up 2.70%. COMEX gold futures for the current month rose $9.10 to $5,011.30 per ounce, up 0.18%. COMEX silver futures fell $1.22 to $79.46 per ounce, down 1.51%. Spot gold declined $0.80, or 0.02%, to $5,005.75 per ounce. Spot silver dropped $1.45, or 1.80%, to $79.30 per ounce.

Overnight Headlines

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Confirms: Company Confident in Surpassing $1 Trillion in Revenue Next Year

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang recently stated that the previously mentioned goal of $1 trillion in annual sales from AI acceleration chips does not include other product lines. Huang also mentioned in a keynote that by the end of 2027, Nvidia’s new generation AI acceleration chips will generate at least $1 trillion in revenue. His latest comments suggest that as the company enters new markets, total revenue will exceed this level.

Iranian President Confirms Larry Gagné’s Death and Issues Condolences

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi issued an official statement early on the 18th local time, mourning the death of Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme Security Council and former Speaker of Parliament, in a recent terrorist attack. Raisi highly praised Larijani’s outstanding contributions and emphasized that his passing is a “huge irreplaceable loss” for the Islamic Republic of Iran. He also stressed that despite Larijani’s death, Iran will continue to pursue a “rational and visionary” resistance strategy.

Inflation Anxiety Spikes as Central Bank Takes Lead in “Super Week”

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised interest rates by 25 basis points for the second time in two months, citing the impact of Middle East conflicts on inflation expectations, taking the lead during “Super Week.” According to the RBA’s monetary policy statement released on Tuesday (March 17), five members voted to raise the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.10%, while four members believed it should remain at 3.85%.

Apple’s 50th Anniversary Approaching, Cook Denies Retirement Rumors: Can’t Imagine Life Without Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook dismissed rumors of his upcoming retirement in a media interview on Tuesday, calling such reports pure speculation. When asked about reports suggesting he might step down, Cook responded, “No, I’ve never said that. I love my work. I joined Apple 28 years ago, and I enjoy every day since.”

Cold Reception to Inviting Allies for Strait of Hormuz Escort, Trump: U.S. No Longer “Needs” NATO Countries’ Help

President Trump tweeted on the 17th that most NATO allies have informed the U.S. they are unwilling to participate in military actions against Iran involving the U.S. and Israel. He stated that the U.S. no longer “needs” NATO countries and others’ assistance. Trump said he was “not surprised” by their actions and described NATO as essentially a “one-way street”: “We will protect them, but they won’t do anything for us, especially when we need them.”

World’s Largest Sovereign Wealth Fund Warns of Crisis in European Capital Markets

The head of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund issued a warning that European capital markets are facing a crisis and need urgent action to repair. Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), said on Tuesday that Europe must act quickly to integrate its capital markets. “In terms of capital markets, we really need to pick ourselves up; the winners will take all. Capital always flows to the most liquid and highest-valued markets, so solving this is crucial.”

Top Five German Car Manufacturers Expect Profit Decline in 2025; China Market Becomes Key “Observation Window” for Transformation

Following Audi’s earnings report, the five major German automakers’ 2025 performance figures have been released. As expected, impacted by tariffs, electric transition challenges, and sluggish sales in China, brands including Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche all project a decline in 2025. Amid increasing external uncertainties, the German auto industry is currently “turbulent.”

OpenAI Reportedly to Sell AI Services to U.S. Government via Amazon Cloud

According to sources, AI company OpenAI has signed a new agreement to sell its AI model access to the U.S. Department of Defense and government agencies through Amazon Web Services, for handling classified and unclassified work. This contract allows OpenAI to support the Pentagon based on an agreement reached at the end of last month. Previously, the Pentagon had abandoned its original AI supplier, Anthropic.

Argentina Officially Withdraws from WHO

Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Kirlino confirmed on the 17th that the country has officially exited the World Health Organization. Kirlino stated on social media that the decision for Argentina to leave WHO has taken effect.

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