Weekly Market Recap | Mar 02 – Mar 08

Analyst Highlights

• Oil Market Shock: Supply disruptions and Hormuz shipping risks pushed WTI up 27.6% and Brent up 19.2% for the week, signaling deepening energy-market volatility.
• Inflation & Fed Outlook: Rising oil prices are reinforcing inflation risks, pushing Federal Reserve rate-cut expectations further out and increasing bond-market uncertainty.
• Defensive Positioning: Institutional investors turned cautious as hedge funds increased short exposure to U.S. equities and credit traders expanded downside protection.
• Global Credit Shift: Chinese banks are expanding overseas lending, reshaping the $9.5 trillion loan market and increasing competition for Western lenders.
• AI Acceleration: Artificial intelligence adoption continues accelerating, led by OpenAI security agents, Anthropic’s rapid growth, and China’s national AI strategy.

IPO’s in the week

• Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. VI (KCAC.U, NYSE) — SPAC targeting automotive, defense, energy, AI, and other high-growth sectors; IPO closed March 5, 2026 after NYSE trading began March 4, 2026; 23,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit; raised $230 million.
• GalaxyEdge Acquisition Corp. (GLEDU, NYSE) — Cayman Islands SPAC pursuing a global business combination search, excluding Greater China; units began trading March 4, 2026; 10,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit; raised $100 million.
• Robinhood Ventures Fund I (RVI, NYSE) — Fund offering investors exposure to private companies; IPO priced at $25.00 per share and began trading March 6, 2026; 40,000,000 shares offered; raised $1.0 billion.
• GalaxyEdge Acquisition Corp. (GLEDU, NYSE) — Cayman Islands SPAC pursuing a global business combination search, excluding Greater China; units began trading March 4, 2026; 10,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit; raised $100 million.

Markets Weekly

1. S&P 500 closed at 6,740.02, down 141.60 points (+0.97%) for the week. 
2. Russell 1000 closed at 3,678.44, down 82.17 points (-2.19%) for the week.
3. Russell 2000 closed at 2,525.30, down 130.64 points (-4.92%) for the week.
4. Russell 3000 closed at 3,831.64, down 90.64 points (-2.31%) for the week.
5. CBOE (VIX) closed at 29.49, up 8.05 points (+37.55%) for the week.
6. Dow Jones closed at 47,501.55, down 1,403.23 points (-2.87%) for the week.
7. Nasdaq closed at 22,387.68, down 361.18 points (-1.59%) for the week.
8. Bitcoin closed at 65,969.78, down 2,806.07 points (-4.08%) for the week.
9. Ethereum closed at 1,936.60, down 90.67 points (-4.47%) for the week.
10. Solana closed at 81.62, down 5.01 points (-5.78%) for the week.
11. XRP closed at 1.3414, down 0.0496 points (-3.57%) for the week.
12. Gold closed at 5,146.10, down 148.30 points (-2.80%) for the week.
13. Silver closed at 83.816, down 4.468 points (-5.06%) for the week.
14. WTI crude closed at 90.90, up 19.67 points (+27.61%) for the week.
15. Brent crude closed at 92.69, up 14.95 points (+19.23%) for the week. 

• China’s cheap bank funding is reshaping the $9.5 trillion global loan market, expanding overseas lending and pressuring international lenders. 
• Credit investors are buying derivatives protection as geopolitical and slowdown risks build across US and European markets.
• Bond traders are focused on upcoming US inflation data as rising oil prices push Fed rate-cut expectations further out.
• Goldman said hedge funds increased short bets on US stocks as Middle East tensions, oil risks, and volatility intensified.
• Stock and bond traders braced for another volatile open as Middle East escalation and oil-supply disruption rattled global markets.
• Aramco shares posted their biggest gain since 2023 as the Iran war disrupted supply routes and lifted oil-market risk. 
• Gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel prices climbed as the Iran war disrupted shipments through Hormuz and tightened global fuel supplies. 
• Oil-market turmoil is set to deepen as more Gulf producers curb output and Hormuz disruption drives prices sharply higher.

Politics Weekly

• S. weighs special-forces operation to seize Iran’s uranium, signaling escalation risk and renewed uncertainty over Tehran’s near-bomb-grade stockpile.
• Iran selected a new supreme leader as widening attacks and Hormuz disruption deepened the oil shock across Gulf markets.
• Hormuz traffic remained near standstill for a seventh day, with only Iran-linked commercial ships crossing the critical chokepoint.
• Trump’s Iran war is increasing US dependence on Europe for bases, airspace, logistics, and broader strategic support.
• Europe rushed to reinforce Cyprus after Iran war exposed Mediterranean vulnerabilities and stretched regional defense resources further.
• EU will press partners to help close Ukraine’s €30 billion funding gap as war costs rise.

The US and Venezuela agreed to restore diplomatic ties, signaling a major policy reset after Maduro’s ouster.

Technology Advancements in the week

• OpenAI launched Codex Security in research preview, advancing AI-driven vulnerability detection and raising pressure on legacy cybersecurity vendors.
• Anthropic neared a $20 billion revenue run rate, underscoring surging AI demand despite tensions with the Pentagon over safeguards.
• China is turning to AI-driven training and job creation as graduate jobseekers swell to 12.7 million this year

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