【US Stock Pre-Market】Trump May Deploy Military, Take Over Iran's "Harku Island" Dow Futures Down 134 Points (Continuous Update)

Oil price fluctuations. Axios citing four sources reports that the Trump administration is considering occupying or blockading Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The island handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Taking control of the island could expose U.S. troops to greater risk of attack.

If successful, the move could ease oil prices; if it fails, it could escalate conflict. Markets are betting on the latter, with Brent crude rising 2% at one point before fluctuating.

U.S. stock futures remain weak, with Dow futures down 135 points at 46,206, S&P 500 futures down 0.4% at 6,634, and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.5% at 24,448.

Gold prices are up 0.2% at $4,660, while silver prices have fallen 1.1% to $72.

Hong Kong stocks and ADR markets are continuously updating. See: Next Page

Market Trends:

[15:14] Dow futures down 12 points at 46,329; S&P futures down 8 points at 6,652; Nasdaq futures down 60 points or 0.2% at 24,519.

[15:04] NY crude oil drops 1% to $94.6; Brent crude drops 0.3% to $108.3. Gold in New York rises 1.6% to $4,681; spot gold up 0.7% at $4,681.

[15:04] SMCI (Super Micro Computer) plunges 20% in after-hours trading amid allegations of conspiracy to illegally export AI technology to China.

[12:54] Gold price attempted to reach $4,500, marking the weakest weekly performance in six years. Analysts say the safe-haven effect is not yet clear, and short-term outlook remains weak.

[12:41] AI + OpenAI: OpenAI plans to integrate ChatGPT, Codex, and others into a super app to simplify user experience and compete with Anthropic.

[11:19] AI + NVIDIA: Jensen Huang emphasizes that tech leaders should be cautious to avoid causing public panic over AI. “Warnings are good, but scare tactics are not.”

[10:19] Gold trend: Gold faces its largest weekly decline in six years, with the price retreating to what level per ounce?

[08:20] Iran crisis: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu states, “We will not attack Iran’s oil and gas facilities again.”

[07:58] Iran crisis: Bissett says lifting Iran oil sanctions could allow oil to flow outside China, affecting market prices (ongoing updates).

[07:29] Pearl Harbor event: Trump meets with Sanae Takami, Japanese reporter asks why war was not pre-notified. Trump responds, “You didn’t tell me about Pearl Harbor either.”

$1 and below: March 19 U.S. stock market overview====

Thursday: Trump halts Israel’s further attack on oil fields; crude oil futures retreat most of their gains; gold continues to fall.

Following attacks on Middle Eastern oil facilities, the U.S. takes measures to increase oil supply, including possibly releasing strategic reserves, considering lifting long-standing sanctions on Iranian oil, and approving purchases of certain Russian crude. Brent crude peaks at $119.13, up 10.9%, closing at $107.83. NY crude rises 5.4% to $101.48 at one point, then falls back 0.2% to $96.14.

Market Summary:

Dow futures down 12 points; Nasdaq futures down 0.2%; spot NY crude down 1%.

Market Close:

[Click to enlarge image]

Trump writes that “Israel will no longer attack this extremely important and valuable gas field,” calling for Iran to exercise restraint. Later, at the White House, he states he told them not to do it.

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, in a recent interview, said the U.S. will not interfere in oil-related financial markets but may further release oil reserves to lower prices. She admits the U.S. might unilaterally release strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) again.

She also dismisses rumors of U.S. intervention in oil futures markets, emphasizing that the U.S. will not do so.

Global interest rate pressures cause gold to fall 3.5%, closing at $4,650.02; silver drops 3.4% to $72.8251.

U.S. stocks decline: Dow down 203 points to 46,021; S&P 500 down 0.3% at 6,606; Nasdaq down 0.3% at 22,090.

After meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takami, Trump expects to announce a nuclear project in the southern U.S. on Thursday, a new initiative driven by the investment fund established under the trade agreement. Sources say GE Vernova (GEV) and Hitachi will build BWRX-300 small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, costing up to $40 billion.

Japanese investment benefits U.S. AI industry; tech stocks narrow losses or rebound. Nvidia (NVDA) down 1%, AMD up 2.9%. Alphabet (GOOGL) down 0.2%. Micron (MU) down 3.8% after earnings; Tesla (TSLA) down 3.2%.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry intercepted a ballistic missile over Yanbu, causing a temporary halt in oil loading at Yanbu port, which later resumed. The Ministry also reported a drone crash at the SAMREF refinery, a key Yanbu facility, with ongoing damage assessment.

Iran previously indicated that after attacks on its natural gas fields, the Yanbu-based South Pars refinery was among the targets. Additionally, Qatar’s largest LNG export facility and the UAE’s gas fields have been attacked, along with energy facilities in Kuwait, escalating Middle East tensions.

Hong Kong stocks and ADR markets are continuously updating. See: Next Page

Market Trends:

[23:05] U.S. and Japan to jointly build a nuclear project in the southern U.S., with a $40 billion investment; Micron’s decline narrows to 2%.

[21:30] No intervention in oil financial markets, but reserves may be released; May Brent crude up 5%, gold plunges 6%, Dow down 302 points.

[20:55] Bissett: No intervention in oil markets, but possible unilateral release of reserves.

[17:55] Iran bombs Saudi oil refinery; Brent crude surges 10% to $120; Dow futures down 42 points.

[14:11] Dow futures down 10 points at 46,525; S&P futures down 4 points at 6,672; Nasdaq futures down 43 points or 0.2% at 24,608.

[13:34] Micron (MU) earnings: shares fall over 4% after hours. Analysis: “This quarter’s earnings are equivalent to annual profit,” with increased capital expenditure becoming a “double-edged sword.”

[13:16] Stock market analysis: Powell’s hawkish tone causes Dow to plunge over 700 points. Is oil price a good indicator for bottoming out?

[12:18] Federal Reserve meeting: A review of market expectations for March rate decision; Aberdeen estimates only one rate cut in September.

[11:13] Yen trend: Bank of Japan maintains current interest rates as expected; USD/JPY at 149.1.

[10:44] Oil price trend: Brent surpasses $110, with analysis suggesting that if tensions escalate, $120 could be the starting point, not the ceiling.

[10:37] U.S. stock focus: SEC approves Nasdaq’s “security tokenization” trial, signaling major reform.

[10:11] AI + chips: Elon Musk states he is a “big fan” of NVIDIA and Jensen Huang; SpaceX and Tesla plan to order large quantities of NVIDIA chips.

[08:47] Gold trend: Gold stabilizes around $4,800 after six days of decline, showing signs of stabilization.

[07:42] AI + Micron: Micron (MU) reports a 4% drop after earnings; expects capital spending to double in H2.

[07:01] Iran crisis: Oil facilities targeted by both sides; Israel strikes Iranian oil and gas fields; Iran retaliates against Middle Eastern energy assets (ongoing).

[06:29] Fed meeting: Powell states he will remain chair until a successor is appointed; geopolitical tensions unlikely to impact rate outlook; dot plot indicates one rate cut in 2026 and 2027.

$1 and below: March 16 U.S. stock market overview====

Monday: Oil drops over 2%; Dow rises 387 points; Trump delays China visit by a month.

The dollar index and oil prices decline. NY crude drops 5.3% to $93.5; Brent crude down 2.4% to $100.66. The dollar index falls 0.6% to 99.8; 10-year Treasury yield drops 0.06% to 4.216%.

Market close:

Dow up 387 points at 46,946; S&P up 1% at 6,699; Nasdaq up 1.2% at 22,374.

Foreign media PBS reports Trump says Iran is not ready for a deal, and once war ends, oil prices will fall rapidly. He believes the war won’t last long. He also states that Iran has extensive infrastructure in Tehran that could be destroyed in an hour, but doing so would require years of rebuilding and cause trauma, so he prefers to avoid it. He mentions not wanting to damage pipelines on Kharg Island, as destruction would take years to reconnect.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen states that the U.S. does not mind some Iranian, Indian, and Chinese ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, considering Iran’s openness a natural development, and hopes global oil supply remains ample. She notes that measures to ease oil prices depend on the duration of the Iran conflict.

Key stocks: Nvidia (NVDA) up 2.6% to $184.93 after CEO Jensen Huang’s speech at GTC. Data center company Nebius (NBIS) surges 15.4%, announcing it will provide $12 billion of dedicated computing capacity for Meta (META) starting early 2027, with Meta planning to buy up to $15 billion more. Meta rises 1.9%.

This week: U.S. February PPI data released Tuesday; Federal Reserve rate decision on Thursday. Major central banks including ECB, BoE, and BOJ also scheduled to meet. Micron (MU) reports earnings Wednesday after market close.

Hong Kong stocks and ADR markets are continuously updating. See: Next Page

Market Trends:

[22:55] Trump: Once war ends, oil prices will fall sharply; Dow up 393 points, oil down 1%.

[21:30] Bissett: U.S. does not oppose Chinese ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz; Dow up 369 points, oil down 1%.

[18:50] Middle East war enters third week; Dow futures up 152 points; Nasdaq futures up 0.7%. This week is a “super rate decision week.”

[13:47] Dow futures up 226 points at 47,112; S&P futures up 39 points at 6,724; Nasdaq futures up 147 points or 0.6% at 24,753.

[12:59] AI + chips: Tesla to develop its own AI chips? Elon Musk announces launch of “Terafab” AI chip factory.

[12:06] AI + Gemini: Gemini to expand to all of Hong Kong; Google plans to extend Gemini to all users, starting with web version, mobile app later.

[11:07] Trump: “Possible delay” of meeting with Xi Jinping by about a month.

[10:14] Iran crisis: IEA reports over 400 million barrels of emergency oil reserves are about to be released, prioritizing Asia; Europe and the U.S. to wait until late March.

[19:28] Gold trend: Gold falls below $5,000 amid ongoing Middle East conflict and rising oil prices.

[11:36] Iran crisis: U.S. Energy Secretary: Cannot guarantee oil prices will fall within weeks; after attacking military facilities, the Strait of Hormuz remains a focus (ongoing).

[07:30] Global outlook: “Super rate decision week” expected; Fed likely to keep rates unchanged Thursday.

[07:30] Middle East tensions intensify; last week, Dow slightly higher at open, then fluctuated, ending down 119 points at 46,558; S&P down 0.61%; Nasdaq down 0.93%.

Market close:

[Click to enlarge image]

Last week’s market activity detailed at: 【Market Close】 Iran targeted in escalation; Dow down 119; Brent crude up 2.7% over $103.

Hot Finance Talk

Is gold’s safe-haven role failing? War sparks rate hike fears?