TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERING NEW CRACKDOWN ON CHINESE TELECOM CARRIERS' U.S. OPERATIONS -- AGENCY

The conditional two-week U.S.-Iran cease-fire should stabilize near-term market sentiment, says Anthony Kettle, managing director at RBC BlueBay Asset Management. He expects temporarily lower oil prices should ease inflationary pressures in vulnerable Asian economies and improve fiscal dynamics for importers. However, Kettle recommends avoiding structural bets until the cease-fire proves durable, and cautions that Middle Eastern energy exports will take time to normalize even if peace holds. Expecting energy prices to remain meaningfully elevated this year, RBC BlueBay advises investors to target sovereigns and corporations that are resilient to or benefit from higher energy costs.

- U.S. stock futures dipped Thursday, giving back some of the sharp gains from the previous session, as traders continue to monitor the Middle East after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. - Tehran agreed to reopen the waterway for the next two weeks as long as all attacks are halted, according to a statement from Iran’s Foreign Minister. - But later on Wednesday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker accused the U.S. of already violating the ceasefire agreement. - Crude prices rose again on Thursday, putting pressure on equities. - The core personal consumption expenditures price index showed a 3% expansion for February, matching expectations. - Shares of CoreWeave rose more than 3% in premarket trading on Thursday after the AI cloud computing company announced an expanded infrastructure deal with Meta Platforms - Asia-Pacific markets fell Thursday, after Iran’s parliamentary speaker charged the U.S. of breaching the terms of their two-week ceasefire agreement. - The Dow Jones Transportation Average surged to fresh records Wednesday as stocks jumped on a relief rally.