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The World in a Week: How Major Markets Moved
U.S. | Stocks declined amid geopolitical tensions following US–Israel strikes on Iran and rising oil-driven inflation risks. The ISM Manufacturing PMI came at 52.4, and the Services PMI rose to 56.1, signalling continued expansion. However, payrolls unexpectedly fell by 92K, and unemployment rose to 4.4%, adding uncertainty around the Fed outlook.
Europe | The STOXX Europe 600 dropped 5.55% as the Middle East conflict drove energy prices higher and weakened risk sentiment. Eurozone inflation rose to 1.9%, while unemployment fell to a record low of 6.1%.
Japan | The yen weakened to around 157.6 per dollar, while the 10-year government bond yield rose to 2.15%. Authorities signalled readiness to intervene in currency markets if needed.
China | CSI 300 fell 1.07% and Hang Seng declined 3.28% as markets assessed geopolitical risks and policy signals from the National People’s Congress. China set its 2026 GDP growth target at 4.5–5% and announced new fiscal measures including investment financing tools and increased bond issuance.
India | Nifty 50 fell while India VIX jumped to 19.88 as global risk sentiment deteriorated. FPIs sold ₹15,800 crore while DIIs bought ₹25,815 crore. Banks, realty and auto led declines, while defensives like pharma and healthcare fell less. Nifty India Defence gained 3.78%.
Commodities | Oil surged on fears of supply disruptions from escalating Middle East tensions, increasing inflation risks and driving volatility across global equity and bond markets.
Stock market closing data for the week of Mar 2 to Mar 6, 2026
Index information: STOXX 600 (tracks 600 large, mid- & small-cap EU firms), DAX (top 40 German blue chips), CAC 40 (leading French stocks), Nikkei 225 (225 top Japanese stocks), CSI 300 & SSEC (mainland China A-shares), and Hang Seng (large-cap Hong Kong-listed firms). For these indices, we track 1-week returns to capture how global sentiment is shifting.
News Summaries
WTI +12% to $90.9; Brent above $92 as Hormuz supply risk spikes
Oil prices surged after escalating conflict between the US-Israel alliance and Iran disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries roughly 20% of global oil supply.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 12.2% to $90.90/bbl, while Brent Crude settled around $92.7/bbl, marking one of the biggest weekly gains since the COVID-19 oil shock.
Tanker traffic through Hormuz has collapsed as attacks on vessels and threats from Iran forced shipping companies to halt routes, stranding oil cargoes and tightening global supply expectations.
Analysts warn that if disruptions persist, oil could cross $100–$120/bbl, with some forecasts even pointing toward $150 in an extreme scenario due to supply losses from the Middle East.
US jobs: −92K; unemployment rises to 4.4% in February
The US labour market showed unexpected weakness as employers cut 92,000 jobs in February, missing expectations of a ~59,000 job gain.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.4%, up from 4.3% in January, signalling softer hiring conditions across the economy.
Job losses were widespread, including declines in the healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and leisure sectors.
The weak report raises concerns about labour market stability and could increase expectations for potential Federal Reserve rate cuts later this year.
Anthropic launches AI software marketplace amid Pentagon tensions
Anthropic is launching a new platform called Anthropic Marketplace, allowing corporate customers to purchase third party software built on its AI models. The platform will include tools from companies such as Snowflake, Harvey, and Replit.
The model is similar to enterprise software marketplaces run by Amazon and Microsoft. Anthropic will not take a cut from these purchases and will allow customers to use part of their committed annual spending toward these third party applications.
The move is aimed at expanding Anthropic’s enterprise footprint as companies increasingly build workflows around AI models.
The launch comes at a sensitive moment. The Pentagon recently designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk following disagreements over AI guardrails, which could affect defense related partnerships. Anthropic has said it plans to challenge the decision in court.
Despite the uncertainty, the company says most of its commercial business should continue normally as it focuses on becoming a core infrastructure layer for enterprise AI.
Private Markets Pulse | OpenAI launches finance AI tools as competition with Anthropic heats up
OpenAI has launched a new set of AI tools designed specifically for banks, asset managers, and fintech companies to automate financial workflows.
The new tools allow financial firms to use OpenAI models to generate spreadsheets, analyze documents, and create presentations with fewer prompts, reducing the manual work required for research and reporting.
The move reflects growing demand from financial institutions for AI systems that can handle complex financial datasets and internal documentation, areas where generative AI adoption is accelerating.
OpenAI is rapidly scaling its enterprise business, with the company already reaching about $25 billion in annualized revenue as AI adoption expands globally.
For the financial industry, the launch signals a shift toward AI-powered automation of high-skill tasks, including market analysis, compliance reviews, and internal reporting.
For investors tracking OpenAI closely, Vested provides access to invest in OpenAI through Private Markets offering.
