TheChek News Flow

>>> US Gapping up

Gapping up
In reaction to earnings/guidance:

STAA +23.3% (guides Q1 revenue well above consensus), RELL +12.3%, RGP +8.5%, OFIX +2.8% (guidance), TFPM +1.9% (guidance), PSNY +1.6% (guidance)

Other news:

WSR +11.4% (to be acquired by Ares (ARES) for $19.00 per share)
FBRX +8.5% (prices offering of 5,709,936 shares of its common stock at $26.27 per share)
RCEL +7.3% (enters into long term agreement with BARDA valued up to $25.5 mln)
CRWV +6.5% (CoreWeave expands Meta (META) partnership with $21 bln AI infrastructure deal)
KYMR +2.7% (announces Gilead Sciences' (GILD) option exercise to license KT-200, oral CDK2 Molecular Glue Degrader Development Candidate)
ICFI +2.6% (awarded position on new $800 mln digital modernization BPA)
BETR +2.4% (execs purchase shares on open market)
IDYA +1.9% (entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca)
NGL +1.1% (announces $100 million LP common unit repurchase program)
MRAM +1% (MRAM and MCHP announce manufacturing agreement to boost production capacity)
VNDA +1% (initiation of Thetis clinical trial)

>>> US Research Calls I

Research Calls I

Upgrades:
- Alcoa (AA) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, tgt $80
- Canadian National Railway (CNI) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA Securities, tgt $122
- Capital One (COF) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, tgt $213
- Carter's (CRI) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman, tgt $38
- Datadog (DDOG) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Guggenheim, tgt $175
- Dow Inc. (DOW) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Alembic Global
- HealthEquity (HQY) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital, tgt $105
- LyondellBasell (LYB) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Alembic Global
- Marvell (MRVL) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays, tgt $150
- Nexa Resources (NEXA) upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley
- RenaissanceRe (RNR) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $340
- Staar Surgical (STAA) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Canaccord, tgt $27
- Texas Instruments (TXN) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Stifel, tgt $250
- United Community (UCB) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette, tgt $40
Downgrades:
- AES Corp. (AES) downgraded to Neutral from Positive at Susquehanna, tgt $15
- Assertio (ASRT) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at H.C. Wainwright, tgt $18
- Bitdeer (BTDR) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $10
- Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at B. Riley Securities; tgt $24.50
- Bullish (BLSH) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Rosenblatt, tgt $39
- Circle Internet (CRCL) downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Compass Point, tgt $77
- Conagra Brands (CAG) downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at BNP Paribas, tgt $16
- DiaSorin (DSRLF) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS
- GitLab (GTLB) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Guggenheim
- Hain Celestial (HAIN) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair
- Hormel Foods (HRL) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan, tgt $23
- Kosmos (KOS) downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman, tgt $2.25
- Norsk Hydro (NHYDY) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS
- Shore Bancshares (SHBI) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Keefe Bruyette, tgt $20
- Telus (TU) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Canaccord
- Tradeweb Markets (TW) downgraded to Hold from Buy at TD Cowen, tgt $129
- Tronox (TROX) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Truist, tgt $9
- Trustmark (TRMK) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Keefe Bruyette, tgt $45
- W. R. Berkley (WRB) downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $71
- Zscaler (ZS) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BTIG Research
Others:
- Ameren (AEE) initiated with a Buy at BTIG Research, tgt $131
- AppLovin (APP) initiated with an Outperform at Macquarie, tgt $710
- ARS Pharmaceuticals (SPRY) initiated with an Outperform at Northland, tgt $25
- Avalo Therapeutics (AVTX) initiated with an Outperform at Wolfe Research, tgt $48
- BridgeBio (BBIO) initiated with an Outperform at RBC Capital, tgt $100
- Brookdale Senior Living (BKD) initiated with an Overweight at Stephens, tgt $18
- CI&T Inc (CINT) resumed with an Outperform at Wedbush; tgt $9
- Cognizant (CTSH) initiated with a Neutral at Wedbush, tgt $61
- CoreWeave (CRWV) assumed with an Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $149
- Dell Technologies (DELL) initiated with a Peer Perform at Wolfe Research
- Dianthus Therapeutics (DNTH) initiated with an Outperform at Wolfe Research, tgt $98
- Digital Realty (DLR) initiated with an Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $211
- Equinix (EQIX) initiated with an Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $1,173
- Evergy (EVRG) initiated with a Buy at BTIG Resesarch, tgt $99
- Fermi (FRMI) assumed with an Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $8
- Globant (GLOB) initiated with an Outperform at Wedbush, tgt $61
- Hovnanian (HOV) initiated with an Underperform at Citizens, tgt $74
- Huron Consulting (HURN) resumed with an Outperform at Wedbush; tgt $160
- Nebius (NBIS) initiated with an Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $129
- NovaGold (NG) initiated with an Overweight at Morgan Stanley, tgt $13.80
- Palisade Bio (PALI) initiated with an Outperform at Wolfe Research, tgt $7
- Pharvaris (PHVS) initiated with an Outperform at Wolfe Research, tgt $42
- Primoris Services (PRIM) initiated with an Outperform at Wolfe Research; tgt $183
- REalloys (ALOY) initiated with a Buy at Clear Street, tgt $35
- Rithm Capital (RITM) initiated with a Buy at Lucid Capital, tgt $12.50
- SharonAI (SHAZ) initiated with an Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $40
- Shenandoah Telecom (SHEN) initiated with a Buy at Craig Hallum; tgt $29
- Unitil (UTL) initiated with a Sector Perform at Scotiabank, tgt $57
- Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) resumed with an Outperform at BMO Capital Markets; tgt $240
- WhiteFiber (WYFI) initiated with a Neutral at Cantor Fitzgerald, tgt $13
- Willdan Group (WLDN) initiated with an Outperform at Wedbush; tgt $110

9to5 : WhatsApp’s improved CarPlay experience is now available to all iPhone use

WhatsApp’s improved CarPlay experience is now available to all iPhone users

Following just a few days of beta testing, WhatsApp has now released its improved CarPlay experience to all iPhone users. Here are the details.

CarPlay momentum continues

A few days ago, WABetaInfo noticed that WhatsApp had started to test an improved CarPlay experience.

For years, WhatsApp’s CarPlay integration was limited to a basic voice interface that let users compose messages or place calls.

With the update, which was promoted as an App Store event, WhatsApp’s CarPlay experience now feels much more native to Apple’s in-car platform, including:

A new contact info interface that lets users view profile details for each contact;
A call history interface showing recent calls, including whether they were incoming, outgoing, or missed;
Support for favorite contacts through a dedicated tab.

Today’s update builds on a wave of recent CarPlay improvements, with ChatGPT and Google Meet also adding more native experiences.

ChatGPT recently updated its app to leverage the new support for conversational voice apps that Apple released with CarPlay in iOS 26.4. At the same time, Google Meet added features such as the ability to join meetings, view upcoming events, and more

>>> US Early premarket gappers

Early premarket gappers

Gapping up:
- STAA +22.6%, RELL +11.6%, WSR +10.9%, RGP +8.8%, FBRX +5.1%, RCEL +4.4%, ICFI +2.6%, CMRC +2.6%, MRAM +2.1%, TFPM +2.1%, BETR +2%, FSM +2%, MGNX +0.9%, ZYME +0.9%, PSMT +0.8%
Gapping down:
- APLD -4%, RXST -3.8%, AGX -3.4%, ASRT -3.3%, VNDA -2.7%, BTI -2%, FRHC -2%, INTC -1.8%, NBIS -1.8%, AEHR -1.7%, INFQ -1.6%, VOYA -1.4%, USAR -1.4%, NUAI -1.2%, HURA -1.1%, ULH -1%, DT -0.8%, TFX -0.8%, STZ -0.8%

>>> Europe : Brokers Upgrades & Downgrades - 9th of April 2026 V2(+)

>>> Up

* Alcoa Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley; PT $80

* Assa Abloy Raised to Buy at Pareto Securities; PT 405 kronor

* Aurubis Raised to Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley; PT 151 euros

* Boliden Raised to Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley; PT 484 kronor

* Bufab Price Target Raised to SEK 125 from SEK 120 by SEB

* Comer Industries Raised to Buy at Kepler Cheuvreux (+)

* DCC Raised to Outperform at BNP Paribas; PT 6,000 pence

* Deutsche Bank Raised to Neutral at Citi; PT 29 euros

* Devolver Digital Raised to Buy at Shore Capital; PT 27 pence

* DNB Bank Raised to Overweight at Barclays; PT 339 kroner

* DNB Price Target Raised to NOK 315 from NOK 300 by Goldman Sachs

* DNB Bank Raised to Buy at Nordea; PT 341 kroner

* Elis PT Raised to 32 euros from 30 euros at Jefferies

* Elkem Price Target Raised to NOK 30 from NOK 27 by SEB

* Eni Raised to Buy at Rothschild & Co Redburn; PT 27.20 euros

* Equinor Raised to Neutral at Rothschild & Co Redburn

* Equinor ADRs Raised to Neutral at Rothschild & Co Redburn (+)

* Gjensidige Raised to Buy at ABG; PT 290 kroner

* Hiab Raised to Accumulate at OP Corporate Bank; PT 48 euros (+)

* Hoist Finance Price Target Raised to SEK 177 from SEK 161 by SEB

* Lloyds Raised to Buy at Citi; PT 114 pence

* Marvell Technology Raised to Overweight at Barclays

* Melia Hotels Raised to Hold at Kepler Cheuvreux (+)

* Mercialys Raised to Buy at Van Lanschot Kempen; PT 14 euros (+)

* Neste Price Target Raised to EUR 27.5 from EUR 21.5 by Danske Bank

* Orion Price Target Raised to EUR 79 from EUR 75 by SEB
* Rexel Raised to Buy at Jefferies; PT 43.10 euros

* Sabadell Raised to Buy at Bestinver; PT 3.70 euros

* SBE-Varvit-SpA Raised to Hold at Kepler Cheuvreux (+)

* Swedbank Raised to Equal-Weight at Barclays; PT 303 kronor

* Telia Price Target Raised to SEK 43 from SEK 38 by SEB

* Texas Instruments Raised to Buy at Stifel; PT $250

* Unilever Raised to Buy at DZ Bank; PT 5,250 pence (+)

>>> Down
* Alfa Laval Cut to Hold at Pareto Securities; PT 580 kronor

* Autostore Cut to Hold at Arctic Securities; PT 11 kroner

* Ceres Power Cut to Sell at Peel Hunt; PT 200 pence

* Circle Internet Cut to Sell at Compass Point; PT $77

* DiaSorin Cut to Neutral at UBS; PT 66 euros

* Handelsbanken Cut to Underweight at Barclays; PT 110 kronor

* Hemnet PT Cut to 83 kronor from 110 kronor at Nordea

* Hemnet PT Cut at Nordea to New Street-Low on Listings Slump (+)

* Hormel Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan; PT $23

* Netcompany Cut to Hold at ABG; PT 420 kroner

* Norsk Hydro Cut to Neutral at UBS; PT 110 kroner

* Ratos Price Target Cut to SEK 36 from SEK 37 by SEB

* Royal Unibrew Price Target Cut to DKK 680 from DKK 700 by SEB

* SCA Price Target Cut to SEK 138 from SEK 140 by SEB

* Schindler: Citigroup cut to 322 (326) CHF - buy

* SEB Cut to Equal-Weight at Barclays; PT 171 kronor

* Shell Cut to Neutral at Rothschild & Co Redburn; PT 3,640 pence

* Swissquote: Goldman Sachs cut to 480 (495) CHF - neutral

* Tele2 Cut to Sell at SEB Equities; PT 172 kronor

* Unibail Cut to Neutral at Van Lanschot Kempen; PT 105 euros (+)

>>> Initiation

* A.G. Barr Rated New Buy at BofA; PT 850 pence (+)

* Alm Brand Rated New Neutral at Autonomous; PT 17.50 kroner

* Alphabet Reinstated Buy at William O'Neil

* Bawag Reinstated Buy at William O'Neil (+)

* Bucher Rated New Neutral at Oddo BHF; PT 365 Swiss francs

* Cibus Nordic Real Estate Rated New Buy at Kepler Cheuvreux (+)

* CSG NV Rated New Buy at Wood & Company; PT 31.47 euros

* Haypp Group Rated New Buy at Deutsche Bank; PT 196 kronor

* Protector Forsikring Rated New Buy at ABG; PT 575 kroner

* RT&L Rated New Buy at Integrae SIM; PT 4.50 euros (+)

* Sobi Reinstated Buy at William O'Neil

* Swiss Prime Rated New Hold at Deutsche Bank; PT 125 Swiss francs
* Wickes Rated New Buy at Berenberg; PT 280 pence

>>> Call
* Alibaba Shares Drop as Jefferies Cuts Target Price on Spending

* Amundi Target Cut to Street-Low at RBC on Expected Asset Decline (+)

* Aurubis, Boliden Raised at Morgan Stanley, Remain Selective

* Bucher Neutral at Oddo BHF, a Recovery Play But Valuation Fair

* Ceres Power Gets Only Sell as Peel Hunt Sees Valuation Too High

* JPMorgan Sees Divergence in Luxury; Richemont on Catalyst Watch

* Rexel Raised to Buy at Jefferies on Pricing, Growth Tailwinds

* Tele2 Cut at SEB Equities, ‘Priced for More Than Perfection’ (+)

>>> La Lettre - 09/04/2026

La Lettre — 9 avril 2026 | Résumé bilingue

🇫🇷 FRANÇAIS

Ariel Weil, pivot centriste d’Emmanuel Grégoire (Paris)

Maire réélu de Paris Centre, l’économiste PS Ariel Weil joue un rôle d’aiguillon centriste au sein de la majorité Grégoire. Ses bonnes relations avec les élus de centre-droit (Paris apaisé, Modem, LR) lui permettent de servir de passerelle en cas de friction avec l’aile gauche ou écolo — renforcée de 10 sièges supplémentaires. À l’approche de 2027, sa stratégie d’indépendance vis-à-vis de l’alliance LFI lui confère une crédibilité “au-delà de la gauche”.

Gabriel Attal repense sa communication (Renaissance)

Patricia Chapelotte, recrutée depuis Hopscotch Décideurs, n’a pas trouvé sa place à la direction com’ de Renaissance — trop satellisée autour du directeur de cabinet Maxime Cordier. Elle reprendra sa liberté fin avril, tout en restant conseil extérieur d’Attal, notamment pour son réseau de femmes d’influence (Sanofi, Fusalp, FPI).

Mathieu Lefèvre recrute Mariana Caillaud comme dircab’ (Transition écologique)

Arrivée le 15 avril depuis Matignon, cette pro-business, ancienne candidate Modem dans les Bouches-du-Rhône, remplace François Villerez. Elle connaît le ministre depuis la première année de master à La Sorbonne.

Segula Technologies : la famille Ghrenassia contrainte de vendre son hôtel particulier

Acculée par ses créanciers (État en tête avec 200 M€), la famille fondatrice de Segula Technologies doit céder le 12, avenue de Breteuil (7e), évalué à 45 M€. Eurazeo Investment et Eiffel Investment ont pris le contrôle du groupe, désormais dirigé par Cyril Roger.

Hexana & Tractebel à Bruxelles (SMR / chauffage urbain)

La start-up française Hexana et le belge Tractebel (Engie) ont constitué une task force de lobbying pour inscrire les petits réacteurs nucléaires (SMR) dans la future stratégie européenne de chauffage-refroidissement, attendue fin mai sous l’égide du commissaire Dan Jørgensen.

Jean-Louis Thiériot rapporteur sur l’industrie terrestre

La commission défense de l’AN lance six missions d’information : industrie terrestre (Thiériot/DR + Jacobelli/RN), lutte antidrone (Vignon/EPR), MCO de combat (Gassilloud/EPR), défense au nord (Chenevard/EPR), cavalerie (Criaud/Horizons + Giletti/RN) et hélicoptères (Poueyto/Démocrates). Démarrage le 15 mai, conclusions fin 2026.

Libération : Nicolas Barré pressenti pour succéder à Dov Alfon

Kretinsky et Olivennes s’apprêtent à proposer le journaliste économique Nicolas Barré (ex-directeur des Échos 2013-2023, ex-Politico) à la tête de la rédaction. Sa nomination devra être approuvée par plus de 200 journalistes. Le quotidien reste en situation financière difficile.

🇬🇧 ENGLISH

Ariel Weil, centrist pivot for Paris Mayor Grégoire

Re-elected mayor of Paris Centre, Socialist economist Ariel Weil acts as a centrist anchor within Grégoire’s broad coalition. His strong ties with centre-right councillors (Paris apaisé, Modem, LR) provide a bridge in case of friction with the left and Green flanks — which gained 10 additional seats. With the 2027 presidential race in view, his deliberate distance from the LFI alliance lends him cross-spectrum credibility.

Attal rethinks his communications setup (Renaissance)

Patricia Chapelotte, hired from Hopscotch Décideurs, found her role as “deputy director-general for communications” hollowed out — political strategy remaining centralised around chief of staff Maxime Cordier. She will leave in late April but continue advising Attal externally, particularly leveraging her network of influential women executives (Sanofi, Fusalp, real estate federation).

Mathieu Lefèvre appoints Mariana Caillaud as chief of staff (Ecological Transition)

Joining on 15 April from Matignon, the pro-business former Modem candidate in Bouches-du-Rhône replaces François Villerez. She and the minister have known each other since their first year of a Master’s degree at La Sorbonne.

Segula Technologies: founding Ghrenassia family forced to sell Paris mansion

Under pressure from creditors — led by the French state with €200m in claims — Segula’s founding family must sell their private mansion at 12 avenue de Breteuil (7th arrondissement), valued at €45m. Bondholders Eurazeo Investment and Eiffel Investment now control the group, run by Cyril Roger.

Hexana & Tractebel lobby Brussels for SMR inclusion in heating strategy

French SMR start-up Hexana and Belgian engineering giant Tractebel (Engie) have formed a joint lobbying task force to embed small modular reactors into the EU’s upcoming heating and cooling strategy, expected by end of May under Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.

Jean-Louis Thiériot to lead ground-forces industry mission

The National Assembly’s defence committee has launched six information missions: ground-forces industry (Thiériot + Jacobelli/RN), counter-drone (Vignon), combat maintenance (Gassilloud), northern defence (Chenevard), cavalry (Criaud + Giletti/RN), and helicopters (Poueyto). Start date 15 May, conclusions by end 2026.

Libération: Nicolas Barré tipped to replace Dov Alfon

Kretinsky and Olivennes are set to propose economic journalist Nicolas Barré — former editor of Les Échos (2013-2023) and brief stint at Politico France — as editor-in-chief. His appointment requires approval from over 200 staff journalists. The paper remains in financial difficulty despite successive capital injections.

FT : Bill Ackman in talks to launch fund to bet on investor complacency

Bill Ackman in talks to launch fund to bet on investor complacency

Strategy would echo doomsday trades that earned Pershing Square a big windfall during the pandemic

Bill Ackman is in talks to launch a strategy that would make big bets on complacency in financial markets, in a bid to mimic the success of doomsday trades the billionaire investor made during the pandemic.

Ackman’s Pershing Square would use the fund to make “asymmetric” trades aimed at profiting by wagering against the prevailing narrative in markets, according to people familiar with the matter.

The strategy would resemble bets during the coronavirus crisis, when Ackman paid $27mn for derivatives that appreciated when corporate debt sold off. The trade handed Pershing a $2.6bn windfall after economic ructions caused by the pandemic sent bond markets reeling.

Rather than making new doomsday trades using Pershing Square’s main fund, an Amsterdam-listed public vehicle with about $20bn in assets, Ackman was in discussions to craft an entirely new strategy, said three people briefed on the matter.

Ackman’s plans for a possible new fund come as this year’s market volatility has wrongfooted Pershing. The firm’s flagship fund had lost more than 16 per cent of its value as of the end of March, according to filings.

Pershing’s new fund would keep much of its assets in short-term US debt before deploying the capital on large credit and macro bets mirroring those historically made by the main fund, said one of the people.

In recent decades, Ackman and other hedge fund managers, including John Paulson and Michael Burry, have used derivatives, such as credit default swaps, to seed large, highly leveraged bets against corporate or mortgage bonds. Derivatives can also be used to make potent bets against sharp changes in currencies, interest rates and commodity prices.

One of Ackman’s best-known trades came during the financial crisis. He made a $60mn bet on bankrupt mall operator General Growth Properties in 2009, a stake that eventually became worth about $3.6bn.

Ackman’s new fund comes as he prepares to take his hedge fund company public and must show potential investors new avenues for growth. In private discussions with potential investors in Pershing Square, Ackman has highlighted the “asymmetric” fund as a potential way to turbocharge the firm’s fee earnings, according to people briefed on the meetings.

He also alluded to the possibility of a new fund focused on these sorts of macro bets in a regulatory filing made last month for the public listing. His main fund has roughly a dozen holdings, with long-term bets on companies such as Uber, Google and Amazon. Those concentrated bets leave his portfolio exposed to swings in equity markets.

In the prospectus for the public listing last month, the hedge fund said it “may choose to complement our organic growth by selectively launching new permanent capital funds and other vehicles that leverage our brand and core competencies” to boost the firm’s capital base.

Ackman has also been exploring ways to fulfil his vision for a broader conglomerate ahead of the public listing.

He has built a large stake in property developer Howard Hughes Holdings, which is being used as a vehicle to create a sprawling enterprise that he has pitched as a modern-day Berkshire Hathaway. It recently acquired a property and casualty insurer.

Earlier this week, the billionaire also offered to buy Universal Music Group in a mostly stock deal that values the record label at about €55bn. The transaction would involve shifting the music group to a blank-cheque company owned by Ackman.

Ackman is hoping to raise $5bn to $10bn for a combined initial public offering of the management company of Pershing Square and a new closed-end fund in the US called Pershing Square USA.

>>> What to look at today - 9th of April 2026

Stocks declined and oil rose as optimism over the US-Iran ceasefire faded after Tehran said several terms of the agreement had been breached, highlighting lingering uncertainty in markets. MSCI’s Asia Pacific equity gauge fell 0.9% after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said three clauses of the ceasefire proposal have been contravened so far. Two shares fell for every one that advanced in the index. Stock futures for Wall Street and European benchmarks fell 0.2%, indicating a four-day run of gains for global stocks is primed to end. Stocks surged globally on Wednesday — with the Asian index jumping the most in a year — on optimism the ceasefire deal would help ease the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz and support economic growth. Weighing on the mood was Brent crude, which rose 2% to about $97 a barrel — rebounding from its worst plunge in more than six years — with little traffic passing through the strait. Treasuries were steady after wiping out an early rally in the US session. Government bonds in Japan and Australia also retreated on concern higher oil prices will fan inflation. The whipsaw trading shows how tentative sentiment remains after a cross-asset relief rally sparked by Washington’s pledge to halt strikes on Iran for two weeks and pursue talks with the Islamic Republic. Israeli attacks in Lebanon and the continued effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a key artery for crude oil flows from the Middle East — threaten to derail the ceasefire and stall equity gains. In other corners of the market, a Bloomberg gauge of the dollar edged up 0.1%, while Bitcoin dropped 0.5% to around $71,000. Gold fluctuated to trade around $4,700 an ounce. Asian technology stocks followed US peers lower after Meta Platforms Inc. unveiled a new artificial intelligence model and Anthropic launched Claude tools for building agents. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said all ships, aircraft and military personnel will remain in and around Iran, until such time “as the real agreement reached” is fully complied with. Sporadic fighting continued throughout the Middle East, including in Lebanon, where Israel continued its campaign against the Iran-aligned Hezbollah militia. Iranian officials cast that as violating the terms of the less than a day-old ceasefire. Traders are still focused on the Strait of Hormuz and whether energy flows will resume through the waterway. The strait remained largely blocked on Wednesday, as shipowners try to understand if they can safely transit the vital waterway following a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran that was announced overnight. Just three ships were observed leaving the region on Wednesday, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. US After HoursSTAA +19.7% on strong Q1 guidance; APLD -5.8%, STZ -1% lower on earnings.

Nikkei -0.93% Hang Seng -0.35% CSI -0.64% Shanghai -0.73% Shenzen -0.60%

Eur$ 1.1670 CNH 6.8322 CNY 6.8339 JPY 158.71 GBP 1.3404 CHF 0.7906 RUB 78.3280 TRY 44.5015 WTI$ 97.56 +3.34% Gold 4,721 -0.81% BTC 70,922 -0.64% ETH 2,181 -1.31%

S&P -0.19%% Nasdaq -0.20% EuroStoxx -0.02% FTSE +0.39% Dax -0.26% SMI +0.48%

Macro :
- Deutsche Bank Declares China Energy ‘Winner’ in New Era of War

- Trump Rebukes NATO Over Iran After Meeting With Alliance’s Chief

- China Tankers Join Line to Test Hormuz Exit and US-Iran Truce

- US Asks Allies for Quick Plans to Secure Hormuz After Ceasefire

- France to Keep 5% 2026 Deficit Goal for Now, Budget Chief Says

- UAE AI Champion Presses On With Expansion, Looking Past Iran War

Keep an eye on :

- ADKO AV : Raiffeisen Bank International to File Tender Offer to Buy Addiko

- AF FP : Air France Suspends Dubai, Riyadh, Tel Aviv Service Until May

- AMG NA : AMG Offers Up to 3.25m Shares via Accelerated Bookbuilding, AMG Offering of Around 3.25m Shares Prices at €34/Share

- ABX CN : Barrick Is Willing to Shuffle Assets as It Eyes IPO This Year

- BSLN SW : Basilea reçoit un coup de pouce à 6 millions de la part de CARB-X

- CLASB SS : Clas Ohlson March Sales +11%

- CLIMEB SS : Climeon Offers SEK20 million Class B Shares via Vator Securities

- DIS US : Disney Planning Layoffs Under New CEO D'Amaro -- WSJ

- LLY US : Eli Lilly Expects 1Q Results to Include IPR&D Charges of $584M
- ENX FP : Euronext March Total Cash Market Transaction Value M/M +25%

- EVO SS : Evolution Seeks Permission to Add Playtech to Ongoing US Lawsuit

- EXENS FP : Exosens Holder HLD Europe Offers About 2.25m Shares
- EXO NA : Exor Nominates Temasek CFO Png to Board

- FAGR BB : Fagron 1Q Revenue Beats Estimates

- GEV US : GE Vernova, Westinghouse Sign MOUs to Help Hungary Build SMRs

- JMT PL :

- LHA GY : Lufthansa Faces Cabin-Crew Strike on Busy Vacation Friday

- META US : Meta Debuts First AI Model From Prized Superintelligence Group

- BMPS IM : Monte Paschi Holder Caltagirone Raises Stake to 13.5%: Corriere

- NBIS US : Nebius in Talks to Buy AI Startup AI21 Labs: Information - Full Article

- NOVN SW : Novartis announces expansion of community health programs to close

- NOVOB DC : Novo-Backed Respiratory Drugmaker Avalyn Pharma Files for US IPO

- OMV AV : OMV 1Q Production Misses Estimates; OMV 1Q Production Misses; Gulf Oil Disruption to Hit Results

- OVH FP : OVH Groupe 1H Adjusted Ebitda Beats Estimates

- RI FP : Watch European Brewers After Constellation’s Softer Outlook

- PSH US : Ackman in Talks for Fund to Bet on Investor Complacency: FT

- RBI AV : Raiffeisen Bank International to File Tender Offer to Buy Addiko

- RBI AV : Raiffeisen Targets Balkans Lift in €450 Million Offer for Addiko

- SAB SM : Axactor Buys EUR3 Billion Non-performing Loan Portfolio from Banco Sabadell

- SKAB SS : Skanska Gets $75m Order for Data Center In the US

- 9984 JP : Haas in Line to Lead Much of SoftBank International Business: FT

- SNI NO : Stolt-Nielsen 1Q Revenue Beats Estimates

- SNDA LN : UK’s Sunda Energy Agrees to Buy New Zealand Gas, Oil Permits

- SALM NO : Salmar Prelim 1Q Harvest Beats Estimates

- TE FP : Technip Energies Gets Contract For Vietnam Petrochemical Project

- TEF SM : Indra, Telefonica Explore Cybersecurity Collaboration: Expansion

- VK FP : Vallourec Signs $800 Million Geothermal Supply Deal With Fervo

- WBD IM : Webuild’s Lane Gets $582M Contract in Florida

>>> Europe : Brokers Upgrades & Downgrades - 9th of April 2026