The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 pulled back around 0.5% on Monday as renewed U.S.-Iran tensions sent oil surging 6% to $88.91/barrel. Megacap tech stocks declined while small caps outperformed. TopBuild surged 17% after QXO announced a $17 billion acquisition deal, though QXO fell 6% on dilution concerns. Airlines and cruise operators declined due to higher oil prices, while homebuilders and energy stocks gained.

Short sellers are heavily targeting 10 stocks with short interest exceeding 40% of float. Choice Hotels and Avis Budget lead with over 50% short interest, while Lucid Group, Hertz Global, and crypto/semiconductor plays like Marathon Digital and CleanSpark also face significant bearish positioning. Traders are watching for potential squeeze opportunities if positive catalysts emerge.

U.S. stock futures fell on Thursday with the S&P 500 and Dow declining despite President Trump's claims of winning against Iran. Energy prices rose as the DOE announced a Strategic Petroleum Reserve release. Key movers included Bumble surging 22.89% on strong earnings, Morgan Stanley declining 1.80% after restricting redemptions, and Adobe falling ahead of earnings. BlackRock remains overweight on U.S. equities, citing resilience and strong corporate earnings driven by AI.

USA Rare Earth announced the appointment of Dr. Thomas Caulfield, former CEO of GlobalFoundries, to its Board of Directors. The appointment follows recent strategic milestones including a $1.6 billion government funding agreement through the CHIPS Act, $1.5 billion in private investment, and a definitive agreement to operate the Round Top Project, North America's richest known heavy rare earth deposit.

GlobalFoundries announced the pricing of a secondary public offering of 20 million ordinary shares at $42.00 per share by its largest shareholder Mubadala Technology Investment Company, along with a concurrent $300 million share repurchase by GF. The offering is expected to close on March 13, 2026, with GF funding the repurchase from its balance sheet.

GlobalFoundries announced a secondary public offering of 20 million ordinary shares by its largest shareholder Mubadala Technology Investment Company, while GF concurrently plans to repurchase approximately $300 million of shares at the offering price using cash on its balance sheet. The offering is part of GF's $500 million share repurchase authorization approved in February 2026.

GlobalFoundries announced it will host an Investor Day on May 7, 2026, in New York City featuring presentations from leadership on the company's strategy, growth initiatives, and long-term outlook, with a live webcast available on its Investor Relations website.

GlobalFoundries and Renesas Electronics announced an expanded strategic collaboration involving a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing partnership. Under the agreement, Renesas will gain access to GF's technology platforms including FDX, BCD, and CMOS technologies to support its semiconductors for automotive and industrial applications. The partnership spans GF's global manufacturing footprint across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and China, with tape-outs expected to begin in mid-2026. The companies are also exploring porting select GF technologies into Renesas' Japanese fabs to enhance manufacturing resilience.

The global smart card IC market is projected to grow from $3.09 billion in 2025 to $4.57 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 8.2%. Growth drivers include rising e-SIM and IoT adoption, digital financial services expansion, and increased contactless payments. Key players like Infineon Technologies, NXP Semiconductors, and Samsung are advancing secure microcontroller platforms and AI-driven authentication technologies. However, global trade tensions and tariffs pose challenges to the market.

GlobalFoundries has appointed Sam Franklin as its new Chief Financial Officer, leveraging his extensive financial leadership experience to support the company's strategic growth and profitability in the semiconductor industry.

GlobalFoundries has acquired Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), a Singapore-based silicon photonics foundry, to expand its manufacturing capabilities and technology portfolio in AI infrastructure and optical communications.

GlobalFoundries' Chief Financial Officer John Hollister is leaving the company for personal reasons. Sam Franklin, Senior Vice President of Business Finance, will serve as Interim CFO while the company conducts a search for a permanent replacement.