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Accenture Posts Record $22.1B Bookings and Raises Full-Year Guidance as Enterprise AI Spending Defies Macro Headwinds

Accenture reported Q2 fiscal 2026 revenue of $18.0 billion — beating estimates — on Thursday morning, while announcing record new bookings of $22.1 billion and raising its full-year revenue and earnings guidance. The results, which included 41 clients with quarterly bookings above $100 million, provide strong confirmation that enterprise demand for AI-driven consulting, technology transformation, and digital services remains robust even as the broader macroeconomic backdrop grows cloudier.

Gold Trades Near $4,571 as Stagflation Fears and Iran War Escalation Drive Safe-Haven Surge; J.P. Morgan Targets $5,055 by Year-End

Gold is trading near $4,571 per ounce on Thursday, having rallied sharply from under $3,000 earlier in 2025, as the Iran war, a hawkish Federal Reserve, and rising stagflation fears combine to make bullion one of the most compelling safe-haven assets in the current environment. J.P. Morgan Global Research is targeting $5,055 per ounce by year-end 2026, while some models project a path toward $6,500 if the energy crisis deepens and real yields fall as growth deteriorates.

FedEx Reports Q3 Fiscal 2026 After Close Thursday: DRIVE Cost Cuts, Middle East Freight Risk, and Freight Spin-Off Timeline in Focus

FedEx is set to report its fiscal Q3 2026 results after Thursday's market close, with analysts expecting revenue of approximately $23.5 billion and EPS of $4.13–$4.23. The report comes at a critical juncture: the company's DRIVE cost-reduction program is delivering structural margin improvements, but surging oil prices and Middle East shipping disruptions represent a near-term headwind that management will need to address. Investors are also watching for updates on the planned FedEx Freight spin-off, scheduled for June 2026.

Hot PPI Data Rattles Wall Street as Wholesale Inflation Surges 0.7% in February, Doubling Expectations

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the Producer Price Index jumped 0.7% in February — more than double the 0.3% consensus estimate — pushing annual wholesale inflation to 3.4%, its highest level in a year. The hotter-than-expected reading, driven by a 48.9% spike in vegetable prices and broad goods inflation of 1.1%, arrived hours before the Federal Reserve's rate decision and reignited stagflation fears across equity and bond markets.

South Korea's KOSPI Surges 5% to 5,925 as Samsung and SK Hynix Lead Record Institutional Buying Amid AI Memory Boom

South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index surged more than 5% on Wednesday, closing at 5,925.03 on record institutional net buying of 3.1 trillion won — the single largest institutional buy day in the exchange's history. Semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the rally, reclaiming key psychological price levels at 200,000 won and 1 million won respectively, as investors positioned ahead of Micron Technology's blockbuster earnings expected after the U.S. close.

Micron Technology Reports Q2 Fiscal 2026 Earnings After the Bell; $19.3B Revenue and $8.66 EPS Expected as HBM Demand Hits Record

Micron Technology reports its fiscal second-quarter 2026 earnings after the close on Wednesday, with Wall Street consensus projecting revenue of approximately $19.3 billion — a 138% year-over-year explosion — and EPS of $8.66, up more than 450% from the prior year. The chipmaker has already sold out its entire 2026 HBM allocation and guided for record gross margins near 68%, positioning the report as a potential inflection catalyst for the entire semiconductor sector.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Raises AI Revenue Forecast to $1 Trillion Through 2027 at GTC, Unveils Vera Rubin and Groq LPU

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed at the company's annual GTC developer conference in San Jose that he now expects 'at least $1 trillion' in purchase orders for Blackwell and Vera Rubin GPU systems through 2027 — doubling a prior $500 billion estimate — while also debuting the Groq 3 Language Processing Unit and announcing Uber as an autonomous vehicle partner across 28 cities. The announcements supercharged an already-rallying AI infrastructure sector and sent Nvidia shares to fresh multi-week highs.

Bitcoin Surges Through $75,000 as Iran War Reshapes Safe-Haven Narrative; BTC Outperforms Gold, Stocks Since Conflict Began

Bitcoin pushed through the psychologically significant $75,000 threshold in Asian trading on Tuesday — gaining nearly 14% since the Iran war erupted on February 28 — as the cryptocurrency increasingly attracts safe-haven capital that has historically flowed to gold and the U.S. dollar. With Brent crude up more than 40%, global equities down 4%, and gold actually lower on the month, Bitcoin's relative outperformance is forcing a fundamental reassessment of digital assets' role in institutional portfolios during geopolitical crises.

Disney Trades at Lowest P/E Since 2019 as Analyst Sees 30%-Plus Upside; $7 Billion Buyback and Streaming Inflection Fuel Bull Case

Walt Disney Co. is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio below 15 — its lowest level since early 2019 — creating what Sarat Sethi of Douglas C. Lane & Associates called 'one of the best values in the market today' on CNBC Tuesday. With streaming income of $500 million expected this quarter, a planned $7 billion share buyback, operating cash flow projected above $19 billion for the year, and a new CEO taking over on March 18, Disney's bull case is gaining momentum even as the stock sits below $102.