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Meta Shares Surge Nearly 3% as Reuters Reports Planned 20% Workforce Reduction to Offset $135 Billion AI Spending

Meta Platforms shares climbed nearly 3% on Monday after Reuters reported that the social media giant is weighing layoffs affecting 20% or more of its roughly 79,000-person workforce — potentially eliminating more than 15,000 jobs — as the company seeks to offset its $135 billion AI capital expenditure plan for 2026, roughly double last year's spending. The news accelerated a sector-wide narrative of tech giants using AI efficiency gains to justify historic reductions in headcount.

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.

U.S. Economy Entered 2026 at Weakest Pace Since Pandemic as Q4 GDP Revised Down to 0.7%, Raising Stagflation Fears

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis revised Q4 2025 GDP growth sharply lower to a 0.7% annualized rate — half the government's initial estimate and well below economists' 1.4% forecast — painting a troubling portrait of an economy that was already weakening before the Iran war erupted and sent oil prices soaring. The data, combined with a January job market that shed 92,000 positions and lingering above-3% inflation, has amplified stagflation fears ahead of a critical Federal Reserve meeting.

FOMC Opens Two-Day Meeting as Fed Faces Stagflation Trap; Rate Hold Certain But Dot Plot Signals Split on 2026 Path

The Federal Open Market Committee began its two-day March 2026 policy meeting on Tuesday with a near-unanimous market expectation of a rate hold at 3.50%–3.75%, but attention is riveted on Wednesday's Summary of Economic Projections — the dot plot — which is expected to reveal significant internal disagreement about the appropriate policy path given a 40%-plus oil price surge, a slowing economy, and sticky above-3% inflation. The meeting is also Jerome Powell's last as Fed Chair before the Senate confirmation of nominated successor Kevin Warsh.

Investors Brace for Federal Reserve Signals as Policy Meeting Approaches

Global investors are closely watching the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy meeting as markets grapple with rising oil prices and lingering inflation concerns. The central bank’s updated economic projections and interest-rate outlook are expected to shape market expectations for monetary policy through the remainder of 2026. Equity markets remain sensitive to any signal about the timing of potential rate cuts or the possibility that policymakers could maintain a higher-for-longer stance if inflation proves stubborn.

Stock Futures Rise as Investors Rotate Toward Energy and Defense

U.S. stock futures moved higher Monday despite geopolitical tensions, as investors rotated capital toward energy producers and defense contractors. The shift reflects growing expectations that prolonged geopolitical risk could sustain elevated oil prices and drive increased government defense spending. Market strategists say the rotation highlights a broader repositioning across global portfolios as investors seek sectors with resilient earnings during periods of macroeconomic uncertainty.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Projects $1 Trillion in AI Chip Orders Through 2027 at GTC Conference

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered a landmark keynote at the company's GTC 2026 conference in San Jose, California, projecting at least $1 trillion in revenue from Blackwell and Vera Rubin AI chip orders through 2027. The announcement nearly doubled Huang's previous $500 billion forecast and sent Nvidia shares up roughly 2%, providing the strongest single-day catalyst for the broader semiconductor sector and reigniting bullish sentiment across the AI infrastructure trade.

Meta Platforms Surges on Report of 20% Workforce Reduction to Offset Surging AI Infrastructure Costs

Meta Platforms shares climbed more than 2% Monday after Reuters reported that top executives have directed senior leaders to begin planning layoffs affecting at least 20% of the company's roughly 79,000 employees — a move analysts say would be the largest restructuring since Meta's 2022 'Year of Efficiency.' The cuts are designed to offset the company's $115 to $135 billion capital expenditure plan for 2026, driven by a massive push into generative AI infrastructure and the newly formed Meta Superintelligence Lab.