--- title: "Global news you need to know before the U.S. stock market opens on Wednesday" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/279603552.md" description: "In February, the U.S. PPI increased by 3.4% year-on-year, with core PPI at 3.9%. An attack on an Iranian gas field caused Brent crude oil to rise to $105. South Korea is cracking down on dual listings, with the stock index rising by 5%. Tencent's Q4 revenue grew by 13%, net profit increased by 17%, and its cloud business became profitable. Microsoft is suing Amazon and OpenAI, alleging breach of contract in their cloud collaboration. BASF raised prices in Europe by up to 30%. The Nikkei 225 index rose by 2.9%, the Shanghai Composite Index increased by 0.32%, and the Hang Seng Index rose by 0.61%" datetime: "2026-03-18T12:52:18.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/279603552.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/279603552.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/279603552.md) --- > Supported Languages: [简体中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/279603552.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/279603552.md) # Global news you need to know before the U.S. stock market opens on Wednesday Inflation exceeds expectations across the board! The U.S. February PPI year-on-year is 3.4%, and the core PPI is 3.9%. Iran's largest gas field has been attacked, causing partial production stoppage, with Brent crude spot prices surging to $105. South Korea takes action to regulate "dual listings," with stock indices soaring 5% for a three-day winning streak. Tencent's Q4 revenue grew 13% year-on-year, with adjusted net profit increasing by 17%, and the cloud business achieved scaled profitability for the year. Tencent conference call: Core business shows strong resilience in the AI era, "shrimp farming" can integrate with WeChat's decentralized concept, and AI investment will at least double this year. Samsung Electronics may face a large-scale strike, which could impact the global semiconductor supply chain. Samsung plans to extend memory chip contracts to 3-5 years to address global supply shortages. Microsoft plans to sue Amazon and OpenAI: $50 billion cloud collaboration is suspected of breach of contract. Chemical giant BASF: Price increases for multiple categories in Europe may reach 30% or more. 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