🔥 Market Flash: Iran Denies Strait Closure, Chip Controls Expand, Jobs Data Ahead | Mar 6, 2026

A pivotal Friday unfolds as geopolitical tensions take a new turn, AI chip controls tighten globally, and markets brace for key jobs data. Here's your essential briefing:

🌍 GEOPOLITICAL BACKTRACK: Iran Denies Strait Closure

Iran has officially denied blocking the Strait of Hormuz, contradicting earlier claims. Tehran now says it's preparing for potential US ground action while refusing to engage in negotiations.

Key developments:

• Iran's Revolutionary Guard previously claimed the strait was "completely under Iran's control" and that oil tankers had been hit
• Reports now indicate a softening of tone, with Iran seeking to avoid further escalation
• US military remains on high alert as conflict enters a new phase

📉 CME CUTS MARGINS: Relief for Precious Metals Traders

CME Group has lowered margin requirements for gold and silver futures:

• Gold: Initial margin reduced from 9% to 7%
• Silver: Initial margin reduced from 18% to 14%

The new margin requirements take effect after market close today. This marks a reversal from February's aggressive margin hikes and could boost liquidity and trading activity in precious metals.

🤖 NVIDIA'S GTC PLAY: New Inference Chip on Deck

$NVIDIA(NVDA.US) is expected to unveil a new inference chip at its upcoming GTC conference, based on Groq's on-chip SRAM architecture.

Market implications:

• Initial fears that SRAM could replace HBM and DRAM sparked sell-offs in Korean memory stocks
• Analysis suggests this is a misreading: SRAM targets ultra-low latency edge applications, not mass data storage
• The move will likely expand the overall memory TAM by adding new tiers to the memory hierarchy

🌐 US EXPANDS AI CHIP CONTROLS GLOBALLY

The US is preparing to extend AI chip export restrictions worldwide. A draft regulation would:

• Require export licenses for all AI accelerators from Nvidia, AMD, and others
• Expand current restrictions (covering ~40 countries) to global coverage
• Give Washington broad authority over where and how AI infrastructure can be built

Companies will need to apply for permits to ship chips to virtually any destination.

💼 ORACLE PLANS MASSIVE LAYOFFS

$Oracle(ORCL.US) is preparing to cut thousands of jobs amid a cash crunch from massive AI data center investments.

Key details:

• Layoffs could impact multiple divisions and begin as early as this month
• Some cuts target roles that may become obsolete due to AI advances
• Wall Street expects Oracle's cloud infrastructure spending to keep cash flow negative until 2030
• The company recently announced plans to raise up to $50 billion through debt and equity

📈 BROADCOM SURGES, MEMORY SHORTAGE WORSENS

$Broadcom(AVGO.US) rallied nearly 5% following strong earnings, adding to the chip sector momentum.

Meanwhile, the global storage chip shortage is intensifying:

• Major Chinese tech firms including Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance are reportedly switching orders to domestic suppliers
• Tight supply conditions could persist through 2026

📊 TODAY'S MACRO DATA: JOBS REPORT IN FOCUS

Critical US economic data drops at 8:30 AM ET (9:30 PM SGT):

A sharp slowdown in job growth could reshape Fed rate cut expectations.

📅 EARNINGS & IPO WATCH

Earnings today: $ZTE Corporation(ZTCOY.US) / $ZTE(00763.HK)

HK dark pool trading after hours: $ESTUN(02715.HK), $ZHAOWEI(02692.HK), $ALSCO POOLING(02649.HK)

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