Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a strike on his residence during a US-Israeli <a href="https://oninvest.com/article/ssa-i-izrail-atakovali-iran-nebo-zakryto-tankery-izbegaut-klucevoj-proliv-onlajn">military operation</a>, his body has been found, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-crisis-live-explosions-tehran-israel-announces-strike-2026-02-28/">reported </a>citing a senior Israeli official. About the same <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/iran-khamenei-killed-israel">writes </a>Axios, also citing a source in Israel, who cited intelligence data. According to the publication, Khamenei's death was reported by Israel's ambassador to the US to senior officials in Washington.

Iran's supreme leader assassinated - Reuters source in Israel

The passage is now "practically" closed, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported

Tankers avoid the strait off the coast of Iran. 25% of all oil shipments pass through it

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Shell plc

Chevron Corporation

BP p.l.c.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation

And three scenarios for the global oil market

Risks, prices, escalation: four major questions about oil in light of the US-Iran war

Iran's possible restrictions on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz could potentially cause oil prices to spike to $84 or even $140 a barrel, analysts have warned

Oil at $140 a barrel: what analysts say about the escalation in the Middle East

The markets' obvious reaction to the conflict in the Middle East will be to reduce investors' appetite for risk, an analyst warns

Bitcoin falls to $63k, crypto market loses $128 billion amid US attack on Iran

NVIDIA Corporation

Netflix, Inc.

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.

PayPal Holdings, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Paramount Skydance Corporation

Nvidia reported a 73% jump in quarterly revenue thanks to demand for data center chips and gave a forecast above market expectations. Revolut is preparing a new round of funding and expects a valuation in excess of $100 billion before a possible IPO. Stripe is considering buying PayPal, while Netflix gave up the fight for Warner Bros. Discovery - it ended up being bought by Paramount Skydance for $110 billion . About the main events from February 23 to 27 - in our review.

Highlights of the week: record Nvidia revenue, a new round of Revolut, and IBM's worst day ever

The markets' reaction to the conflict in the Middle East is likely to be a decline in risk appetite and a rise in the cost of oil, analysts say 

US and Israel conduct military operation against Iran: online

The U.S. has launched "large-scale military action in Iran," President Donald Trump said in a video on the social media network Truth Social. He said the goal was to protect the US by "eliminating immediate threats from the Iranian regime."

 Trump announced the launch of a major operation against Iran

Data

Krispy Kreme, Inc.

Shares of doughnut maker Krispy Kreme <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/dnut/analystestimates?mod=mw_quote_tab">surged</a>&nbsp;27.8% after the company released its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results. The company said it expects further deleveraging and progress in executing its turnaround plan following the <a href="https://en.oninvest.com/article/krispy-kreme-and-mcdonald-s-will-end-their-doughnut-partnership-analysts-were-betting-on-it">end of its partnership with McDonald’s</a>.

Krispy Kreme shares shoot up almost 30% on 4Q/FY earnings

Bajaj Consumer Care Limited

MTAR Technologies Limited

MRV Engenharia e Participacoes S.A.

Last year showed that small caps in emerging markets can compete with large issuers, despite a <a href="https://en.oninvest.com/article/undervalued-small-caps-where-to-make-money-in-emerging-markets">lag</a>&nbsp;that persisted through the third quarter. For 2025, the return of the Equal Weight EM Small Cap Index, put together by analyst Aldiyar Anuarbekov for Oninvest, amounted to 18.25% in dollar terms*. For comparison: the broad-market S&amp;P 500 index grew 16.65%, while the smid-cap Russell 2000 rose 11.21% last year. The 8.06% increase in the Cap Weight EM Small Cap Index, meanwhile, indicates that the gains were more evenly distributed rather than concentrated in a small number of large stocks.

Where to find outstripping returns in EM small caps in 2026

Dutch Bros Inc.

Dutch Bros, a small U.S. coffee chain, is a growth stock that "could supercharge your returns over the next five years and beyond," <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/02/26/growth-stock-supercharge-invest-return-5-years/">argues</a>&nbsp;Motley Fool contributing analyst Neil Patel. The company’s stock is trading about 45% below its peak even as its fundamentals remain strong, he says, creating an attractive entry point for investors.

Motley Fool analyst likes growing U.S. coffee chain Dutch Bros on dip

VolitionRx Limited

Shares of VolitionRx, a micro-cap developer of blood tests for cancer and sepsis, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VNRX/">jumped</a>&nbsp;nearly 26% on Tuesday after the company <a href="https://ir.volition.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/874/volitionrx-highlights-commercial-momentum-and-multi-pillar-execution">reported</a>&nbsp;progress in several research programs and said a newly developed cancer-detection method has attracted interest from potential partners. The company also highlighted breakthrough research on detecting lymphoma in cats. Wall Street analysts <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/vnrx/analystestimates?mod=mw_quote_tab">say</a>&nbsp;the stock could have nearly 790% upside.

Cancer blood test maker VolitionRX soars 25% in a day on reported commercial progress

Whirlpool Corporation

Appaloosa, Tepper's hedge fund, significantly reduced its stake in Whirlpool late last year, yet it is still a top-10 position in its portfolio

David Tepper sends 'scathing' letter to Whirlpool, calls for changes

Small Caps

Important news and analysis of global stock markets, plus crypto, bonds, and ETFs

Investment and Finance News