Brent crude oil slowed at the opening of the US trading session and is trading at nearly $113 a barrel - after an intraday high above $119

US stocks continued to fall: investors are pricing in a "prolonged energy shock"

This is the sixth consecutive time the ECB has made such a decision

The European Central Bank, following the Fed, kept rates unchanged amid the war

"We're moving from a supply chain problem to a potential supply problem itself - that's a big difference," Pickering Energy Partners said

'Turning point': analysts warn of new energy shock over war

Perfect Corp.

Shares of Perfect Corp., a small-cap developer of AI-powered beauty solutions and a partner to global brands including L’Oréal, surged nearly 30% on Wednesday after the company <a href="https://ir.perfectcorp.com/news-and-events/news-releases/news-details/2026/Perfect-Announces-Receipt-of-Preliminary-Non-Binding-Going-Private-Proposal/default.aspx">said</a>&nbsp;it had received a preliminary <a href="https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001899830/a78d3f1c-b1a9-470f-b4c6-7f9fc0aec3c0.pdf">buyout offer</a>&nbsp;from Taiwan-based software developer CyberLink and founder Alice Chang.

Shares of virtual beauty company Perfect Corp. soar on going-private proposal

ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.

Lincoln Educational Services Corporation

Bowman Consulting Group Ltd.

Portfolio managers of three funds at Royce Investments, Jim Stoeffel and Andrew Palen, <a href="https://www.royceinvest.com/insights/2026/1Q26/how-micro-caps-can-stay-on-top">named</a>&nbsp;three small-cap stocks “in which we have long-term conviction.” Two of them, in their view, will benefit from investments in AI, while one will gain from rising U.S. infrastructure spending.

Three 'long-term conviction' holdings from Royce

Quotes have declined for seven consecutive trading days while oil over $100 per barrel and a strong U.S. dollar pressured the precious metals market

No longer a protective asset: gold nears longest losing streak in 2.5 years

BankUnited, Inc.

Champion Homes, Inc.

ESAB Corporation

FirstService Corporation

AZZ Inc.

Patrick Industries, Inc.

Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc.

Primoris Services Corporation

The S&amp;P SmallCap 600 index has <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5ESP600/">risen</a>&nbsp;1.5% year to date, while the broader-market S&amp;P 500 has <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5EGSPC/">fallen</a> more than 3.0%. On the one hand, investors are seeking more attractive alternatives to tech stocks and diversifying their portfolios, Barron's <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/small-cap-stocks-funds-21f99423?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfo1dD7hiMDWoiAMoUesBM2U_8b7jNmNWUguoHoGBVCLwkL3scN4izy&amp;gaa_ts=69b7c082&amp;gaa_sig=z-A7l6M0qp-rQ1Zzcerb0ado3JXtJhXJMAXeCQnPcOkZCjhr9CqVAUeiO1Og_NZnMSI40M3x8Uiu4sgZCnx8vA%3D%3D">writes</a>&nbsp;in a feature. On the other, earnings among small-cap companies are recovering after nearly three years of decline. That “represents a meaningful shift” for smaller companies, T. Rowe Price notes. Trailing 12-month earnings for the S&amp;P SmallCap 600 have increased nearly 30% since last October, following almost three years of contraction.

Four 'top-notch' funds, eight 'under-the-radar' stocks for small-cap investors

Rocket Lab Corporation

Red Cat Holdings, Inc.

Five Below, Inc.

Micron Technology, Inc.

EquipmentShare.com Inc.

Microsoft Corporation

Amazon.com, Inc.

Macy's, Inc.

Jabil Inc.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

Daily review and forecast of events on the U.S. stock market from Mikhail Denislamov, Deputy Director of Freedom Capital Markets Research.

Morning in New York: external background favors continuation of correction

Saudi Arabian Oil Company

On March 19, futures for the benchmark Mark Brent crude oil <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/@LCO.1">rose by</a> more than 10%, exceeding the $119 per barrel mark in the course of trading. Then the growth slowed down a bit, at the time of publication of this text Brent was trading above $116 per barrel.

Oil price jumps 10% after Saudi Aramco refinery and Qatar LNG plant hit

Only two scenarios - and both are unlikely, according to Rapidan Energy President Bob McNally - can curb price increases

More expensive than in 2008: ex-White House adviser predicts oil price spike

The Qatar plant, which has been hit by Iran, accounts for about 20 percent of global LNG supply

Liquefied natural gas prices soar nearly 30% in Europe after attacks on key plant

Nasdaq, Inc.

The pilot project will cover securities from the Russell 1000 index and ETFs based on the S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq 100