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

Israel has announced a "preventive" missile strike on Iran, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-28/israel-launches-attack-on-iran-as-explosions-reported-in-tehran?srnd=homepage-americas">reports</a>, citing the Israeli Defense Ministry. The U.S. is also participating in the operation, sources told the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-explosion-tehran-c2f11247d8a66e36929266f2c557a54c">Associated Press</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/28/world/iran-strikes-trump">The New York Times</a>.

Israel and the U.S. have launched airstrikes against Iran

Apple Inc.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Because of the shortage of memory chips, the era of cheap gadgets may be a thing of the past

"Duties and pandemic will seem like a joke": analysts predict the worst year for smartphones

US President Donald Trump has ordered all US federal agencies to "immediately stop" using the technology and software of AI startup Anthropic, he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116144552969293195">wrote</a> in the social network Truth Social on Friday, February 27. The statement came amid pressure on AI developer Claude from the Department of Defense: the agency <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/27/anthropic-pentagon-ai-policy-war-spying.html">demanded</a> that the company it has a contract with give it full access to AI functions.

Trump has banned the use of AI from Anthropic in the US public sector

A key concern for U.S. assets is the risk associated with a weaker dollar against the euro, the investment bank said

UBS dropped its recommendation to buy U.S. stocks. What worries the bank?

Two key US indices out of three were down at the end of the month: in February, the market experienced several waves of software apocalypse due to fears that the AI boom would lead to the destruction of software developers' business models and increased unemployment. The state of the labor market should clarify the employment report, whose release is scheduled for next week. At the same time, its importance has grown sharply after the unexpectedly high wholesale inflation rate published on Friday, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/27/stocks-will-get-early-march-test-with-high-stakes-jobs-report-next-week.html">notes </a>. It increased investors' fears, and they sold off stocks on the last trading day of the month.

Nasdaq Composite has its worst month in a year: market sell-offs hit due to AI threat

Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company SpaceX plans to confidentially file for an IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission as early as March, sources <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-27/spacex-is-said-to-weigh-confidential-ipo-filing-as-soon-as-march?embedded-checkout=true">told </a>Bloomberg, with some saying the company could expect a valuation of more than $1.75 trillion.

SpaceX plans to file for IPO in March, expecting a $1.75 trillion valuation - Bloomberg

Paramount Skydance has signed a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery for $110 billion, according to an audio recording of a meeting of WBD employees, which was <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/warner-bros-signs-110-billion-deal-with-paramount-its-executive-discloses-2026-02-27/">reviewed by </a>Reuters. The deal comes after Netflix <a href="https://oninvest.com/article/netflix-otkazalsa-ot-bor-by-za-warner-bros-discovery-on-resil-ne-povysat-stavku">dropped its </a>claim to Warner Bros. assets the day before, on Feb. 26. The streaming giant did not raise the bid after months of struggle.

S&P 500