Brent oil jumped more than 13%, WTI - almost 10% due to the threat to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, through which about 25% of the world's oil and a significant part of LNG passes. Goldman Sachs warns that European prices could rise by 130% if gas transit through this crossing is halted for a month. These and other topics - in our review of key events for the morning of March 2.

Main by morning: oil soars due to escalation in the Middle East, UAE bourses closed

Investors seek refuge from uncertainty in the dollar and gold

4-year record oil price rise due to war in Middle East slows to 6%

The cost of Brent oil jumped 13% to $82 after the opening of trading at the beginning of the working week. Investors also sold shares, reducing risks: futures on the main index of U.S. stocks S&amp;P 500 fell by 0.9%. Gold, a traditional safe haven asset, rose by 1.6%.

Brent price soars 13%, stocks fall: markets react to war in the Middle East

Generate Biomedicines, Inc.

Amazon, Nvidia and SoftBank invested $110 billion in OpenAI - the company has completed its funding round, having raised a total of more than twice as much money as in the previous investment round. SpaceX plans to file a confidential IPO in March and expects a valuation of $1.75 trillion, Bloomberg has learned. That said, its listing, the largest in history, is forcing other companies to reconsider going public. Chinese service of payments in steblecoins RedotPay may in 2026 place shares in the U.S. for $1 billion. The main events on the IPO market for the week - in our selection.

$110 billion OpenAI, SpaceX and crypto-payments operator RedotPay: What's important about the IPO by March 1

On Monday, the markets will face one of the most serious geopolitical tests in recent times: they will open amid a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and military strikes against oil-producing countries in the Middle East. Oninvest has collected the opinions of managers and investors on what market players should prepare for.

War in the Middle East: what should investors do at Monday's market open? 

Apple Inc.

Microsoft Corporation

Meta Platforms, Inc.

Amazon.com, Inc.

Alphabet Inc.

Throughout February, investors have been rushing from extreme to extreme over fears about artificial intelligence. Against this backdrop, are there any companies that have not yet been affected by traders' nervousness? Yes, one of them is Apple. Strangely enough, it is now benefiting from the fact that it lagged behind the leaders in AI development and was not too connected with the probable consequences of its implementation.

Apple was able to turn around a lag in the AI race: its stock avoided a massive sell-off

Black February: how AI triggered a sell-off on Wall Street

Trump says Iran offers talks: what's happening in the Middle East

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, US President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116150413051904167">wrote </a>in a post on the Truth Social platform.

Iran's supreme leader has been assassinated, US President Trump says

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

Stanley Druckenmiller