Wall Street finished the week lower as escalating conflict in the Middle East fueled volatility across commodity markets.
Oil prices surged during the week, lifting shares of oil and gas producers, refiners, and energy infrastructure companies. West Texas Intermediate crude oil (CL1:COM) climbed to a high of about $92.61 per barrel, while Brent crude (CO1:COM) rose above $94.55.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury yields moved higher after the ISM Manufacturing Prices Index came in stronger than expected in February, adding to concerns about persistent inflation.
For the week, the S&P (SP500) lost -2.0%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) dipped -1.2%, and the blue-chip Dow (DJI) fell -3.0%.
Here’s what caught investor attention this week:
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) reported that its cash and short-term Treasury holdings surged to a record $373.3B. This was up 12% from the previous year. The firm also said it is repurchasing shares of its class A and class B common stock, with CEO Greg Abel buying shares worth $15.3M.
Apple (AAPL) debuted several new products as part of a multi-day rollout of hardware announcements. This included the MacBook Neo, a new, budget-friendly laptop starting at about $599.
South Korea’s main stock index, the KOSPI, plunged more than 7% on Tuesday, with technology giants Samsung Electronics (SSNLF) and SK Hynix (HXSC.F) among the biggest decliners. The rout was tied to broad global risk aversion, as the conflict in Iran ratcheted up concerns about energy prices and the long-term geopolitical environment.
Billionaire Leo KoGuan, best known for the large Tesla stake, posted this week that he bought 1M shares of Nvidia (NVDA), reaffirming his bullish stance on artificial intelligence and the semiconductor maker’s central role in the AI ecosystem.
Optical networking firms Lumentum (LITE) and Coherent (COHR) were in focus on Monday after Nvidia (NVDA) disclosed expanded partnerships and investments into both companies. In addition, Nvidia is investing $2B into each of these companies for R&D support and capacity buildout.
MongoDB (MDB) shares tumbled roughly 22% after its earnings report, as the company issued a weaker-than-expected outlook. Investors were concerned about slowing growth and cautious customer spending, which overshadowed otherwise solid quarterly results.
Shares of Coinbase Global (COIN) and Galaxy Digital (GLXY) jumped sharply Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly signaled support for the crypto industry’s push for regulatory clarity and urged banks and lawmakers to “make a good deal” with the crypto sector. This represented renewed backing for the stalled Clarity Act and related market-structure legislation.
Moderna (MRNA) shares jumped about 16% on Wednesday to reach a record high after the company announced it had reached a settlement in a patent dispute tied to COVID-19 vaccine technology. The agreement removed a significant legal overhang, boosting investor confidence and sending the stock sharply higher.
The Trade Desk (TTD) shares jumped in Thursday’s trading after The Information reported OpenAI (OPENAI) has held early talks to partner with the firm to help it sell advertising.
Cruise stocks sold off amid rising oil prices tied to Middle East tensions, with Carnival Corporation (CCL) dropping -10%, Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) -5%, and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) -11% over the week. Beyond macro pressures, Norwegian also issued mixed guidance, projecting 2026 adjusted EPS of about $2.38 vs. $2.58 consensus.
Marvell Technology (MRVL) shares jumped after the semiconductor company reported fourth-quarter results and guidance that topped Wall Street’s estimates. For the period ending Jan. 31, Marvell said it earned an adjusted $0.80 per share as revenue jumped 22% year-over-year to $2.22B. Analysts had expected the company to earn an adjusted $0.79 per share on $2.21B in revenue.