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Happy Thursday. If you’re worried about automation impacting your job, we’re sorry to hear that, but Xiaomi’s humanoid robot Intern won’t ease your worries.
Stock futures are falling this morning. The three major indexes have performed well.
Here are five important things investors need to know to start their trading day.
1. Strength
Smoke rises from an unknown location in Tehran, Iran, on March 4, 2026, after a US-Israeli attack.
Morteza Nicobazul | Nur Photo | Getty Images
The Senate yesterday blocked a resolution calling on President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran. Yesterday’s vote is seen as a reflection of Senate Republicans’ support for the war, although Democrats and some Republicans have argued that President Trump needs Congress’s approval to carry out the Iran operation.
Here’s what you need to know:
The stock market rebounded yesterday, Dow Jones Industrial Average Earn 200 points or more. of S&P500 The monster rally in U.S. crude oil took a breather after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promised support for tankers. The White House yesterday gave no timeline for when the Strait of Hormuz would be safe for passage. As CNBC’s Matt Peterson writes, rising oil prices may still not stop Kevin Warsh, President Trump’s pick for Federal Reserve Chairman, from cutting rates. President Trump formally nominated Warsh yesterday. Meanwhile, yesterday was the worst day on record for South Korean stock indexes amid concerns about conflict. But today, the index came alive again, posting its best session since 2008. Follow live market updates here.
2. Broaden your horizons
A sign at Broadcom Inc. headquarters on June 2, 2025 in San Jose, California.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
broadcom Yesterday, the company reported higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings and sales, and gave a positive outlook for the current fiscal year. Investors liked what they saw, with the chipmaker’s stock rising 6.5% in after-hours trading.
CEO Hock Tan said the California-based company expects to generate more than $100 billion in revenue from artificial intelligence chips in 2027. He also said Broadcom has the supply chain to make it happen.
As CNBC’s Katie Tarasoff reports, the 12-digit sales figures are just the latest feather in the cap for the company behind the AI boom. Broadcom announced that its AI revenue more than doubled in the most recent quarter compared to the same period last year.
3. Court camera
Elon Musk will appear in federal court in San Francisco, California on March 4, 2026.
Josh Edelson | Getty Images
Billionaire Elon Musk testified in federal court Wednesday to refute claims that he committed civil securities fraud before buying Twitter, the social media platform he later renamed X.
Investors claim in a class action lawsuit that Musk tried to drive down Twitter’s stock price so he could buy the company cheaper. But Musk’s legal team insisted he never intended to harm the company or its stakeholders.
Musk, who is known for his extensive use of social media, said, “Sometimes my tweets can have the opposite effect on stock prices than expected.” “Sometimes you get the desired effect.”
4. AI PR issues
Meta President Dina Powell McCormick (left) and Google President Ruth Porat (second from left) attend a roundtable on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) on the White House Campus in Washington, DC, USA on March 4, 2026.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
As the midterm elections heat up, Trump has a problem with AI. As he said yesterday, the technology infrastructure needs “some public relations support.”
Americans are blaming AI data centers for soaring energy prices, and this could become a key campaign issue as Democrats focus on the cost of living. President Trump promised to cut energy prices in half in his first year in office, but federal data shows average housing costs nationwide rose 6% in 2025.
On Wednesday, President Trump brought in several big tech executives. oracleClay Magwilk, googleRuth Porat Metawith Dina Powell microsoftBrad Smith — traveled to the White House to sign a previously announced pledge to provide data centers with their own power. But as CNBC’s Spencer Kimball points out, the pledge doesn’t appear to include any binding commitments.
5. Traveler’s Regret
Stranded passengers wait with their luggage outside Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, March 3, 2026, after airlines canceled flights due to the Middle East conflict.
Munir Uz Zaman | AFP | Getty Images
The $11.7 trillion global travel sector is in dire straits following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Airspace closures following Saturday’s strike canceled at least 20,000 flights to and from the Middle East, stranding more than a million people.
“The aviation industry is becoming increasingly muddled,” said Henry Harteveld of Atmosphere Research Group, calling this week one of the “most chaotic” periods for the industry in recent history.
The disruption from the Iran war comes about a week after flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara were grounded due to a surge in violence in Mexico. As CNBC’s Leslie Josephs reports, travelers are becoming more wary, and SquareMass says inquiries about “cancel for any reason” travel insurance policies have spiked this week.
daily dividend
Berkshire Hathaway announced this morning that it has begun stock buybacks for the first time since 2024. CEO Greg Abel, who himself bought $15 million in stock, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that he discussed the move with board chairman Warren Buffett.
—CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Li Ying Xiang, Matt Peterson, Dan Mangan, Jordan Nove, Katie Tarasoff, Laura Kolodny, Ali Levy, Spencer Kimball, Leslie Josephs, Contessa Brewer and Yun Li contributed to this report. Josephine Rozzelle edited this version.
