Futures Market

• S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures are climbing as chip stocks stabilize following a period of volatility that slowed the recent AI-driven rally. • The market shift comes as investors weigh whether high expectations for artificial intelligence can be met, despite strong business fundamentals. • External pressures continue to influence the economy, with escalating tensions in the Middle East contributing to a rise in oil prices.

• Asian stock markets declined on Thursday, with Wall Street futures also dipping as investors retreated from technology and semiconductor shares following Broadcom's earnings. • Significant losses were seen in the Hang Seng Index (-1.78%), Australia’s ASX 200 (-1.17%), and Singapore’s Straits Times Index (-1.14%). • Chinese equities remained more resilient, with the CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes slipping only about 0.6% due to strength in domestic semiconductor stocks.

• China is establishing a new AI token futures market at the Shanghai Futures Exchange to compete with U.S. GPU compute futures. • The initiative aims to provide a mechanism for companies to hedge against the rapidly increasing costs of AI compute power. • This strategic move is part of a broader effort by China to challenge U.S. dominance in the global AI infrastructure race.

• China is designing a new futures market specifically for AI tokens to manage the rising costs associated with artificial intelligence. • This initiative represents a strategic shift in approach compared to U.S. exchanges, which are currently focusing on developing compute power futures. • The move is intended to provide a mechanism for companies to hedge AI-related expenses amid a global race for technological dominance.

• China is designing a new futures market specifically for AI tokens to help investors and companies hedge the rising costs of artificial intelligence. • This initiative represents a strategic shift compared to U.S. exchanges, which are currently focusing on developing compute power futures. • The move highlights the intensifying technological race between China and the U.S. to establish dominant financial infrastructure for the AI sector.

• CME Group and Silicon Data announced a new derivatives market allowing investors to bet on cloud computing power prices for AI workloads, launching a tradeable contract based on GPU rental benchmarks. • The compute futures market enables investors to lock in pricing for graphics processing unit capacity, hedging against volatility in AI infrastructure costs as demand surges. • The launch reflects growing institutional interest in AI infrastructure as a tradeable asset class, addressing uncertainty in cloud computing expenses for enterprises scaling AI deployments.

• U.S. equity markets closed for Good Friday, but S&P 500 futures fell 0.3%, Dow futures dropped 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures declined 0.4% early Friday after a robust March jobs report showing 178,000 additions and unemployment at 4.3%. • WTI crude surged 11.4% to $111.54 per barrel on Thursday amid fears of prolonged Iran conflict, while Brent crude jumped 7.8% to $109.03, with President Trump vowing continued U.S. attacks without an end timetable. • A BMI report warns extended Middle East conflict threatens infrastructure, disrupts Strait of Hormuz oil flows, and delays postwar recovery, spilling price impacts into later 2026.