It will take about six months to agree on a peace deal between the United States and Iran, some leaders of European countries and Arab states believe. Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-16/us-iran-deal-will-take-months-gulf-and-european-officials-say">writes</a> about it, citing sources among officials in both regions. Both sides should extend the ceasefire, which expires on Tuesday, March 21, for that six-month period, EU and Gulf countries believe, the agency says.

Bloomberg: approval of US-Iran deal will take six months, EU says. Brent above $99

The sharp market reversal after the collapse on the background of the Iranian crisis occurred without any catalyst, said Tom Lee, co-founder and head of research at Fundstrat analytical firm. Investors simply stopped reacting to negative news, he said in a video review of Macro Minute, the main theses of which are <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/retail-investors-missed-the-rally-why-strategist-tom-lee-says-theyll-lead-the-next-one-eb5889bb?mod=home_lead">cited</a> by MarketWatch.

"Nobody rings a bell at the bottom": Tom Lee on what's behind the S&amp;P 500's record-breaking performance

The leaders of Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire after the two countries met in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116415122630904602">said</a> Thursday, April 16, on Truth Social. That could reduce broader tensions in the region, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-16/trump-says-israel-lebanon-agree-to-10-day-ceasefire">noted</a>, as fighting between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon threatened to derail the Iranian-American truce.

Israel and Lebanon agree on 10-day ceasefire - Trump

Robinhood Markets, Inc.

Coinbase Global, Inc.

The Charles Schwab Corporation

Charles Schwab, one of the world's largest brokers, has <a href="https://pressroom.aboutschwab.com/press-releases/press-release/2026/Charles-Schwab-Announces-Details-of-Spot-Crypto-Trading-Launch/default.aspx">announced</a> the launch of bitcoin and ether trading through its new Schwab Crypto division, and has not ruled out entering the prediction market, i.e. betting on events.

One of the world's largest brokers will start trading crypto assets. Whose stocks are under attack

Aviation fuel stocks in Europe may be left "for six weeks or so," Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-europe-jet-fuel-flight-cancellations-birol-6e67fafd493861b3858de5548aa77703">warned</a> in an interview with the Associated Press. Amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iranian crisis, carriers that depend directly on energy exports from the region continue to face difficulties. Birol said flight cancelations could begin "in the near future" if oil supply problems persist.

Europe may only have enough jet fuel for six weeks - IEA chief

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Amazon.com, Inc.

Shares of mid-cap company Lumen Technologies, which builds fiber-optic infrastructure, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LUMN/">jumped</a>&nbsp;more than 10% on Wednesday after the company <a href="https://ir.lumen.com/news/news-details/2026/AWS-and-Lumen-Redefine-Private-Cloud-Connectivity-by-Bringing-Cloud-and-Network-Together/default.aspx">said</a>&nbsp;it had become the first network provider to work with Amazon Web Services on the AWS Interconnect project.

Shares of fiber network provider Lumen jump on collaboration with AWS

PepsiCo, Inc.

The company was forced to increase the availability of salty snacks by an activist investor

PepsiCo beats Wall Street's earnings forecast thanks to chip discounts

easyJet plc

Shares of UK low-cost carrier EasyJet plunged nearly 9% in early trading in London on Thursday after the company <a href="https://corporate.easyjet.com/investors/regulatory-news/news-details/default.aspx?slug=trading-update-for-the-six-months-ended-31-march-2026">said</a>&nbsp;that, despite strong demand, its financial performance had worsened in the first half of fiscal 2026. The deterioration was driven by the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting rise in fuel prices.

EasyJet shares slide as company warns of 1H loss amid Middle East conflict

Data

D-Wave Quantum Inc.

SEALSQ Corp

Riber S.A.

Quantum computing is among “the most stable high-return bets of the next decade,” Louis Navellier, founder and chief investment officer of Navellier &amp; Associates, <a href="https://www.investing.com/analysis/the-next-2-big-things-in-a-volatile-market-space-and-quantum-200678260">wrote</a>&nbsp;in a recent post on Investing.com. “In 2026, quantum-classical hybrid models are being used to manage portfolio risk and logistics routing with a precision that classical supercomputers cannot match,” Navellier says. Although the quantum technology market is still at an early stage, growth estimates are rising rapidly: the “$20 billion by 2030” figure is a “common middle-ground estimate,” while, depending on the analyst, projections could be as high as $125 billion, Navellier noted.

Small caps that can gain in 2026 as quantum computing becomes 'next big thing'

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AEO/">jumped</a>&nbsp;nearly 7.5% on Wednesday after the jeans maker <a href="https://www.aeo-inc.com/2026/04/15/sydney-sweeney-and-american-eagle-are-back-together/">launched</a>&nbsp;a new advertising campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney titled “Syd for Short,”&nbsp;highlighting everyday settings such as time at home, running errands, or relaxing at the beach. At the same time, the stock is down about 27% since the start of the year.

American Eagle launches new summer campaign with Sydney Sweeney; shares jump

Allbirds, Inc.

Financially troubled eco-friendly sneaker maker Allbirds <a href="https://ir.allbirds.com/news-releases/news-release-details/allbirds-inc-executes-50m-convertible-financing-facility">said</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday it is changing course, announcing the sale of its footwear brand and a pivot to providing AI computing through its own data center. Following the announcement, Allbirds shares surged more than 700% within hours.

Shoemaker Allbirds soars 700% on new business plan around AI computing infrastructure

Galera Therapeutics, Inc.

Shares of Galera Therapeutics, a micro-cap developer of therapies for advanced breast cancer, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GRTX/">surged</a>&nbsp;88% on the over-the-counter market on Tuesday after the company <a href="https://investors.galeratx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/galera-therapeutics-and-obsidian-therapeutics-announce-merger">announced</a>&nbsp;a merger with privately held Obsidian Therapeutics. For Galera shareholders, whose stock had been trading below $0.05 per share prior to the announcement, the deal is a lifeline, while for Obsidian it is a calculated path to the public markets bypassing a traditional IPO process, Noble Capital Markets <a href="https://www.channelchek.com/news-channel/obsidian-therapeutics-goes-public-through-galera-merger-lands-350-million-to-fuel-cell-therapy-pipeline">writes</a>.

Noble: Galera merger to give Obsidian listing is 'lifeline' for GRTX shareholders

Xanadu Quantum Technologies Limited Class B Subordinate Voting Shares

IonQ, Inc.

Rigetti Computing, Inc.

NVIDIA Corporation

Shares of quantum computing companies surged 11-29% on Tuesday after NVIDIA <a href="https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-launches-ising-the-worlds-first-open-ai-models-to-accelerate-the-path-to-useful-quantum-computers">announced</a>&nbsp;the launch of its Ising family of AI models designed to help build quantum processors.

Quantum computing stocks soar after Nvidia unveils Ising AI model family

Small Caps

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