Sunday Market Review + Watchlist 3/1/26
Geopolitical Tensions, Hot Inflation, and Tech Selloffs!
Market Recap
The story heading into Monday is the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. With Iran a top OPEC producer and the Strait of Hormuz in play, the immediate focus is oil and anything tied to energy security. Analysts are estimating oil could open +11% when futures resume tonight based on perpetual swap pricing on Hyperliquid. Traders will also be watching for what that means for names like XOM and CVX. Defense stocks such as LMT and RTX are also squarely in focus given the escalation.
This comes on top of a market that was already stretched after hot PPI data and weak post-earnings reactions in big tech, including NVDA’s sell-the-news move. Gold is firming up on safe-haven demand, and high-beta areas like semis and crypto could see sharp swings depending on how risk appetite opens. Expect a fast, sentiment-driven start to the week, especially in energy, defense, metals, and AI-heavy tech.
Low-float small caps are still in a neutral cycle. IBRX was the main multiday in play name giving setups on both the long and short side. It has an update coming out on March 3 that I’ll be keeping an eye on. XWEL and ALBT both put in early spikes and heavy turnover that eventually gave way to backside fades once they lost VWAP and prior day levels. ENSC was a strong gapper on Friday with very high volume but started showing late‑day weakness. Most gappers are still failing within a day or two.
Watchlist
Thanks for reading. Strap in for a wild week of volatility!