Stock Market Today: Strikes in Iran, New NVDA Partnerships, CRWD Upgrade #shorts
•March 3, 2026
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Why It Matters
The day's geopolitical flare and Nvidia’s AI investment highlight sector rotation, while CrowdStrike’s upgrade signals strong demand for cybersecurity ahead of a busy earnings week, shaping investor positioning.
Key Takeaways
- •Markets closed higher despite early pressure from geopolitical tensions.
- •Energy and defense sectors surged after US-Israel strikes on Iran.
- •Nvidia pledged $2 billion to partner with Coherent and Lumenum.
- •CrowdStrike upgraded to overweight, shares jumped 3.5% pre‑earnings.
- •Upcoming earnings from Target, Best Buy, and Ross Stores.
Summary
Marley Kaden recapped a mixed‑bag trading day where U.S. indices closed modestly higher despite opening under pressure from geopolitical headlines. The Russell 2000 rose about 0.9%, while the Dow slipped just over 0.1%, reflecting divergent sector moves.
Energy and defense stocks led gains after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, sending crude oil sharply higher. The energy index jumped 2% and defense giants such as Northrop Grumman, RTX, L3Harris and Lockheed Martin each rose more than 3%.
Nvidia announced $2 billion investments in optics firms Coherent and Lumenum to expand AI‑focused manufacturing and R&D, pushing both stocks up over 3%. Meanwhile Piper Sandler upgraded CrowdStrike to overweight, calling the recent sell‑off “well overdone,” and the cybersecurity stock rallied 3.5% ahead of earnings.
The moves underscore how geopolitical risk can rotate capital into energy and defense, while AI and cybersecurity remain hot themes. Investors will watch upcoming earnings from Target, Best Buy, On Holdings, CrowdStrike and Ross Stores for clues on consumer spending and tech spending trends.
Original Description
The U.S. and Israel launch strikes in Iran, causing volatile energy and defense rallies. Nvidia (NVDA) adds to its portfolio by investing in Coherent (COHR) and Lumentum (LITE). CrowdStrike (CRWD) rallies ahead of Tuesday's earnings. Marley Kayden talks about the biggest headlines moving markets to start the trading week.
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#iran #israel #nvidia #nvda #crowdstrike #crwd #coherent #cohr #lumentum #lite
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