Stocks

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a Nasdaq rule change on Wednesday, clearing the exchange to support trading and tokenized settlement of shares. In a DTCC-run pilot operated by the Depository Trust Company, eligible participants can choose tokenized settlement while keeping the same order book and execution priority as conventional shares.

Hong Kong-based stablecoin payments firm RedotPay is pursuing a $150 million pre-IPO raise at a targeted $4 billion valuation ahead of a potential U.S. listing that could happen as early as this year. The company says it is already profitable, while citing annualized total payment volume reaching $10 billion in December with year-over-year growth above 300%. The fundraising effort comes amid senior executive departures and the absence of a sitting CFO.

S&P Dow Jones Indices has licensed the S&P 500 Index to Trade[XYZ] for a perpetual futures contract on Hyperliquid aimed at eligible non‑US users. The product uses official S&P 500 index data and supports 24/7 trading with leverage, allowing long or short exposure with no expiry date.

On 18 March 2026, a licensed on-chain S&P 500 perpetual futures contract went live on Hyperliquid, offering round-the-clock access to the index outside standard U.S. trading hours. Participation is currently restricted to eligible non-U.S. investors. Following the rollout, Hyperliquid activity picked up and HYPE climbed toward $42.60, with attention on resistance near $43.

AMD shares moved higher in premarket trading on March 18, 2026 after AMD and Samsung Electronics signed an MoU to broaden cooperation on AI-focused memory supply. The arrangement names Samsung as the lead HBM4 provider for AMD's Instinct MI455X and also includes DDR5 memory for sixth-gen EPYC "Venice" processors, alongside potential foundry talks.

Bitcoin is holding above $70,000 while the average entry price for US spot BTC ETF investors sits near $79,900, putting many buyers close to breakeven. Data cited in the report shows ETF flows turning positive, with daily inflows peaking above 3,300 BTC on March 2 and total holdings rising to 1,291,618 BTC. Analysts also point to improving order flow and derivatives metrics, keeping attention on a potential $80,000 test in the weeks ahead.

Aggregated open interest across Hyperliquid's HIP-3 markets climbed to a record $1.43 billion on Saturday, more than 100x higher than at launch six months earlier. Much of the activity is concentrated on trade.xyz, where tokenized equities and commodities can trade 24/7, including during weekends when traditional venues are closed.

Qualcomm said it approved a new $20 billion share repurchase program and lifted its quarterly dividend to $0.92 per share from $0.89. The actions were announced before the open on March 17, 2026, and QCOM traded higher in early Tuesday trading, up about $2.60 (+2.01%) to roughly $131.99.

Uber Technologies shares moved higher in premarket trading after Nvidia outlined a robotaxi partnership that targets an initial launch in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2027. The plan calls for a phased rollout that ultimately reaches Level 4 driverless operations and expands to 28 cities across four continents by 2028.

Morgan Stanley CIO and Chief U.S. Equity Strategist Mike Wilson says U.S. equities could be approaching the late stages of the current correction as investors process months of economic and geopolitical worries. He notes that 50% of Russell 3000 stocks are down 20% from their 52-week highs, and says a final downdraft could be triggered by a more hawkish Fed tone or volatility around triple-witching options expiration.