Late-night surge! Chips, sudden major positive news! Latest updates

U.S. stock market awaits Trump’s major address.

Tonight, after the U.S. stock market opened, the three major indexes all surged, most large-cap technology stocks rose, storage chip concept stocks gained across the board, and Seagate Technology surged by more than 9%. On the news front, Morgan Stanley upgraded Seagate Technology’s rating to “Preferred Stock” and raised its target price from 468 to 582.

Some analysts noted that investors are currently waiting for the news conference that Trump is expected to hold with the military, or looking to find the latest signals of how the situation is evolving from it. Citing the latest report from U.S. media, China’s Xinhua News Agency quoted a White House official saying that the 45-day ceasefire plan between the United States and Iran is only one of the “many options” currently being discussed. The White House official said that Trump has not yet approved the plan, and that U.S. military actions against Iran are still ongoing.

In addition, the market is paying close attention to developments related to the Strait of Hormuz. According to the latest data from Bloomberg, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has risen to the highest level since the initial stage of the U.S.-Iran conflict, and 21 ships passed through the Strait over the weekend.

Storage chip concept stocks surge across the board

As of 22:15 Beijing time on April 6 evening, after the U.S. market opened, the three major indexes all surged. The Dow rose 0.25%, the Nasdaq rose 0.49%, and the S&P 500 rose 0.35%.

Most large-cap technology stocks rose. Apple and Amazon rose more than 1%, and Google, Meta, and TSMC ADRs edged higher; Nvidia, Microsoft, and Tesla edged lower.

Storage chip concept stocks surged across the board: Seagate Technology rose more than 9%, Western Digital rose more than 5%, and SanDisk and Micron Technology rose more than 3%.

Morgan Stanley announced it was upgrading Seagate Technology’s rating to “Preferred Stock.” The move is based on expectations of a rebound in the company’s data center hard drive demand, accelerated expansion of AI server storage, and improving gross margin. Analysts noted that Seagate’s technological barriers in the HDD market and its customer lock-in advantages are significant, and it is expected to continue benefiting from incremental storage demand driven by generative AI. This rating upgrade reflects institutional recognition of the company’s medium- to long-term earnings visibility and the resilience of its share.

On the Middle East front, citing Xinhua News Agency and the U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal in its April 6 report, an official with knowledge of the matter said that the U.S. and regional mediators are pushing for a 45-day ceasefire agreement in an effort to completely end the war between the United States and Iran, but that the likelihood of reaching an agreement is “still remote.”

The report said the ceasefire agreement is divided into two stages: first, to achieve an immediate ceasefire in exchange for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz; second, within three weeks to reach a “broader agreement,” which includes region-specific permanent solutions for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The report said that the regional mediators have informed Iran that although U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly threatened to blow up Iran’s power plants, “he still is eager to reach a ceasefire,” and the U.S. “may even make concessions.”

Another major focus for the market is that U.S. President Trump will hold a news conference with the military at 1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday (1:00 a.m. Beijing time on Tuesday).

Latest news on the Strait of Hormuz

On April 6, local time, Bloomberg reported that as more countries appear to have reached security transit arrangements with Iran, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has risen to the highest level since the initial stage of the U.S.-Iran conflict.

The report said that over the weekend, a total of 21 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the highest two-day total since early March, when transit volumes began to decline. Although the number of ships currently transiting is still far below pre-war levels (about 135 ships), more countries have already obtained permission to transit.

Singapore-based Kpler’s senior analyst for refined crude oil said: “While Iran is responding to requests from its partner countries, it is also tightening its control over the Strait of Hormuz. Transit still depends on Iran’s willingness; if the conflict escalates, the situation could change at any time.”

So far, most approved ships appear to be following routes instructed by Tehran, sailing close to Iran’s coastline. However, more ships are also starting to choose routes along the opposite side.

So far, Iraq has informed Asian traders and refineries that because the country’s crude oil vessels have been exempted by Iran, they are now able to transit the Strait of Hormuz, and buyers can ship crude oil themselves. This move is testing buyers’ confidence in this security assurance. According to a notice issued by Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) on Sunday, citing media reports, Iraq’s crude oil shipments are now “not subject to any potential restrictive measures.”

According to CCTV News, on April 6, local time, Iranian government senior officials said they have received the latest ceasefire proposal put forward by the mediator Pakistan and are currently reviewing the relevant contents.

The official said Iran will not accept a decision being forced by setting a deadline or applying pressure. Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a “temporary ceasefire.” Iran believes the United States is not yet prepared to achieve a permanent ceasefire.

Iran: Petrochemical facilities hit

This evening, according to Xinhua News Agency, on April 6 Iranian media reported that the petrochemical plants in Asaluyeh and South Pars of Iran’s Bushehr Province were “attacked by enemy forces,” with reports of several explosions.

Tasnime News Agency, citing statements from officials in Bushehr Province, reported that the United States and Israel launched attacks here again, and that the petrochemical production installations in Asaluyeh were hit and damaged. Investigations into the extent of the damage are underway, and there are no reports of casualties at this time.

The report said two companies supplying electricity, water, and oxygen to the petrochemical plant in Asaluyeh were attacked.

In a statement issued on April 6, Israeli Defense Minister Katz said that Israeli forces struck Iran’s “largest petrochemical facility” located in Asaluyeh in southern Iran. The facility is a major production base for Iran’s petrochemical products and accounts for about half of the country’s total petrochemical output. He said that last week the Israeli military attacked another “major petrochemical facility” in Iran, and together these two facilities “account for about 85% of Iran’s petrochemical product export output.”

Katz said that the petrochemical industry is the core engine financing Iran’s military activities. This Israeli attack constitutes a serious economic blow to Iran, with losses up to several tens of billions of dollars. The Israeli military has received instructions to continue striking Iran’s national infrastructure with full force.

In a statement issued on April 6, the Israel Defense Forces said that the Israeli Air Force carried out an attack in Tehran based on intelligence, resulting in the death of the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated “Al-Quds Force” special operations unit (Unit 840), Asgar Bagheri.

The statement said Bagheri died in an attack on May 5. Bagheri has served as commander of the “Al-Quds Force” special operations unit since 2019, and he held a series of important posts within the “Al-Quds Force,” “participating in attacks worldwide against Israelis and Americans.”

Editors: Tactics Heng

Layout: Wang Lulu

Proofreading: Yao Yuan

(Responsible editor: Zhang Xiaobo )

     【Disclaimer】This article only represents the author’s personal views and is not related to Hexun. The Hexun website remains neutral regarding the statements and judgment of views made in the text, and does not provide any express or implied guarantee regarding the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the content contained herein. Readers are asked to use this information only as a reference and bear all responsibility themselves. Email: news_center@staff.hexun.com

Report