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Golden Ten Data reported on March 31 that JPMorgan stated that despite the Iran war disrupting the stock market and increasing uncertainty, Australia's IPO pipeline is showing resilience. Justin Grimmond, Head of Equity Capital Markets for JPMorgan Australia and New Zealand, said in an interview: "We continue to see a strong IPO pipeline in Australia, and investors remain eager to meet with quality companies." According to the rankings, the institution ranked first in equity and placement underwriting in the region last year. Data shows that in the first quarter of this year, Australian IPOs raised a total of 476 million US dollars, marking the best start for the same period since 2021. Among the major deals in preparation, AI startup Firmus Technologies Pty is expected to issue shares; the company was valued at about 4.2 billion US dollars in a funding round in November last year.

1. On Tuesday during the Asian session, spot gold fluctuated higher, at one point rising 2.4% to around $4,619, marking a new high since March 20. Powell’s cautious approach towards the war dampened expectations of Fed rate hikes this year, while the US dollar index weakened slightly, providing upward momentum for gold prices. 2. Due to rising energy prices pushing up overall inflation, traders have almost completely ruled out the possibility of the Federal Reserve cutting rates this year, whereas the market previously expected two rate cuts before the war. Last week, the probability of a Fed rate hike within the year once rose to 40%, but this expectation quickly faded this week, especially after Fed Chair Powell’s remarks. 3. Fed Chair Powell stated on Monday that the Fed can wait and observe how the Iran war evolves in terms of its impact on the economy and inflation. Powell also pointed out that policymakers typically ignore the short-term effects of shocks such as rising oil prices. 4. Trump has warned that if Tehran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, the US will destroy Iran’s energy facilities and oil wells. Iran called the US peace proposal “unrealistic” and launched multiple rounds of missiles at Israel. 5. Geopolitical risks continue to drive up oil prices, and market concerns about inflation persist, which has kept gold prices under pressure since the Iran war began. So far this month, gold prices have still fallen by nearly 13%, potentially marking the largest single-month drop since October 2008. For the season to date, gold prices are still up about 5%.

Jinse Finance reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) now allows broker-dealers to use components of the Russell 1000 Index and the S&P 500 Index as collateral when borrowing securities. This move aims to increase liquidity and strengthen risk management in the lending market.