Donald Trump said on Monday that there had been "very good" negotiations with Tehran aimed at achieving a full cessation of hostilities, which came after three weeks of war in the Middle East. He added that those talks "will continue this week". However, Iranian media, citing the Foreign Ministry, denied the US president's claim. Specifically, the head of state said at 12:00 Paris time that "the US Department of Defense has been ordered to suspend all military strikes against Iran's power stations and energy infrastructure for a period of five days, provided that the current meetings and discussions are successful."
The announcement of the oil market easing affected the energy market. At about 5 p.m., Brent crude oil prices fell sharply, down nearly 7% to $100.41 a barrel. WTI crude fell 8.23 per cent to $88.65. International Energy Agency (IEA) Administrator Fatih Birol told the Australian National Press Club meeting in Canberra on Monday that the global economy was facing a "major threat" as a result of this war against Iran ". According to his analysis, the combined impact of the Middle East crisis is more serious than the two oil crises in the 1970 s and the Russian-Ukrainian war on the natural gas market.
Subsequently, however, Iranian media quoted the Foreign Ministry as refuting Trump's claim that negotiations were taking place between Washington and the Islamic Republic. "There is no dialogue between Tehran and Washington," Muir news agency and other media reported, citing the ministry, adding that Trump's remarks were aimed at "driving down" energy prices.
Before postponing the ultimatum, Trump had given Iran an ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Monday night and threatened to "strike and destroy" Iran's power stations. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessente said yesterday that sometimes an increase in hostilities is necessary to achieve a subsequent "de-escalation" as a reason for President Trump's ultimatum on the Strait of Hormuz.
In terms of market dynamics, Accenture said it has invested in DaVinci Commerce, a leader in agent-driven commerce, "an emerging channel where AI systems are increasingly influencing how products are discovered, evaluated and purchased". Nvidia and Emerald AI announced a partnership with AES, Constellation, Invenergy, NextEra Energy, Nscale Energy & Power and Vistra to power and develop a new type of flexible artificial intelligence factory into a grid asset. These AI factories will be able to connect to the grid faster and operate as flexible energy assets that can support the operation of the grid, thereby supporting AI innovation while building a more reliable power supply system.
Berkshire Hathaway has announced the acquisition of a 2.49 percent stake in Tokyo Offshore Holdings for about $1.8 billion. The deal will be done through its subsidiary, National Indemnity Corp., which will buy back about 48.2 million shares held by the Japanese insurer. Under the agreement, Berkshire can increase its stake to 9.9 percent through a market purchase without seeking approval from Tokyo Offshore's board. The two companies plan to cooperate in the reinsurance sector and explore global investment opportunities, including mergers and acquisitions.
Abbott has completed the acquisition of Exact Sciences, making the group a leader in the cancer screening and diagnostics segment. Exact Sciences thus became a 100 percent owned subsidiary of Abbott. With the acquisition finalized, March 20, 2026 has become the last trading day for Exact Sciences shares on the Nasdaq market.
In terms of statistics, U.S. construction spending fell 0.3 percent in January after an expected 0.1 percent increase, compared with a 0.8 percent increase in December.