FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Market Chatter: Trump Says US Will Maintain Naval Blockade on Iran Until Nuclear Deal

By

-- President Donald Trump said in a phone interview he will keep Iran under a naval blockade until Tehran accepts a deal that addresses US concerns about its nuclear program, Axios reported Wednesday.

Trump said the blockade was "somewhat more effective than the bombing," and that he had yet to order any military action as of Tuesday night, the report said.

He also claimed Iran's oil storage and pipelines "are getting close to exploding" because the country can't export crude under the blockade, the report said.

US Central Command has planned a "short and powerful" wave of strikes on Iran to potentially break the negotiating deadlock, the report said, citing three sources. Following the strikes, which would likely target the country's infrastructure, the US would press Iran to return to talks and show more flexibility, the report said.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

Related Articles

Australia

IMAX is Poised to Surpass 50% EBITDA Margins by 2028 on Rise in Filmed-for-IMAX Titles, Wedbush Says

IMAX (IMAX) is poised to surpass 50% earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margins by 2028 as the company continues to benefit from an uptick in volume and quality for filmed-for-IMAX titles in 2026 through 2028, Wedbush said in a Friday note.Wedbush said IMAX remains on its "Best Ideas List" and that the company sees further upside from global footprint expansion, higher volume of alternative content to boost revenue and its global box office increasingly relying on a mix of local language and global fare.The 2026 to 2027 "global film slate underscores IMAX's growing prominence in Hollywood and worldwide as an essential partner for major theatrical releases across genres, languages, and geographies," according to the note.Wedbush reiterated its outperform rating with a $46 price target.Price: $35.35, Change: $-2.68, Percent Change: -7.04%

$IMAX
Australia

Western Digital Set to Benefit From Accelerating HDD Demand, Morgan Stanley Says

Western Digital (WDC) is expected to benefit further from accelerating demand for hard disk drives after a "great" fiscal Q3 results, Morgan Stanley said in a Friday report."AI training, inferencing, and agentic workflows are driving accelerating HDD demand, supporting WDC's confidencein >25% long-term nearline EB CAGR," the report said.The note said visibility is also extending, with some hyperscalers locking down capacity into 2029.The note added that its June quarter gross margin guide of 51% to 52% was optically weak, but it reflects conservatism, rather than any weak pricing or cost trends."This quarter reinforces our bullishness on HDDs as a whole, and WDC," the report said. Morgan Stanley boosted its price target to $488 from $380 while reiterating its overweight rating.Price: $427.61, Change: $-6.91, Percent Change: -1.59%

$WDC
Australia

Pegasystems Poised for Growth Acceleration With Blueprint Platform, Wedbush Says

Pegasystems (PEGA) is poised to accelerate annual contract value growth and meet its 2026 free cash flow target as Blueprint, its low-code workflow-design platform, plays a larger role in early customer engagement, Wedbush Securities said Friday in a report.Wedbush said it is "incrementally more bullish" following discussions with Pegasystems executives and the recent pullback in shares appears "overblown."Blueprint is simplifying how Pegasystems works with prospective customers by helping them design and visualize use cases during initial meetings, historically a costly hurdle for the company, Wedbush said. The platform's ease of use supports expectations that new customers will drive about 15% of subscription-contract growth in fiscal 2026, up from 10% previously, the report said.On costs, Pegasystems has taken a "methodical approach" to stock-based Compensation, keeping it in the 8% to 9% range of revenue and prioritizing consistency rather than tying compensation to fluctuating stock prices, Wedbush said. That discipline should support sustainable free cash flow generation despite broader software-sector pressures, the report said.Wedbush maintained its outperform rating on Pegasystems stock with a price target of $60.Price: $36.53, Change: $-0.02, Percent Change: -0.05%

$PEGA