Daily Digest — 8 Apr 2026

Markets surged worldwide as Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif playing a crucial mediating role in securing the truce. The agreement includes opening the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices plummeting 15% to \(96 as geopolitical tensions temporarily eased. Bitcoin vaulted past \)72,000, up 4.5%, while Ethereum gained 6.5% as short sellers lost $427 million betting against the peace deal.

The fragile ceasefire comes amid continued volatility, with Gulf air defenses intercepting missiles within hours of the agreement. Iran has presented a 10-point plan for negotiations, though Republican hawks in the US remain skeptical while Democrats cautiously welcome the truce. The deal follows commemorations in Iran for 168 victims killed in a US strike on a girls’ school in Minab.

In tech developments, Google quietly launched an offline AI dictation app using Gemma models, while Eclipse raised a $1.3 billion fund for “physical AI” startups. Meanwhile, Anthropic launched Project Glasswing to secure critical software infrastructure for the AI era.