Note

2026-03-13

News Briefing — 2026-03-13

GPT-5.4 Scores 83% on GDPVal Benchmark — OpenAI's latest model (launched March 5) at or above human expert level on economically valuable tasks. Billed as "most capable frontier model for professional work." Source: devFlokers
Google Rolls Out Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite — Faster, cheaper AI model aimed at high-volume enterprise use. Source: devFlokers
Alibaba Debuts Qwen 3.5 — Powerful multimodal model as Chinese tech giants race to compete despite export controls and talent reshuffling. Source: devFlokers
Morgan Stanley: "AI Breakthrough Coming in H1 2026 — Most of the World Isn't Ready" — Report warns of transformative leap driven by unprecedented compute accumulation at top AI labs. Source: Fortune

Robotics Funding Surge — Mind Robotics ($500M) and Sunday ($165M) both raised this week, signaling strong investor appetite for embodied AI alongside software AI. Source: Various

S&P 500 Hits 2026 Low — Three-Week Losing Streak — S&P -0.61% to 6,632; Nasdaq -0.93%; Dow -0.26%. First three-week losing streak in about a year. Source: CNBC / Motley Fool
Oil Settles at $98.71/Barrel (+3.11%) — Brent above $103 after new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declared Hormuz should stay closed. Source: Schwab
Q4 2025 GDP Revised Down to 0.7% — Significant slowdown from previous quarters; downward revisions to exports, consumer spending, and investment. Source: BEA
Consumer Sentiment Falls to 55.5 — UMich Survey down 1.9% from February as Iran war weighs on confidence. Source: IBKR
Market Stress Nears "Liberation Day" Levels — Bloomberg reports volatility, oil prices, and borrowing costs approaching the stress levels seen during the 2025 tariff shocks. Source: Bloomberg

Iran War Day 14 — New Supreme Leader Vows Hormuz Stays Closed — Mojtaba Khamenei declared the strait should remain shut and vowed revenge. IDF says it still has "thousands of targets" to hit. Source: Al Jazeera
War Cost After 2 Weeks — NPR tallies: 1,444+ killed in Iran, 18,551 injured; 773+ killed in Lebanon; 12 Israeli civilians + 2 soldiers; 13 US military dead. Source: NPR

Backfilled on 2026-03-16