Significant developments have emerged from the US-Iran negotiations. On the afternoon of April 8, Beijing time, according to Iranian sources, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will lead an Iranian delegation in talks with the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan. The US delegation will be headed by Vice President Vance. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has confirmed Iran's participation in the Islamabad talks.

According to the latest reports from Xinhua News Agency, the Israel Defense Forces announced on the 8th that they have suspended strikes on Iran but remain on high alert. Citing reports, two former senior Israeli officials indicated that Israel believes a ceasefire is premature and hopes military operations against Iran can continue for at least another month.

On April 8, local time, ship-tracking website MarineTraffic recorded the first vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz following the agreed US-Iran ceasefire. It is understood that the Greek bulk carrier "NJ Earth" passed through the strait at 08:44 GMT, while the Liberia-flagged "Daytona Beach" passed through at 06:59 GMT, having previously departed Bandar Abbas port at 05:28 GMT. According to MarineTraffic data, hundreds of vessels remain in the region, including 426 oil tankers, 34 LPG carriers, and 19 LNG carriers.

Stimulated by news of the US-Iran ceasefire and negotiations, European and US stock markets launched a broad rally. Prominent US tech stocks surged in pre-market trading, and the VIX fear index plummeted by over 20%. In a newly released report, Goldman Sachs stated that the earnings growth momentum for global technology stocks, including US tech stocks, remains strong, while valuations are at low levels—presenting a buying opportunity for investors entering the sector.

**Latest Developments in US-Iran Talks** Following the European market open on the afternoon of April 8, Beijing time, major indices strengthened across the board. At the time of writing, the Euro Stoxx 50, Germany's DAX 30, and France's CAC 40 indices all surged over 4%. Italy's FTSE MIB and Spain's IBEX 35 indices jumped over 3%, while the UK's FTSE 100 index rose over 2%.

Futures for the three major US stock indices expanded their gains, with S&P 500 futures up 2.66%, Nasdaq 100 futures up 3.4%, and Dow Jones futures up 2.5%.

Leading US tech stocks rallied in pre-market trading. ASML ADR surged over 7%, TSMC ADR jumped over 5%, while Meta, Tesla, and Oracle each gained over 4%. Google (Class A), Microsoft, and Nvidia all rose over 3%. The chip and memory sector saw broad pre-market gains, with Micron Technology soaring over 10%, SanDisk and Seagate Technology both up over 9%, and Western Digital climbing over 8%.

On the news front, Xinhua cited Iranian media reports on the 8th stating that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will lead the Iranian delegation in talks with the United States in Islamabad, with the US side led by Vice President Vance.

Previously, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz confirmed that Iran and the US, along with their respective allies, agreed to an immediate ceasefire effective from today, covering all locations including Lebanon and other regions. He invited the Iranian and US delegations for further talks in Islamabad on the 10th to reach a final agreement resolving all disputes.

Analysis suggests that the temporary ceasefire has postponed risks that were potentially concentrated for the evening of April 7, providing space for continued dialogue between the parties. However, significant uncertainties remain regarding the navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, the security of regional energy facilities, and how US-Iran negotiations will proceed. For both sides, engaging on the terms of the ceasefire, strait navigation, and security arrangements will be key issues over the next two weeks.

According to reports, Iranian Parliament Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad stated on April 8 local time that if the US does not accept Iran's proposed 10 ceasefire clauses, Iran's Supreme Leader will not approve signing the ceasefire agreement. Nikzad also stated that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its previous state.

On the 8th local time, the Israel Defense Forces Northern Command informed local leaders within its jurisdiction that the two-week US-Iran ceasefire arrangement does not include Lebanon. The Northern Command stated it would continue to advance operations according to established plans, persistently implement current defense policies, and follow directives issued by the Israeli Home Front Command. Previously, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying Israel supports the US ceasefire with Iran, but the ceasefire does not include Lebanon.

**Goldman Sachs Weighs In** On April 7, US Eastern Time, Goldman Sachs expressed that global technology stocks, including US tech stocks, have undergone a prolonged period of price adjustment, and current valuations generally appear relatively cheap, offering investors a potential entry opportunity.

Goldman Sachs stated in its report that the growth momentum in the technology sector remains strong, while valuations are at low levels—this provides a buying opportunity for investors entering the sector.

According to the report, globally, the price-to-earnings ratio of the Information Technology sector is now lower than that of the Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, and Industrial sectors.

Goldman Sachs said: "Given the technology sector's relatively lower sensitivity of cash flows to economic growth, and the sector's ability to benefit from any rise in bond yields, it may perform more defensively in the coming months."

Goldman Sachs also mentioned that, despite lower valuations, earnings performance in the global technology sector remains robust.

Goldman Sachs indicated that among the sectors of the S&P 500, the Information Technology sector is widely expected to report a 44% year-on-year increase in earnings per share for the first quarter of this year.

Goldman Sachs stated: "The expected magnitude of earnings growth also exceeds that of any other sector. This has resulted in the gap between stock price performance and actual earnings growth reaching a historical high."

Legendary hedge fund manager Bill Ackman previously posted on a social platform: "A group of the world's highest-quality companies are currently extremely cheaply valued. Ignore the mainstream media. Now is one of the best times in a long while to buy quality assets."

Ross Capital Chief Economist and Market Strategist Michael Darda stated in a recent report: "Now is the time to increase allocation to the Information Technology sector in investment portfolios." He provided three reasons: First, earnings expectations for the S&P 500 Information Technology sector have been revised up by 28% since hitting highs last autumn. Second, despite this, the sector remains 17.2% below its historical peak. Third, this combination of rising earnings and falling prices has driven the sector's forward P/E ratio down to just over 20 times, roughly level with its value at the end of the market's tariff panic correction in 2025.