[Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Concerns, Pressuring Valuations of U.S. Tech Giants] March 2, Jin10 News – The Nasdaq Index, dominated by tech stocks, led the decline among U.S. blue-chip indices in pre-market trading. Ipek Ozkardeskaya of Swissquote Bank wrote that investors are weighing the risks of inflation shocks triggered by the Middle East conflict. Ozkardeskaya stated: 'The continuous surge in oil prices could elevate inflation expectations and bond yields, applying pressure on long-duration growth valuations by increasing discount rates.' She noted: 'This is critical for companies like NVIDIA, Microsoft, Apple, and Alphabet, whose price-to-earnings ratios are highly sensitive to future revenues and real yields.' NVIDIA fell 1.6% in pre-market trading, while Alphabet and Apple dropped 2.7% and 1.2%, respectively. Nasdaq futures declined 1.5%.