The stock market rose on Wednesday, driven by optimism that tensions in the Iran conflict could ease, improving investor sentiment. Reports indicated that the U.S. had presented Iran with a 15-point proposal to end the Middle East war.
This development pushed oil prices down by about 2%, helping to ease inflation concerns.
Overall, S&P 500 rose 0.5% to 6,592, while NASDAQ increased 0.8% to 21,930.
Tweet of the Day
Good take on $GOOGL TurboQuant https://t.co/D9h34q61x8
— David Sharek (@GrowthStockGuy) March 25, 2026
Chart of the Day
Here is the one-year chart of Ecolab (ECL) as of February 23, 2026, when the stock was at $306.
Ecolab is focusing on its growth engines (segments that have growth opportunity). Its growth engines — which include Global High-Tech, Pest Elimination, Life Sciences and Ecolab Digital — grew double digits last quarter and now represent 20% of the company’s portfolio.
Global High Tech intrigues me. AI depends on water. From the fabs that make the chips, to the power plants that fuel the chips, and the datacenters that run and cool them. Ecolab has more than a century of experience managing cooling and water systems in complex environments. It has a direct to chip cooling platform which includes three trays monitoring and on-site service to datacenters.
Ecolab recently launched 3D Trasar, a new technology for direct-to-chip liquid cooling for next-generation data centers. This tracks and optimizes coolant performance in real time, reducing power use by up to 10%.
Also, Ecolab recently acquired Ovivo Electronics, which provides untra-pure water which is essential for semiconductor manufacturing.
Still, Water segment revenue increased just 4% last quarter, so maybe we should tame our excitement.
ECL is part of the Conservative Growth Portfolio.
