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According to a report by CCTV cited by Jinshi, on March 20 local time, U.S. officials stated that the U.S. military is deploying three warships and approximately 2,500 Marines to the Middle East. Previously, informed sources indicated that the troop increase would provide U.S. President Trump with more military options, including launching operations to "clear" the Strait of Hormuz, which would require deploying air and naval forces to the Iranian coastline.According to informed sources, the Trump administration is also considering deploying ground troops to Khark Island, the "lifeline" of Iranian oil exports. This plan aims to seize the island as leverage to force Iran to restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Khark Island is located in the northwestern part of the Persian Gulf, more than 20 kilometers from the Iranian coast, and is Iran's largest crude oil export base, with about 90% of Iran's oil exported from here.

DeFiance Capital CEO Arthur posted on the X platform, stating that in the short term, "TACO" (Trump's last-minute retreat) and a cooling of the situation in the Middle East are unlikely to occur, as both the U.S. and Israel are continuing to pressure Iran.He pointed out that the global supply chain may be further disrupted in the coming weeks. Additionally, according to a previous report by Axios, the Trump administration is considering occupying or blockading Iran's Khark Island to force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

According to The Block, Animoca Brands announced an investment in the Avalanche blockchain native token AVAX and reached a strategic cooperation with Avalanche developer Ava Labs to jointly promote the development of the Avalanche ecosystem.A spokesperson for Animoca Brands declined to disclose the scale of the investment and other terms. In terms of cooperation, both parties will focus on deploying capital to Avalanche ecosystem projects, exploring product integration, and providing advisory support, with key areas including real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, entertainment, and digital identity. In terms of regional layout, the initial focus will be on Asia and the Middle East, with Animoca Brands stating that it has established regional infrastructure and institutional relationships in these two areas for commercial deployment of Avalanche ecosystem projects.

According to Jinshi reports, the Bank of Japan stated that the financial markets are experiencing unstable trends due to the conflict in the Middle East.

According to a report by Reuters, a U.S. official and three informed sources stated that the Trump administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to strengthen its military operations in the Middle East. These deployments could provide Trump with more options as he weighs expanding operations.Sources indicated that ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz could mean deploying U.S. ground forces along the Iranian coast. The Trump administration has also discussed the possibility of deploying ground troops to Iran's Qeshm Island and sending U.S. forces to ensure the safety of Iran's highly enriched uranium reserves.A White House official stated, "No decision has been made yet to send ground troops. The president is focused on achieving all the established goals of Operation 'Epic Fury'." Sources noted that discussions about increasing troop levels are not limited to an amphibious readiness group and its attached Marine Expeditionary Unit (about 2,000 Marines) that will arrive in the Middle East next week. However, one source pointed out that due to the fire on the USS Ford, which has been sent to Greece for repairs, the U.S. military will lose some troop strength.

According to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell stated that progress on tariffs and inflation should be seen by mid-year.

According to Jin Shi reports, JPMorgan analyst Bob Michele expressed his shock at the Federal Reserve's decision, believing that the decision overlooks the risks in the Middle East, and that the expectations of economic acceleration and stable employment may be a misjudgment. Michele pointed out that this will have a substantial impact on inflation as well as the economy and labor market.

According to Gate market data, U.S. stocks opened with the Dow down 0.5%, the S&P 500 down 0.31%, and the Nasdaq down 0.27%. Precious metal concept stocks weakened, with Coeur Mining down 4%, Newmont down 2%, and Pan American Silver down 6%. The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index rose 0.23%.

The probability of crude oil breaking $100 on Polymarket is currently reported at 63%, an increase of 43 points in the last 24 hours. In addition, the data shows:The probability of crude oil breaking $105/barrel on Polymarket is currently reported at 42%, a decrease of 19 points;The probability of crude oil breaking $110/barrel on Polymarket is currently reported at 27%, an increase of 10 points;The probability of crude oil breaking $120/barrel on Polymarket is currently reported at 16%.

According to Jinshi News, John Taylor, head of fixed income at Aptus Capital Advisors, stated that the Federal Reserve meeting will undoubtedly be influenced to some extent by the Middle East conflict and rising oil prices. This meeting may determine the next direction of the market, with attention on the dot plot and the divergences among Federal Reserve officials, as well as any wording hints regarding commodity supply shocks in Powell's press conference. After the surge in oil prices, the market has canceled the rate cut expectations from earlier this year, but if the conflict ends quickly, these expectations will be rapidly repriced.

Cryptocurrency market maker Wintermute stated on social media that the situation in the Middle East has entered its third week of escalation, with Brent crude oil rising 26% over the week. The market has adjusted its expectations for interest rate cuts in 2026 to just one. Against this backdrop, the cryptocurrency market has outperformed all major asset classes except for crude oil, with BTC rising over the week, while stocks, bonds, and gold all experienced declines.In terms of digital assets, BTC rebounded about 10% from Monday's low, marking seven consecutive days of gains, and has regained the $71,000 level; ETH followed suit and maintained above $2,000. The Coinbase BTC premium indicator has reset, as the structural pressure of discount that persisted for months has dissipated. The spot Bitcoin ETF recorded its first consecutive five-day net inflow in 2026, totaling $767 million, with $251 million flowing in on Monday alone, led by IBIT; the Ethereum ETF saw a net inflow of about $160 million over four consecutive days.Strategy has increased its holdings by 1,360 BTC; Bitmine announced the purchase of ETH for $128 million, with the Ethereum Foundation selling 5,000 ETH directly to it through over-the-counter trading. The implied volatility index for BTC (DVOL) has compressed from 61 to 51, and the correlation between BTC and stocks has also significantly weakened.On the macro front, core PCE annualized at 3.1%, non-farm payrolls showed a decrease of 92,000, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%, with stagflation becoming the baseline scenario. This week, the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, and Bank of England will announce their interest rate decisions on the same day, marking the most concentrated macro event in recent months.

According to CoinDesk, Bitcoin and Ethereum have recently outperformed gold and global stock markets, highlighting the demand for safe-haven assets amid geopolitical tensions. Wall Street brokerage Bernstein pointed out that the resilience of Bitcoin reflects a fundamental change in its ownership structure, with institutional investors dominating the market.In terms of institutional holdings, Strategy is referred to as the "last central bank of Bitcoin," continuously buying Bitcoin during market downturns. Recently, it increased its holdings by 22,337 BTC at an average price of about $70,194 each, bringing its total holdings to 761,068 BTC, with an average cost of about $75,696. Analysts noted that Bitcoin's recent performance under geopolitical pressure has reignited discussions about its role as "digital gold."Strategy's stock (MSTR) is currently trading at about a 14% discount to Bitcoin's net asset value, providing stock market investors with a high-beta way to participate in Bitcoin's rise. Through high-yield financing offered by the STRC product, Strategy further gained liquidity to support market purchases.At the same time, spot Bitcoin ETFs have attracted about $2.1 billion in inflows over the past three weeks, accounting for approximately 6.1% of the total supply, with institutional investors including wealth management firms, pension funds, and sovereign investors. Retail investors have recently shown net selling, but the proportion of long-term holders remains high, with about 60% of Bitcoin not moving in a year, indicating the continued existence of its long-term value storage properties.

QCP released the latest market report indicating that against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions, the cryptocurrency market has shown relative strength, with Bitcoin and Ethereum breaking through $74,000 and $2,270 respectively, while stocks and gold assets remain under pressure during the same period. The report believes that this trend is reinforcing the narrative of "digital safe-haven assets" and "geopolitical hedging tools."QCP stated that tensions related to Iran may drive an increase in on-chain activity and cross-border liquidity demand. Data shows that last week, the supply of USDC rose to a historical high of approximately $81.1 billion, with overall stablecoin supply increasing simultaneously, indicating new inflows into the cryptocurrency market amid global uncertainty.Institutional demand has also shown signs of recovery. Bitcoin ETFs have seen net inflows for five consecutive trading days, with BlackRock's ETF recording inflows for the third consecutive week, totaling approximately $1.75 billion. Meanwhile, Strategy continues to increase its Bitcoin holdings.In the options market, spot prices are approaching the important end-of-month strike price BTC-27MAR26-75K-C (approximately 8,000 contracts). The report notes that if the price effectively breaks through $75,000, it may trigger a rally driven by the Gamma effect, while $74,500 remains a key short-term resistance level, with a dense area of short liquidations above.

Binance will grandly launch the Midnight (NIGHT) Super Earn Coin event on March 16, 2026, at 20:00, lasting until March 25, 2026, at 07:59. Users can subscribe to designated tokens in the Super Earn Coin pool to share a maximum reward of 120 million NIGHT. During the event, more than 480 million NIGHT rewards will be distributed.

Moody's Analytics stated in a report that the Bank of Japan is expected to keep interest rates unchanged this week and may raise rates to 1% around mid-year. The report noted that the conflict in the Middle East has increased the risk of inflation re-accelerating, but the uncertainty brought by this conflict will lead the Bank of Japan to remain on hold for the time being.The report also pointed out that if the yen weakens further, it may prompt the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates earlier later this year. However, slowing wage growth and unstable performance in actual economic data make it difficult to justify a radical rate hike path above 1%.

According to a report by Jinshi, the latest NBC poll shows that Trump's support among registered voters has decreased by 3 percentage points from 47% in March 2025 to 44%, with disapproval rising to 54%. The average of Decision Desk HQ polls also shows similar results: 43.1% approval and 54.4% disapproval.Investinglive analyst Adam Button stated that the key for the market lies in the situation of the midterm elections. Trump himself has pointed out this risk, noting that historical patterns show that the party in the White House typically faces setbacks in midterm elections. If the Republican Party loses seats in Congress, it will reshape the legislative landscape regarding tax policy, tariffs, and deregulation, while current stock valuations have to some extent already priced in expectations for these policies.The big question ahead is whether Trump will begin to face internal pressure to quickly end the war. Republicans have certainly acknowledged that they will lose the House of Representatives, and as the Middle Eastern war diminishes some of their voter base, the control of the Senate becomes increasingly uncertain.

According to Jin Shi reports, S&P stated that the negative supply shock brought by the Middle East war will reduce the growth rate of the U.S. GDP and raise inflation levels.