Trump Claims All Iran Leadership Candidates He Considering Have Died

March 2nd, Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas noted that the Iranian attack’s impact on oil prices was severe, though not disruptive. Blas pointed out the market’s top concern: whether both sides will target energy infrastructure or shut down oil shipping routes. Neither has happened yet—at least not so far. While fears lingered that Iran could torch the Middle East’s energy sector (targeting oil fields, refineries, and export terminals), Tehran hasn’t weaponized oil. Israel and the U.S. also haven’t targeted Iran’s oil infrastructure. Analysts say oil prices will spike—but even the most bullish traders are only talking about a possible $100 per barrel, far below the $139 hit after the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict and the 2008 record of $147.50. Given that, this Middle East crisis isn’t likely to spark an oil shock. Moreover, while the physical oil market is weak, the financial oil market has been bullish—snapping up crude in anticipation of higher prices. A year ago, Israel and

March 2nd — Onchain Lens data shows a crypto whale shifted to spot trading after incurring a $3.47 million loss, spending $3.69 million in USDC to purchase 115,435 HYPE at an average price of $32.

On March 2, Iranian Security Council Chief Rafi'ee stated that Iran will not enter into negotiations with the United States. (Golden Finance)

Binance will launch KATUSDT perpetual contract trading at 05:00 UTC on March 2, 2026, per an official announcement, with up to 5x leverage.

March 2 – Citing the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said the latest medium-term forecast shows no further withdrawals from the Exchange Fund over the next five years, and the HK$150 billion withdrawal will not become a regular practice. He noted the Exchange Fund’s total assets exceed HK$4.1 trillion — the withdrawal equals just half of last year’s investment income, so it will not impact financial stability or the linked exchange rate system. Chan also revealed the government will increase long-term bond issuance to better align with infrastructure projects’ cash flow and debt maturities. The government’s debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to rise from 14.4% to around 19.9% in five years, remaining relatively low globally.

Early March 2nd local time, another explosion was reported in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital. No official statement has been issued yet. On March 1st, a similar explosion was heard in the city. A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said Kabul had carried out anti-aircraft fire against a Pakistani aircraft. (Jinse)