The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

March 9 – Senior strategist Ed Yardeni has raised his forecast for a market crash later this year from 20% to 35%, citing the escalating Iran-related conflict’s impact on global markets. This shift reflects growing market concerns: the ongoing Middle East turmoil, paired with inflationary pressures, will squeeze household spending, erode corporate profit margins, and complicate the Federal Reserve’s policy path. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs data shows hedge funds are boosting bearish bets on U.S. stocks at a rate not seen in nearly five years. For the week ended March 6, short positions in U.S. stock ETFs held by hedge funds rose 8.3%. Goldman Sachs noted that with little sign of easing Middle East tensions, fast-money investors are ramping up their bearish wagers on U.S. equities, expecting further downside ahead. Source: FXStreet

On Sunday, March 9, U.S. President Donald Trump told Israel Hayom that any decision to end the war with Iran would be made "in conjunction" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This indicates Netanyahu appears to hold significant influence over Trump’s war-related decision-making. Trump declined to comment on Mujtaba’s election when asked by Israel Hayom, only saying, “We’ll see.” Hours earlier, in an interview with NBC News, Trump stated that Iran’s next leader “won’t last long” if the White House does not recognize them.

On March 9th, Onchain Lens data shows that as crude oil prices surged, a whale’s short positions in CL and OIL were fully liquidated, resulting in a $1.82 million loss. Currently, the whale holds short positions in ETH, gold, and silver, with its profits plummeting from $1.77 million to just $57,000.

March 9th — Per GMGN monitoring (link: https://gmgn.ai/bsc/token/i_m4TE56o8_0xeccbb861c0dda7efd964010085488b69317e4444), the BSC-based meme coin “Lobster” extended its morning rally, pushing its market cap to a new all-time high of $6 million. It currently sits at $5.8 million, with a price of ~$0.0058 — marking a 170% jump in the past 24 hours, alongside roughly $3.7 million in 24-hour trading volume. The coin’s mascot traces back to an official tweet from Binance’s Chinese account, while recent buzz around the Openclaw (Lobster) trend has further fueled its surge. BlockBeats notes that meme coin trading carries extreme volatility, relies heavily on market sentiment and speculative hype, and has no inherent value or real-world use case. Investors are advised to exercise caution.

March 9: Hypersight data shows Rune, co-founder of Sky, took a high-leverage long position in oil on Hyperliquid over the weekend, while opening low-leverage short positions in U.S. stock indices and Ethereum. After traditional markets opened, oil prices surged immediately. Meanwhile, Bitcoin and Ethereum plummeted sharply, tracking U.S. stocks lower. As of press time, his account’s floating profit has topped $2 million.

March 9 — The Trump administration is preparing to announce an economic agreement with Cuba in the near future, two sources familiar with the matter told USA Today. Details and exact timing remain unconfirmed, but the pact may include easing travel restrictions for Americans visiting Havana — a move Trump does not need congressional approval to make. Discussions also cover an exit strategy for Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, terms allowing the Castro family to stay on the island, and deals related to ports, energy and tourism. The U.S. has floated lifting some sanctions, though it’s unclear what the U.S. would gain from the agreement — one Trump has referenced repeatedly in the past week. Sources note Trump holds leverage Obama did not have.