BREAKING: $435 million has been liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the past 12 hours.

March 8th — U.S. military operations in Iran sent oil prices surging, leaving Washington’s policy toolkit nearly depleted. Experts warn other U.S. measures will be negligible if the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t reopen quickly. Some experts have panned the Trump administration’s crisis management approach. Michael Alfaro, chief investment officer at energy and industrial hedge fund Gallo Partners, noted: “Many policy decisions or leaks from the government over the past 48 hours signal desperation to calm the oil market.” He added commodity prices will jump again if there’s no indication by Monday the Strait of Hormuz is set to reopen. But others have defended the White House’s strategy. Dan Brouillette, Trump’s first-term energy secretary, told the Financial Times the administration has a longer-term view than financial markets. “High oil prices are temporary,” he said. “Now is the time to oust this regime and end its decades-long extortion of the strait.” (Wall Street View)

Wall Street Journal reporter Nick Timiraos—often dubbed the “Fed Whisperer”—wrote in a March 8 article that the Federal Reserve has long feared being forced to choose between fighting inflation and protecting jobs. Friday’s jobs report brought this dilemma one step closer. Timiraos cited Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed and a voting member of this year’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), who recently warned the current situation could be a “rerun” of the Russia-Ukraine conflict era. Kashkari cautioned the Fed not to repeat its 2021 mistake of labeling that year’s inflation spike as temporary. On the Fed’s next moves, Timiraos speculated: “Right now, Fed officials may just wait and see. Fed Chair Jerome Powell pushed for three rate cuts by the end of last year, but each cut sparked growing internal debate among the 12-member rate-setting committee. Officials have made clear they’re in no rush to adjust rates at this month’s meeting—even a month of worrying data

**March 8 (Yonhap) — South Korea is weighing its first oil price ceiling in nearly 30 years amid surging energy costs linked to an escalating Middle East conflict, a source said Sunday.** U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, followed by Iranian retaliation, have sent global oil prices soaring. Historically, international price swings took roughly two weeks to reach South Korea’s domestic market, but this time the impact was almost immediate — prompting officials to assess the feasibility of a cap. The government is treading carefully, however, as the measure could bring side effects including market distortion and fiscal strain, the source noted. Prior to this, President Lee Jae-myung ordered regional or fuel-specific price caps be rolled out promptly if a nationwide unified ceiling proves unworkable. The next day, he warned oil refiners against colluding to hike gasoline prices. In line with the president’s instructions, the government has formed an interagency inspection tea

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) — Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Larry Rahmani said Thursday (March 7) that several U.S. soldiers had been captured, directly contradicting U.S. claims the troops died in combat. In a social media post the same day, Rahmani stated: “Based on reports I’ve received, several American soldiers are in our custody. The U.S. claims they died in action, but their attempts to cover this up won’t hide the truth for long.” U.S. Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins told U.S. media later Thursday that the Iranian claim of captured U.S. troops was a “lie.” (Xinhua)

March 8th saw Rita Fan—Chairperson of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and a National People’s Congress (NPC) deputy—announce her full support for Hong Kong’s first five-year plan. Vincent Chan, another Hong Kong NPC delegate, noted the need to cautiously develop emerging financial products like stablecoins and virtual assets. Multiple financial institutions (including banks, securities firms, and insurers) have already adopted artificial intelligence (AI), and better regulation of AI—including enhanced oversight—is needed to safeguard Hong Kong’s financial security and prevent potential issues. Additionally, Holden Chow, a member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Election Committee, said the 14th Five-Year Plan outlines China’s development direction for the next five years and beyond. In this new phase, Hong Kong should fully leverage its strengths to advance the “four centers and one highland” initiative: consolidate its status as an international financial, shipping, and trade hub;

March 8th: Garrett Jin, agent for "BTC OG Whale Insider," posted on X noting a clear historical link between oil supply gaps and price surges: - 1973: ~7% supply gap → ~300% price spike - 1979: ~5% gap → ~150% surge - 1990: ~6% gap → ~130% jump Current potential supply shock tied to the Strait of Hormuz: ~15%—far bigger than any historical case. Most institutional models assume the shock will last just a few days to weeks; few expect it to stretch to months. If the market’s consensus on the shock’s duration breaks down, more long positions could be forced into play, pushing oil prices higher still.