News

The Middle East conflict has entered its sixth day, with crude oil futures prices continuing to surge and damage to shipping and energy infrastructure further worsening the situation. Frank Walbaum from Naga stated that the uncertainty regarding the duration of the conflict keeps upward pressure on oil prices "persistently present." He mentioned that Iraq has suspended production due to insufficient oil storage facilities, and traders are "pricing in advance the risk that the ongoing conflict may trigger broader production shutdowns." Although the United States plans to provide insurance support for oil tankers and deploy naval escorts, which may help curb a sharp rise in oil prices, "for the market to see a significant pullback, clear signs of easing geopolitical tensions or a sustained recovery in commercial oil tanker shipments are still needed."

BlockBeats News, March 5th, the World Gold Council revealed that global Gold ETF net inflows in February were $5.3 billion, achieving nine consecutive months of inflows and marking the strongest year-to-date start ever. Due to the continuous rise in gold prices driving up valuations, global Gold Assets Under Management (AUM) rose to a historical high of $701 billion, with global holdings reaching 4,171 tons. North America and Asia were the main drivers of inflows, while Europe saw outflows at the beginning of the month due to a sell-off in late January. Global average daily trading volume fell to $478 billion but remained well above 2025 levels. (Golden Finance)

Obviously, if gasoline prices rise, it will drive inflation. According to textbook monetary policy logic, you would ignore short-term shocks but not long-term ones. I think people will have to make a lot of assessments.