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BlockBeats News, March 31 – On Monday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell sent a dovish signal, stating that policy is currently well-positioned and the Fed can wait and observe how the situation develops. Despite the ongoing energy shock, long-term inflation expectations appear to remain stable, and the Fed does not need to make a decision on how to respond to the latest situation yet. The Fed currently does not know how significant the energy shock will be, and it is too early to draw conclusions. Boosted by this news, market pricing shows bets on Fed rate hikes have been withdrawn, instead pricing in the possibility of rate cuts later this year. However, Powell's remarks failed to stop the decline in U.S. stocks, as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate and Donald Trump issued a new round of threats against Iran. The three major indexes opened higher but closed lower; according to Bitget data, at U.S. market close, the Dow Jones rose 0.11%, the S&P 500 fell 0.39%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.73%. Trump once again threatened Iran over the ceasefire, stating, “The United States is engaging in serious negotiations with a brand new and far more rational regime to end U.S. military operations in Iran. Significant progress has already been made, but if, for any reason, an agreement cannot be reached soon (though an agreement is very likely), and if the Strait of Hormuz cannot be immediately ‘open for business,’ we will bomb and completely destroy all of Iran’s power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island (possibly also all desalination plants).” The Iranian side insists it has not engaged in any negotiations with the U.S. since the outbreak of the war. In addition, the Iranian parliament passed a bill seeking to impose a transit fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The transit fee for an oil tanker could reach up to $2 million, payable in Iranian local currency. Kuwait Oil Company stated that its crude oil transport vessel was attacked by Iran at the Port of Dubai, causing oil prices to surge again. According to Bitget market data, WTI crude oil surged 4.00% intraday to $105.58 per barrel, closing above $100 for the first time since July 2022. Spot gold fell back to $4,500 per ounce, erasing its intraday gain after reaching as high as $4,580 per ounce. Japanese and Korean stock markets opened lower today. The Korea KOSPI Index opened down 130.16 points (-2.47%) at 5,147.14 points. The Nikkei 225 Index opened down 447.09 points (-0.86%) at 51,438.76 points. In the cryptocurrency market, according to data from a certain exchange, Bitcoin briefly broke through $68,000 before retreating to $66,652, up 1.23% over 24 hours. Ethereum is now at $2,021, up 1.97% over 24 hours.

According to Odaily, "Nakamoto" DAT, under David Bailey, has sold Bitcoin worth approximately 20 million US dollars at a transaction price of about 70,422 US dollars, which is lower than its average holding cost of 118,171 US dollars. (Aggr News)

Golden Ten Data reported on March 31 that, according to a research report by CITIC Securities, the global growth in helium demand driven by the semiconductor and commercial aerospace sectors aligns with existing market expectations. The core impact of the Middle East conflict lies in Qatar's helium production and transportation links. Therefore, the degree of redistribution in helium resource import regions and the depth of inventories are the key factors in responding to these changes, as well as in determining the direction of helium prices. If geopolitical conflicts escalate and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues, CITIC Securities believes that Russia and Algeria may gain a larger share of the Chinese helium market. At the same time, helium prices may see a significant increase if the domestic industrial supply chain faces inventory shortages. Gas companies with domestic helium resources and long-term overseas helium contracts are expected to achieve high profit flexibility, while companies with helium recycling and reuse operations may also benefit.