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Golden Ten Data reported on March 20 that the UK’s budget deficit in February exceeded expectations, highlighting the risks facing the country’s public finances—even before the Iran war fundamentally altered the economic outlook. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, government spending in February surpassed tax revenue by £14.3 billion (equivalent to $19.2 billion). This figure is higher than economists’ forecast of £8.8 billion and is twice the amount predicted by the UK Office for Budget Responsibility in November, marking the second-highest deficit for the month on record. The widening deficit is attributed to rising debt interest costs, as well as increased spending on public services and welfare. The £10.8 billion increase in spending outpaced the £8.6 billion rise in tax revenue. Now, the energy price shock triggered by the Middle East war may further derail the UK’s public finances. This crisis has already caused the UK government’s borrowing costs to soar, raised concerns about a resurgence in unemployment, and prompted calls for the government to support struggling households. This may make it difficult for Chancellor Reeves to fulfill her balanced budget mandate and could have an impact on financial markets.

Golden Ten Data reported on March 20 that gold prices rose slightly on Friday due to technical buying, but with the US dollar remaining strong and the Federal Reserve's hawkish stance dampening hopes for a near-term rate cut, gold is set to record its third consecutive weekly decline. Nicholas Frappell, Global Institutional Markets Manager at ABC Refinery, stated that gold has held some important technical support levels on the weekly chart, and prices may rebound to around $4,800 after previously falling below this level. After significantly underperforming during the Middle East conflict, participants are prepared to sell rather than buy gold and have been looking for reasons to justify their sentiment. Meanwhile, driven by holiday buying and a sharp price correction, the discount of Indian gold prices to the international benchmark hit its largest level in nearly ten years last week, but this situation has eased somewhat this week.

格隆汇3月20日｜The largest food delivery platform in the United States, DoorDash, announced the launch of an independent application called "Tasks." Delivery personnel on the platform can complete simple tasks during delivery gaps or their free time, such as taking photos of restaurant dishes or recording videos of natural conversations in languages other than English, to earn extra income. These original audio and video materials will be used to evaluate the company's internal artificial intelligence models, as well as models developed by its partners in retail, insurance, hospitality, and technology sectors. DoorDash is not the first company to use its delivery staff to train artificial intelligence models; a certain exchange launched a similar program at the end of last year, allowing drivers to earn extra income by completing small tasks.