Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

Iran War Rocks Global Markets: What It Means for Stocks, Bitcoin, Gold and the Economy

Published

on

Nexo Partners with Bakkt for US Crypto Exchange and Yield Programs

TLDR:

  • Bitcoin dropped to $63K within minutes of the Iran War breaking out, triggering over $515M in crypto liquidations.
  • Gold surged past $5,200 as the Iran War intensified, with Bank of America forecasting a $6,000 per ounce target.
  • The Strait of Hormuz carries 20% of global oil daily, and tankers are already halting movement amid the Iran War.
  • Recession probability jumped from 25–30% to 40–50% as the Iran War threatens sustained disruption to global oil supply.

The Iran War has triggered an immediate financial shockwave across every major asset class. Open military conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran erupted on February 28, following explosions across Tehran, southern Lebanon, and near U.S. military bases.

President Trump declared “major combat operations” under Operation Epic Fury. Iran responded with missile strikes on Israeli and U.S. Gulf bases.

Investors across every market are now reassessing their positions as the situation continues to evolve hour by hour.

Stock Markets Face a Historic Test as War Escalates

The Iran War arrived at an already fragile moment for equities. The S&P 500 had turned negative for 2026 before the first strike even landed.

Bank of America held the most bearish S&P 500 outlook heading into the conflict, with a year-end target of just 7,100.

Advertisement

Historical data, however, offers a counterpoint worth noting. CFA Institute data shows U.S. large-cap stocks returned 11.9% annualized during wartime versus 10.0% during peacetime periods.

Across six major conflicts, the pattern has remained consistent — markets sell off before the war begins, then recover shortly after it starts.

The critical difference this time is oil. None of those previous wars directly threatened a supply corridor handling 20% of global crude.

If the Strait of Hormuz faces prolonged disruption, the historical “buy the war” playbook may not hold. Recession probability has already shifted from roughly 25–30% to an estimated 40–50%.

Advertisement

Bitcoin and Gold Split as Investors Seek Safety

Bitcoin dropped to approximately $63,000 within minutes of the Iran War breaking out, falling 3.8% almost immediately.

Over $515 million in crypto liquidations followed, erasing roughly $128 billion from total market capitalization. Ethereum fell 5.5%, with $149 million in ETH futures liquidations recorded by CoinGlass.

Gold, by contrast, surged past $5,200 and settled near $5,296 in the same window. Silver climbed 7.85% alongside it.

Gold had already gained 13.31% in January alone, reflecting a months-long trend driven by central bank buying and growing de-dollarization momentum.

Advertisement

The divergence between the two assets tells a clear short-term story. Bitcoin is trading like a risk-on asset, absorbing panic selling during weekend hours when no other liquid market is open.

Gold is functioning as the traditional safe haven. Bank of America expects gold to reach $6,000 per ounce over the next 12 months, and every current macro condition supports that trajectory.

Oil Prices and Economic Fallout Determine What Comes Next

The Iran War’s economic consequences hinge almost entirely on what happens at the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly 20 million barrels of oil pass through it daily, covering Qatar’s LNG, UAE crude, and most of Kuwait and Iraq’s exports.

Tanker traffic has already slowed, with Japanese shipping firm Nippon Yusen directing its full fleet away from the strait.

Advertisement

Brent crude closed the prior Friday at $72.48, while WTI jumped to $75.33, up 12% in a single session. Lombard Odier estimates a temporary spike to $100 per barrel is plausible under current conditions.

A sustained 20–30% oil price increase could depress global growth by 0.5–1.0% and push headline inflation higher by a similar margin.

The chain reaction from there runs through the entire economy. Higher oil raises costs across transportation, manufacturing, and consumer goods. Spending contracts, confidence falls, and growth slows.

The Federal Reserve, already stuck with rates at 3.5%–3.75% and inflation near 3%, has little room to respond. If Brent remains below $90, markets may stabilize. Above $100 sustained, the road through 2026 becomes considerably rougher.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

Iran Bitcoin toll report raises questions over oil ship payments

Published

on

UK shuts down crypto exchange Zedxion after sanctions probe ties platform to Iranian networks

Reports that Iran may accept crypto for oil tanker tolls in the Strait of Hormuz have sparked debate across the digital asset market. 

Summary

  • Reports on Iran’s possible crypto tolls for oil tankers have split opinion across Bitcoin and stablecoin circles.
  • Analysts said stablecoins face freeze risks, while Bitcoin supporters called BTC harder to block or control.
  • Galaxy’s Alex Thorn said tanker payments may use Bitcoin addresses, not Lightning, due to size limits.

The discussion followed a Financial Times report that linked the proposal to Iran’s efforts to reduce exposure to US sanctions.

Market participants have focused on one question: whether Bitcoin would play a real role in such payments. Conflicting claims have since pointed to stablecoins or Chinese yuan as other possible options.

Advertisement

The latest debate started after reports said Iran was considering Bitcoin payments for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway remains one of the world’s busiest energy routes, which has pushed the topic beyond crypto circles and into wider market discussions.

Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy, said later reports did not fully support the original Bitcoin claim. He said some accounts suggested the tolls could instead be settled in stablecoins or Chinese yuan, which left the payment method unclear.

That uncertainty has driven much of the reaction from Bitcoin supporters and market analysts. With no confirmed payment framework in place, traders and industry figures have treated the story as a developing issue rather than a settled policy.

Advertisement

The lack of an official and detailed public plan from Iranian authorities has also kept room for doubt. For now, the crypto market is responding more to reports and commentary than to a final rule.

Bitcoin and stablecoins draw different arguments

Bitcoin supporters argued that BTC would be harder for outside parties to freeze or block. Justin Bechler said, “USDT and USDC include built-in blacklist functions at the smart contract level,” adding that issuers can freeze funds when addresses are flagged.

He also said, “Bitcoin has no issuer, no compliance officer to pressure, and no freeze function.” That argument has pushed some market participants to present Bitcoin as a more resilient option for cross-border settlement under sanctions pressure.

Still, that view has not settled the debate. Stablecoins remain widely used in global crypto payments because they reduce price swings, and that may still matter for any large commercial transaction tied to oil shipping.

Advertisement

The discussion also reflects the difference between theory and practice. A payment method may look strong on paper, but large state-linked payments depend on speed, scale, compliance risk, and operational ease.

Payment size and logistics remain key issues

Thorn estimated that tanker tolls could range from $200,000 to $2 million per ship. That size has raised doubts about whether the Lightning Network would be the main rail, even though some early reporting suggested a payment could be completed within seconds.

He said the more likely setup would involve Iran providing a QR code or a Bitcoin address after approving a ship’s passage. That method would avoid the limits that can affect very large Lightning payments.

Thorn also noted that the largest known Lightning transaction to date was about $1 million. That figure matters because some tanker tolls may sit above that level, which could make direct onchain settlement or pre-arranged transfers more practical.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Crypto World

WLFI Drops to Record Low After Token-Backed Borrowing Raises Risk Concerns

Published

on

WLFI Drops to Record Low After Token-Backed Borrowing Raises Risk Concerns

WLFI, the native token of the Donald Trump–backed World Liberty Financial platform, sank to an all-time low on Saturday as crypto users expressed concerns after revelations that the project used a large amount of its own tokens to take out loans.

The token hit a new low of around $0.07714 on Saturday, down 83% from its peak of $0.46 reached last September, according to data from CoinMarketCap. WLFI is currently at $0.07879, down by 4.66% over the past day.

The downturn came after it was revealed that wallets linked to World Liberty Financial deployed substantial WLFI holdings as collateral on Dolomite, a decentralized lending platform co-founded by the project’s chief technology officer, Corey Caplan.

WLFI token down 65% over the past year. Source: CoinMarketCap

Onchain data from Arkham shows that a wallet linked to World Liberty Financial deposited around 5 billion WLFI tokens on Dolomite. The wallet then used the tokens as collateral to borrow $75 million in USD1 and USDC (USDC) stablecoins, later transferring more than $40 million to Coinbase Prime.

Related: CFTC unveils innovation task force members in crypto clarity push

Advertisement

WLFI-backed loan position sparks concerns

The large collateral position has raised concerns among DeFi analysts, who warn it could create risks for lenders on Dolomite if WLFI’s price falls and approaches liquidation levels.

“WLFI has almost a $10 billion FDV, but it is not an extremely liquid asset,” one user wrote on X. “So imagine what would happen if 5% of WLFI’s total supply would suddenly need to be sold to liquidate the position,” he added.

Another X user argued that the setup resembles creating artificial “chips” and borrowing against them. “It’s the financial equivalent of printing casino chips, borrowing cash against them, and telling everyone else not to panic because the house still believes in the chips,” they claimed.

Source: Ethan DeFi

Dolomite has a relatively small footprint in decentralized finance, ranking 19th among lending platforms by total value locked, according to DefiLlama.

Related: White House warns staff as Iran bets add to growing insider trading concerns

Advertisement

World Liberty defends WLFI lending

World Liberty Financial acknowledged the lending activity on social media, but sought to calm markets, stating that its positions remain well above liquidation thresholds. The project described itself as an “anchor borrower” for WLFI and argued that the strategy helps generate yield.

“Everyday users are earning outsized stablecoin yields right now — at a time when traditional markets are offering very little. That’s the whole point,” the project wrote on X.

On Friday, World Liberty said it will soon introduce a governance proposal to create a phased unlock schedule for WLFI tokens held by early retail buyers, replacing immediate access with a long-term vesting plan subject to community vote.

Magazine: Bitcoin may take 7 years to upgrade to post-quantum — BIP-360 co-author

Advertisement