On March 18, Middle East tensions remained deadlocked overnight and into this morning, with investors attempting to digest the inflationary impacts of elevated oil prices while turning their attention to the forthcoming Federal Reserve interest rate decision. US stocks, gold, and oil traded within narrow ranges, while US Treasury yields and the dollar both declined. Bitcoin failed to sustain the strong momentum since Monday, consolidating at the 74,000 USD level.

According to Bitget market data, the three major US stock indices posted modest gains, with the S&P 500 up 0.25%, the Nasdaq up 0.47%, and the Dow Jones nearly flat. Energy stocks rose across the board, with ExxonMobil up 1%. Crypto-related stocks were mostly up, with MSTR gaining 1.87%, BMNR down 0.68%, and CRCL rising another 5.15%, breaking through the 130 USD mark.

According to HTX market data, Bitcoin failed again to challenge the 75,000 USD level and has since retreated below 74,000 USD, now trading at 73,980.53 USD.

At 2 AM Beijing time tomorrow, the Federal Reserve will announce its interest rate decision. The market has already fully priced in unchanged rates and is instead focused on Fed Chair Powell's remarks during the monetary policy press conference, with markets hoping Powell will signal the Fed's interest rate trajectory under the Iran situation. #Gate广场AI测评官