Global Markets

Bitcoin price oscillates around $74,140, with the U.S. SEC and CFTC issuing new guidelines clarifying that most cryptocurrencies are not securities, providing clear guidance for the market. Tether launches an AI fine-tuning framework. The market continues to monitor the impact of high interest rates and geopolitical tensions on the economy.

On March 18, gold and silver prices rose slightly, reaching $5,012.28/oz and $79.833/oz respectively. Bitcoin and Ethereum volatility indices showed mixed performance, with the US dollar rising modestly in the forex market. Global stock indices rose broadly, while WTI and Brent crude oil prices declined.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced at GTC 2026 that the company is restarting H200 chip production lines for the Chinese market, having obtained approvals from both U.S. and Chinese governments and received multiple customer orders. The H200 is a version designed to address U.S. export restrictions, and manufacturing operations have already begun.

Gate News reported on March 18 that according to CNBC, OpenAI is preparing for an IPO, which could be completed as early as the fourth quarter of this year. Insiders revealed that the specific IPO timing could still be adjusted, but the target window is before the end of this year. To support IPO preparations, OpenAI has hired Cynthia Gaylor, former Chief Financial Officer of DocuSign, to lead investor relations work and is expanding its financial team.

Meta announced that starting June 15, users will no longer be able to build, publish, or update virtual reality worlds on Meta Quest headsets, and will be unable to access Meta Horizon Worlds, marking a shift toward mobile-first strategy. This adjustment reflects Meta's repositioning of its metaverse strategy, with a focus shifting toward AI and wearable products.

According to SoSoValue data, on March 17, the US XRP spot ETF recorded a single-day net inflow of $4.6369 million, with a historical cumulative net inflow reaching $374 million and total net assets of $1.077 billion.

On March 17, the US SOL spot ETF recorded a single-day net inflow of $17.81 million, primarily from the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF, with cumulative historical net inflows reaching $803 million. As of now, the total assets under management are $937 million, with a net asset ratio of 1.73%.

BlackRock's launch of the Ethereum staking ETF "iShares Staked Ethereum Trust" marks Ethereum staking as a mainstream investment option. The ETF stakes the majority of its assets and regularly distributes yields to investors, validating the legitimacy of staking rewards and driving institutional capital flows into the ETH ecosystem. Additionally, this product enables non-crypto users to easily access network yields, transforming Ethereum's asset pricing logic and positioning it as a "yield machine" with continuous cash flows.

Gate News: On March 18, the Nikkei 225 Index (Japan's benchmark stock index) opened up 504.06 points on March 18 (Wednesday), with a gain of 0.94%, closing at 54204.45 points. South Korea's KOSPI Index (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) opened up 130.45 points, with a gain of 2.31%, closing at 5770.93 points.

Middle East tensions remain elevated, with investors focusing on the impact of high oil prices on inflation and the Fed's interest rate decision. U.S. stocks rose slightly, with energy stocks performing well, while Bitcoin consolidated around thousand dollars. Markets expect the Fed to hold rates steady, with attention on Powell's remarks.

Morgan Stanley's head of digital assets, Amy Oldenburg, stated at a blockchain summit that the crypto ETF market is still in its early stages, with primary demand coming from self-directed investors. Morgan Stanley plans to allow clients to purchase Bitcoin ETFs starting in 2024 and will gradually expand accessibility. Institutional participation is rising, with some major financial institutions setting crypto asset allocations between 1% to 4%.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, XBRUSD (Brent Crude UKOIL) has surged by 2% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang stated in an interview that OpenClaw is an important breakthrough in human-AI interaction and is expected to become the next ChatGPT. He emphasized that this technology will significantly enhance personal capabilities, enabling everyone to create agents and extend professional skills.

Hyperliquid's HIP-3 market total open interest has reached $1.43 billion, setting a new record high and increasing over 100 times since its launch. The trading platform trade.xyz leads the market, accounting for about 90% of open interest and daily trading volume. The HIP-3 market supports 24/7 trading, enabling traditional assets to break through trading time limitations.

The Iran conflict disrupts global commodity supply, notably urea fertilizer, with prices surging 34% to $601/ton as of March 16. Myriad's prediction market monitors urea's potential rise above $610 by March 25, reflecting broader energy market volatility.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, TME (Tencent Music) has dropped by 24% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

Mastercard's $1.8 billion acquisition of BVNK aims to enhance blockchain payment integration with fiat systems, targeting the growing digital asset market. This deal will improve cross-border transactions and align with Mastercard's broader digital finance ambitions.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, TME (Tencent Music) has dropped by 22% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

Gate News, on March 17, spot silver (precious metals trading variety) price broke below the $80 mark.

Gate News, on March 17, Micron Technology (stock code MU.O, American memory chip manufacturer) stock price hit a historic high, with the latest gain of 3.5%.