Global Markets

From 19:00 to 19:15 (UTC) on March 8, 2026, the price of ETH increased by 0.87% within 15 minutes. The candlestick price range was 1928.05 to 1950.21 USDT, with a volatility of 1.15%. During this fluctuation, market volatility intensified, mainstream investors' attention increased, and short-term trading activity on-chain and in the spot market became active. The main driving forces behind this fluctuation stem from macro liquidity easing and continuous allocation of institutional funds. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 100 basis points in Q1 2026, combined with sustained net inflows of institutional and ETF funds, with institutional holdings of ETH exceeding 1

Kazakhstan’s central bank plans to invest up to $350 million in cryptocurrencies and related assets, focusing on high-tech firms and financial products. This initiative aims to diversify investments and is linked to the development of Alatau City, a future smart city.

Gate News Announcement: On March 8, Nasdaq (the world's second-largest traditional securities exchange) has removed all quotas, restrictions, and limits on Bitcoin ETFs on its platform. This move means that various institutions, funds, and traders will have unrestricted access to Bitcoin ETFs. The exchange has not just opened a channel but has completely removed the related entry barriers.

Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego is heavily investing in Bitcoin, believing it can hedge against inflation and symbolize personal freedom. Robert Kiyosaki warns that a stock market crash is imminent and continues to increase his holdings in Bitcoin and precious metals, remaining confident. They both believe that Bitcoin has long-term value potential, and the current price dip is a good buying opportunity.

The institutional appeal in digital assets has been seen to be resurging. Recent statistics indicate that Bitcoin ETF inflows have rebounded on a few months of withdrawals. As reported by new market updates, the U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have had two consecutive weeks of net inflows. T

Gate News Report, March 8, driven by geopolitical tensions, the price of Murban crude oil exported from the Middle East broke through $100 per barrel, surpassing global benchmark prices such as WTI and Brent crude oil. Murban crude oil is a key benchmark that can bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

As geopolitical tensions in the Middle East escalate, Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio questions Bitcoin and reaffirms gold as the preferred safe haven. Nevertheless, gold prices fell accordingly, while Bitcoin only experienced a slight correction, indicating that the correlation between the two is weakening. Dalio doubts Bitcoin's transparency and future risks, but he still maintains a small allocation of Bitcoin for diversification.

Citigroup is pushing for the banking of Bitcoin, planning to deeply integrate it into the traditional financial system, with institutional-grade crypto custody services expected to launch in 2026. By simplifying Bitcoin transaction processes and reducing operational friction, Citigroup aims to attract more institutions to adopt digital assets further. Additionally, the bank is exploring the applications of stablecoins and blockchain deposit tokens, hoping to provide traditional financial institutions with more convenient ways to utilize capital.

Aave founder Stani.eth pointed out that the private credit market is under pressure due to Federal Reserve rate hikes, with rising borrowing costs leading to stock price declines and redemption pressures for many funds. He mentioned that risk scenarios and DeFi investors should be cautious of high-yield RWA risks, emphasizing that on-chain private credit can offer transparency and security advantages that traditional finance cannot provide.

Bitcoin's price has dropped 46.5% from its October 2025 high, affecting crypto treasury companies, with 77% reportedly in losses. Notably, Michael Saylor's Strategy company is facing significant unrealized losses as Bitcoin trades below its acquisition cost.

2026-03-08 11:00 to 2026-03-08 11:15 (UTC), ETH fluctuated within the range of 1952.51 to 1974.42 USDT, with an amplitude of 1.11%. The final 15-minute return was -0.92%. Trading volume briefly increased during this period, on-chain active addresses rose, and market attention intensified, leading to significant short-term volatility during the session. The main driver of this movement was the US February non-farm payrolls data falling short of expectations, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.2%, which stimulated global risk aversion sentiment and caused capital to flow into dollar assets. Major US stock markets

Billionaire investor Jim Mellon stated that the U.S. stock market is severely overvalued, with tech giants' valuations stretched and high leverage in financing. He is optimistic about gold, energy, and the Japanese yen, while also pointing out that Berkshire Hathaway holding a large amount of liquid assets is a negative signal.

Around a week has passed since the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, and this man-made disaster has made severe dents in the markets worldwide Following this international tension, the oil, natural gas, currency, and cryptocurrency markets faced major losses, with some

Raoul Pal stated on March 8th that global liquidity is a key macro factor, highly correlated with BTC and NDX since 2012, with an annual growth of about 10%. He pointed out that liquidity remains loose and predicted that the US will further cut interest rates to stimulate disposable income. The crypto market is currently oversold, and the next two weeks will be a critical period to watch.

The U.S. financial regulatory agencies led by Trump are bypassing the Basel Accords to promote the development of tokenized securities, believing that technology-neutral regulatory strategies should be provided. Several financial institutions have taken this opportunity to initiate related pilot projects.

Multiple US private credit funds face redemption pressures in the first quarter of 2026, with funds such as BlackRock, Blackstone, and Blue Owl receiving large redemption requests that exceed the limit, leading to adjustments in buyback policies. Fitch data shows that the redemption rate for perpetual non-listed BDCs has risen significantly, and institutional demand for credit ETFs has surged for protection. S&P Global notes that multiple factors will impact credit market liquidity in 2026.

Gate News: On March 8, Saudi Aramco (the world's largest oil company) stock price increased by 4.3%, marking the largest gain since April 2023.

Gate News Announcement: On March 8, North America begins Daylight Saving Time today (March 8). The trading hours for financial markets in the US and Canada and the release times of economic data will be one hour earlier than during Standard Time. Specifically, gold, silver, and crude oil will open at 6:00 Beijing time, and US stocks will open at 21:30 Beijing time.

Affected by Middle East production cuts, Brent and WTI crude oil show significant premiums on the Hyperliquid platform, reaching 4.76% and 5.42% respectively. Similar situations were observed in on-chain gold prices during the US-Iran conflict, so investors should exercise caution to handle potential sharp fluctuations.

On March 7th, Bitcoin spot ETFs experienced a total net outflow of $349 million, with none of the twelve ETFs showing net inflows. Fidelity FBTC and BlackRock IBIT had net outflows of $159 million and $143 million respectively. Currently, the total net asset value of Bitcoin spot ETFs is $87.075 billion.