The safe-haven Swiss franc rallied across the board to end last week as the escalation of the Middle East conflict spurred a flight to safety, while the U.S. dollar slipped in choppy trading after data showed an unexpected drop in new jobs created last month.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could leave consumers and businesses worldwide facing weeks or months of higher fuel prices even if the week-old conflict ends quickly, as suppliers grapple with damaged facilities, disrupted logistics, and elevated risks to shipping.
Stablecoin monthly transaction volume reached a record $1.8 trillion in February, as USDC surprised analysts with 70% of the total volume. Circle’s USDC flipped Tether’s USDt, reaching record high of $1.26 trillion.
Gold prices rose as the escalating conflict in the Middle East attracted safe‑haven bids, while a pause in the U.S. dollar’s rally also lent support. U.S. gold futures for April delivery settled 0.2% higher.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the latest investments in OpenAI and Anthropic might be the chipmaker’s last in those companies, as the AI companies prepare to go public this year.
Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken’s banking unit has gained access to the Federal Reserve’s payments system through a limited-purpose account, the first U.S. digital-asset bank to do so as the sector deepens its reach into mainstream finance.
