Gate News reports that on March 20, the U.S. dollar surged significantly in global markets, with prices approaching the 99.50 level. This rally was driven by two main factors: First, the Federal Reserve maintained its hawkish stance (referring to a tendency toward rate hikes or maintaining high rates to control inflation), and second, ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East region.

According to Gate News, a Rune-associated address, co-founder of MakerDAO, recently opened a short position on the S&P 500 index, with positions increasing to $4.66 million. Meanwhile, the address holds $13.6 million in crude oil long positions and $6.1 million in U.S. stocks short positions, totaling over $20 million, possibly betting on economic stagflation.

Gate News reported that on March 20, NZD/USD (New Zealand Dollar to US Dollar exchange rate) broke through 0.5850, rising to approximately 0.5880. This increase was primarily driven by New Zealand's trade deficit data coming in better than expected.

Major whale "Ultimate Short" recently increased positions in Nasdaq-100 index long positions with a scale of $13.6 million, marking its shift from long-term BTC short positions to long positions in US tech stocks. Previously, after profiting $61.4 million from BTC short positions, it has completely closed those positions.

On the prediction market Polymarket, four addresses collectively placed $13,400 in bets predicting that the United States will not escort merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz before March 31st. Currently, this option has a 20% probability. The U.S. military has deployed troops to the Middle East, but the Energy Secretary indicated it is not yet prepared to provide escorts.

On March 20, a prediction market showed two high-win-rate addresses invested $9,700 in the "Will the US military invade Iran?" event, selecting "No." The current probability for "No" in this event is 40%. Trump stated during a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister that he would not deploy US military forces, while the Defense Secretary reiterated US military objectives. Trader behavior indicates short-term arbitrage rather than betting on the actual occurrence of the event.

Gate News report: On March 20, WTI crude oil (US crude oil futures benchmark price) fell to around 93.50 dollars. US and Israeli leaders are attempting to ease war concerns in the Middle East, a move that has impacted crude oil price trends.

Gate News reported that on March 20, a group of US Republican lawmakers opposed passing a new defense spending bill unless it includes provisions to ban central bank digital currencies (CBDC) that were previously promised. This action has sparked a new round of controversy regarding CBDC policy.

Gate News Report: On March 20th, traditional financial institutions are accelerating their layout in the blockchain sector. JPMorgan has recently advanced its deposit token business, focusing on tokenized US dollar applications within regulatory compliance frameworks. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency project Pepeto is about to be listed on multiple exchanges.

March 20th, U.S. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis stated on social media that digital assets are the future and called for regulatory support for their development. She also met with CFTC Chairman Mike Selig to discuss digital asset market structure, emphasizing cooperation in addressing the current urgent situation.