ALERT: U.S. 30-year mortgage rates rose for a fifth consecutive week to 6.46%, the highest level since September 2025.

Iran said it will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed for an extended period to vessels from the United States and Israel. Military spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi described the move as a strategic response to ongoing strikes and said it is intended to secure postwar control of the key waterway.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out attacks earlier today on Oracle's data center in Dubai. The IRGC also reaffirmed its role in a prior strike on Bahrain's largest telecom operator, Batelco. The statement followed an earlier warning that 18 major U.S. technology and defense companies—including Oracle, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Nvidia, IBM, Palantir, Tesla and Boeing—were considered "legitimate military targets".

A transfer of 138,351,826 USDT, valued at $138,325,125, was sent from an unknown wallet to OKX.

Blockchain data shows a transfer of 120,778,521 USDT, valued at 120,754,606 USD, from Bitfinex to an unidentified wallet.

A transfer of 200,000,000 USDT, valued at USD 199,986,362, was sent from the Tether Treasury to Bitfinex.

President Donald Trump is expected to unveil a $1.5 trillion defense budget, which would mark the largest year-on-year increase in U.S. military spending since World War II, Reuters reported.

Central banks continued to add to gold reserves in February despite escalating geopolitical tensions and heightened economic uncertainty. While the outlook for official-sector gold demand remains clouded by inflation pressures and the widening conflict involving Iran, new data indicate buying persisted up to the onset of hostilities. The World Gold Council (GOLDCOUNCIL) reported that central banks purchased a combined 19 tonnes of gold in February, led by the National Bank of Poland. Full article: Kitco

UPDATE: Blockchain analytics firm @Elliptic said the $285M exploit targeting @DriftProtocol shows multiple signs consistent with North Korean state-sponsored involvement. The firm pointed to money-laundering behavior that matches patterns seen in prior DPRK-linked crypto thefts.