Trump speaks out! Major news from Iran! Gold surges, US stocks plummet!

Last night, U.S. stocks plunged, and gold continued to open higher this morning. There are new developments in the Middle East, with news that the U.S. and Iran are about to start a new round of negotiations. Trump recently stated that there are no sources for media reports claiming that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine, is “opposed to war with Iran.”

All three major U.S. stock indexes closed lower, with the Dow down 1.66% at 48,804.06 points, the S&P 500 down 1.04% at 6,837.75 points, and the Nasdaq down 1.13% at 22,627.27 points.

Most Chinese concept stocks declined, with the Nasdaq China Golden Dragon Index falling 0.95%, while the Wind China Concept Tech Leaders Index rose 0.06%. Among popular Chinese stocks, Kingsoft Cloud dropped nearly 9%, BOSS Zhipin fell over 6%, and Century Internet declined more than 5%.

In terms of gold, this morning, spot gold and spot silver opened higher collectively. As of the time of writing, spot gold continues to rise, while spot silver, which had surged earlier, suddenly declined.

The U.S.-Iran situation remains a market focus. On the news front, a new round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran is scheduled for February 26 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Xinhua News Agency cited U.S. media reports that, due to escalating tensions related to Iran, the U.S. State Department has ordered “non-essential” American diplomats and their families to leave Lebanon.

The report quoted a State Department official saying that ongoing assessments of the regional security environment indicate that reducing the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon’s size is a “prudent move,” with only essential personnel remaining on duty.

The official also mentioned that this is a temporary measure, and the embassy will continue normal operations on the 23rd.

According to Lebanon’s International Broadcasting Corporation, for security reasons, dozens of staff members of the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon evacuated through Beirut Airport on the 23rd.

Recently, the U.S. has been massing troops in the Middle East. President Trump recently admitted that he is considering a “limited military strike” on Iran. Meanwhile, the U.S. has begun withdrawing some personnel from certain military bases in the Middle East.

Additionally, on the 23rd, Trump posted on social media denying reports by U.S. media that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Caine, opposes military action against Iran.

Trump stated that there are no sources for media reports claiming that Caine “opposes war with Iran.”

There is also the latest news on U.S. interest rate cuts. Waller said that January employment data exceeded expectations. If February labor market data is similar to January, indicating that downside risks to the labor market have diminished, maintaining interest rates might be appropriate. Waller also mentioned that if February employment reports weaken, he would lean toward supporting a rate cut in March. Currently, both possibilities are “almost evenly split.”

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(Source: Securities Times)