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

Last night, U.S. stocks plummeted, and gold continued to open higher this morning. There is also the latest news from the Middle East: the US and Iran are about to begin 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 opposes a 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 Golden Dragon China Index falling 0.95%, while the Wind China Concept Technology Leaders Index rose 0.06%. Among popular Chinese concept stocks, Kingsoft Cloud dropped nearly 9%, BOSS Zhipin fell over 6%, and China Internet Plus fell more than 5%.

In terms of gold, this morning, spot gold and spot silver opened higher collectively. As of press time, spot gold continues to rise, while spot silver suddenly declined.

The US-Iran situation remains a market focus. On the news front, a new round of negotiations between the US and Iran will be held on February 26 in Geneva, Switzerland.

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

The report cited a US State Department official who said that ongoing assessments of the regional security environment indicate that reducing the US embassy in Lebanon is a “prudent move,” retaining only essential personnel on duty.

The official also said this is a temporary measure, and the embassy will operate normally on the 23rd.

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

The US has recently massed troops in the Middle East. President Trump recently admitted that he is considering a “limited military strike” against Iran. Meanwhile, the US has begun withdrawing some personnel from certain military bases in the Middle East.

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

Trump stated that the media reports about Caine “opposing a war with Iran” have no sources.

There is also the latest news on US 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 may be appropriate. Waller also said that if the February employment report is weak, he would lean toward supporting a rate cut in March. Currently, these two possibilities are “almost evenly split.”

(Source: Securities Times)