Copper futures traded near the $5.7 per pound level, maintaining the decline recorded over the past two weeks. According to Trading Economics data, the strength of the US dollar and rising US Treasury yields continued to exert downward pressure on metals.

Market participants are assessing escalating geopolitical tensions following military operations targeting a major oil export site, which pushed oil prices higher and raised uncertainty about supplies. The possibility of launching a multinational initiative to secure navigation through a vital maritime shipping route is also being considered, a step that could affect energy markets and international trade.

Prices are also facing additional pressure from concerns about demand in China, where a slowdown in construction projects is affecting metal consumption.

In addition, rising energy costs and higher inflation have reduced expectations of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and other central banks, posing an additional challenge for non-yielding assets.

Bitcoin rose above the $74,000 level on Monday, recording its highest level in about six weeks, driven by a wave of short-covering despite continued investor caution due to escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The world’s largest cryptocurrency was trading 3.4% higher at $73,892.4 as of 02:21 Eastern Time (06:21 GMT), after earlier rising to $74,336.9 during the session.

Bitcoin jumped 6% over the past week despite declines in global equity markets as rising oil prices fueled inflation concerns.

Cryptocurrencies rise on short covering

Cryptocurrency markets rose broadly as traders who had bet on further declines rushed to cover their positions.

Data from CoinGlass showed that total liquidations in the cryptocurrency market reached about $344 million over the past 24 hours, with short liquidations accounting for about 83% of the total.

Liquidations occur when traders using leverage are forced to close their positions after prices move against them, often amplifying market movements.

Despite the rebound, market sentiment remained cautious as the conflict in the Middle East enters its third week, raising concerns about global energy supplies and inflation.

US President Donald Trump had called on US allies to help secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments, as fighting in the region continues.

Oil prices remain above $100 per barrel amid war with Iran

Media reports indicated that despite repeated statements by US authorities that Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed, drone attacks in Gulf countries continued on Monday.

Oil prices also remained supported above the $100 per barrel level amid concerns about supply disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global crude exports.

US stock futures rose slightly during Asian trading on Monday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting later this week, where policymakers are widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged while assessing inflation risks.

Analysts said geopolitical uncertainty and macroeconomic risks could keep cryptocurrency markets volatile in the near term, even as short covering supports prices in the short term.

Altcoins rise… Ethereum jumps 8%

Most alternative cryptocurrencies also rose on Monday amid a broader recovery in the digital asset market.

The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, jumped 8% to $2,265.88.

In contrast, the third-largest cryptocurrency, XRP, fell 5% to $1.48.

Oil prices showed mixed performance on Monday, with global benchmark Brent rising slightly while US crude declined, amid attacks targeting oil production facilities in the Gulf and calls by US President Donald Trump for international efforts to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures rose by 16 cents to $103.30 per barrel as of 11:37 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude fell by $1.50, or 1.5%, to $97.21 per barrel.

Both contracts had surged more than 40% this month to their highest levels since 2022 after US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to halt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass.

Two sources told Reuters on Monday that oil loading operations had resumed at Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates after earlier being halted following a drone attack that caused a fire in the emirate’s petroleum industrial zone.

Fujairah port is located outside the Strait of Hormuz and serves as an export outlet for about 1 million barrels per day of the UAE’s main Murban crude, a volume equivalent to about 1% of global oil demand.

The International Energy Agency said on Thursday that the war in the Middle East is causing the largest disruption to oil supplies in history, while major producers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates have reduced production levels.

Tamas Varga, oil analyst at PVM Oil Associates, said investors appear to realize that if just two weeks of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz have already caused this level of damage to production, exports, and refining operations, the consequences of a prolonged conflict would be severe, especially with inventories continuing to decline.

Analysts at ING said on Monday that US strikes over the weekend on Kharg Island raised supply concerns, given that most Iranian oil exports pass through the island.

Although the strikes appeared to target military facilities rather than energy infrastructure, they still pose risks to supplies since Iranian oil is almost the only oil currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the bank.

Over the weekend, Trump threatened additional strikes on Kharg Island, which handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports, after military sites there were targeted, prompting Tehran to respond in kind.

Trump said on Sunday that he is asking other countries to help protect this vital energy corridor, adding that Washington is holding talks with several countries about securing the strait.

In the same context, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that the United Kingdom is working with its allies on a collective plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore freedom of navigation in the Middle East, though he acknowledged that the task will not be easy.

Trump said the United States is also in contact with Iran but expressed doubts that Tehran is ready to engage in serious talks to end the conflict.

For its part, the International Energy Agency said on Sunday that more than 400 million barrels of oil reserves will soon begin entering the market in what will be the largest-ever release from strategic stockpiles aimed at countering the price surge caused by the Middle East war.

The agency added that inventories from Asia and Oceania will be released immediately, while supplies from Europe and the Americas will become available by the end of March.

Pierre Meyerson of SEB Bank said that as the conflict enters its third week, the absence of a clear end has increased global market concerns about the possibility of an uncontrolled escalation.

However, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that he expects the war to end within the next few weeks, with oil supplies recovering and energy costs declining afterward.

The dollar retreated on Monday from its highest levels in ten months, marking a cautious start to a week that will feature a series of central bank meetings taking place amid the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Among the institutions holding their first monetary policy meetings since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East are the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of England, and the Bank of Japan. These meetings are expected to give investors an indication of how policymakers assess the impact of rising oil prices on inflation and economic growth.

The dollar index edged slightly lower to below the 100-point level, but remained close to the ten-month high of 100.27 points recorded on Friday.

The dollar had benefited from investor demand for safe-haven assets since the start of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February. In contrast, other major currencies such as the euro have come under pressure due to their economies’ reliance on oil imports.

Since the beginning of the conflict, investors have almost completely reversed their bets on a weaker dollar, according to weekly data released by the US market regulator.

However, the euro rebounded from a seven-and-a-half-month low recorded earlier in the session to trade 0.6% higher at $1.1485, while the British pound rose 0.46% to $1.3284, slightly above the three-and-a-half-month low it recorded on Friday.

Francesco Pesole, currency strategist at ING, said that the fact that central bank meetings are taking place this week gives markets an incentive to step back slightly for now.

He added that efforts by US President Donald Trump to secure an international coalition to guarantee safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz may have also contributed to the dollar’s decline.

Over the weekend, Trump called on US allies to help secure the strait, saying his administration is holding talks with seven countries on the matter. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington plans to announce early this week that several countries have agreed to escort ships through the waterway.

Nevertheless, oil prices continued to rise as geopolitical tensions persist and the end of the war, now in its third week, remains uncertain.

Reserve Bank of Australia leans toward a rate hike… Bank of Japan in a difficult position

The Australian dollar rose 1% to $0.705, supported by hawkish domestic interest rate expectations, as the Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to tighten monetary policy on Tuesday.

Markets now price about a 72% probability that the bank will raise interest rates by 25 basis points.

Carol Kong, currency strategist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said that two additional rate hikes are now expected, one this week and another in May.

She added that in Australia inflation was already elevated even before the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, and the new energy price shock will increase the risk of higher inflation.

Meanwhile, the Japanese yen received some support, pushing the dollar down 0.4% to ¥159.1.

The yen had been under pressure due to Japan’s heavy reliance on energy imports from the Middle East, which has cast a shadow over interest rate expectations at the Bank of Japan.

Naomi Fink, chief global strategist at Amova Asset Management, said that the main risk for Japan is not only rising oil prices but also deteriorating trade conditions due to imported energy and logistics costs, alongside a weak yen and limited monetary policy flexibility.

She added that markets, especially the currency market, may be underestimating the likelihood that these pressures could force the Bank of Japan into more difficult policy trade-offs.

Elsewhere, the New Zealand dollar rose 1.2% to $0.584, while the Chinese yuan in onshore trading remained stable as investors assessed new economic data and ongoing trade talks between China and the United States.