From March 9 to 13, crude oil prices around $116 per barrel and several key US inflation releases are setting the stage for heightened volatility in crypto markets. With February CPI due Wednesday and January PCE data arriving Friday ahead of the March 18 Fed meeting, Bitcoin, Ether and the broader digital asset sector face renewed macroeconomic pressure. Over the weekend, the total crypto market cap fell by $40 billion to $2.36 trillion as traders reacted to surging energy costs and risk-off sentiment.

Toward the end of 2025, finance and insurance job openings in the United States fell to a 13-year low, with vacancies dropping by 117,000 since December to 134,000. While the broader economy unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs in February, the financial activities sector still recorded a net gain of 10,000 positions. Healthcare, information, transportation, warehousing and the federal government all registered notable job losses over the month.

Australian exchange BTC Markets has informed the Australian Securities and Investments Commission that it plans to apply for a markets license to list regulated tokenized real-world assets alongside cryptocurrencies. CEO Lucas Dobbins said around $26.5 billion in tokenized RWAs onchain today is still only a proof of concept, while forecasts point to trillions of dollars in potential market value by 2030 and significant economic gains in Australia.

Bitcoin hovered around $67,536.61 while major crypto-related equities, including miners and corporate holders, posted notable declines. At the same time, 77% of companies with Bitcoin treasuries were reported to be underwater on their holdings, a situation last seen in May 2022, even as spot ETFs saw about $348.9 million in net outflows. Public firms still control roughly 1.138 million BTC, led by Strategy with around 720,737 BTC, underscoring that large institutional balances remain despite market volatility.

At the start of the week, gold extended losses and briefly dropped as much as 3% before spot prices traded 1.5% lower at $5,093.39 an ounce, while the U.S. dollar strengthened and oil climbed toward $120 a barrel. Other precious metals, including silver at $82.66 an ounce, also declined as investors weighed higher energy costs, potential delays to interest-rate cuts, and risks from the intensifying conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran in the Persian Gulf.

Driven by a near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, global energy markets have entered a historic "war premium" rally as WTI and Brent decisively clear the $100 and $110 thresholds for the first time since 2022. This 2026 supply squeeze, which has sidelined 20% of global oil, is fueling extreme volatility and a massive surge in decentralized hedging on platforms like Hyperliquid. While the Trump administration weighs a Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) release to inject liquidity and fill price gaps near $90, technical indicators remain parabolic with price targets eyeing $130. Investors are now pivoting to upcoming US CPI data and EIA reports to determine if the current vertical momentum will face a mean reversion or continue its record-breaking ascent.

During a podcast on Sunday, former CFTC chair Chris Giancarlo said US banks need clear crypto rules more urgently than the crypto sector, as their legal teams will not approve major investments without regulatory certainty. He warned that continued delays around the CLARITY Act in the Senate could leave US banks behind Asian and European competitors, and suggested that if the bill fails, current SEC and CFTC leaders may draft interim rules to guide the industry.

In 2026, the value of tokenized real-world assets rose to about $24.9 billion, roughly four times higher than a year earlier amid strong institutional demand. U.S. Treasuries, commodities, and products from issuers like BlackRock and Ondo Finance led this expansion, while total RWA holders across major chains climbed to over 663,000. Despite a recent monthly pullback, tokenized RWAs still represent more than $346 billion in underlying assets and could surpass $50 billion in value by 2030 if current trends persist.