According to a report by Hong Leong Investment Bank analysts, the current US-Israel-Iran conflict is expected to be short-lived, similar to last year's 12-day conflict. Oil prices are expected to rise temporarily before returning to the $60-70 per barrel range. While higher oil prices may increase Malaysia's fuel subsidy spending, the government is unlikely to change its 3.5% fiscal deficit target for 2026. The conflict could strengthen the US dollar and weaken the ringgit, putting pressure on the local stock market in the short term. Upstream oil and gas and petrochemical companies may benefit, while airlines AirAsia X and Westports Holdings may face headwinds. (Jinshi)

Odaily Planet Daily reports that South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Koo Yoon-cheol has pledged a comprehensive reform of how the country's public institutions handle digital assets. A series of recent incidents have exposed weaknesses in the government's custody and oversight of seized cryptocurrencies. Koo stated that he will cooperate with agencies such as the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service to examine the current status and management practices of digital assets held and managed by the government and public institutions through seizures and other measures, and will swiftly take measures to strengthen digital asset security and prevent similar incidents from recurring. He emphasized that government-held digital assets are limited to those obtained through legal enforcement means such as tax seizures or criminal investigations. (Decrypt)

Odaily Planet Daily reports that several crypto community users reported today that their X platform accounts were locked due to posting content suspected of being advertisements. The main reason is that "projects with invitations are judged as advertisements by X platform," thus requiring compliance with the latest "paid partnership" rules. However, according to some crypto KOLs, removing the relevant tweets allows them to apply for account unlocking. Crypto community analysis indicates that all posts suspected of being advertisements must currently use the official "Paid Partnership" tag or prominently display "Ad / Sponsored by XXX" at the beginning. The disclosure must be easily visible, and sponsored content must be forcibly marked; otherwise, posts are highly likely to be deleted or accounts banned. Long posts currently do not have an official tag, but users can manually add explanations in a prominent location. Furthermore, according to feedback from crypto community users, Grok analysis suggests that simply sharing crypto viewpoints, attitudes, and project updates is categorized as personal expression and does not qualify as "paid partnership." Previously, Nikita Bier, X Product Manager and Solana Consultant, clarified that the "Paid Collaboration" feature is used to label commercial promotional content, enhance transparency with fans, and clearly distinguish between commercial collaborations and organic content. The X platform encourages creators and brands to conduct commercial collaborations on X, but undisclosed promotional content will damage the integrity of the product and weaken users' trust in the content.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino, in his latest speech on Monday, did not give any clear signal regarding a near-term interest rate hike. This move, influenced by the conflict that erupted in the Middle East over the weekend, further reinforced existing expectations in financial markets that the Bank of Japan policymakers would choose to hold rates steady at this month's monetary policy meeting. "I want to closely monitor developments in the Middle East," Himino emphasized in a speech to local business leaders in Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan. The global economic outlook has become even more uncertain following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Himino's statement suggests that the possibility of an interest rate hike at the Bank of Japan's policy meeting on March 19 is extremely low. This contrasts sharply with his stance in January 2025—when he explicitly indicated that the committee would discuss raising the benchmark interest rate at a subsequent meeting, and the Bank of Japan did indeed raise borrowing costs as expected. Himino's current silence is highly consistent with market participants' expectations. Pricing in the overnight index swap (OIS) market indicates only a 6% probability that the Bank of Japan will raise its policy rate from 0.75% this month. However, market expectations for April are quite different, with pricing reflecting a probability of a rate hike at the April meeting as high as approximately 65%.

According to Al Jazeera, the Iranian military claims to have launched more missiles at Israel. (Jin Shi)