Trump does not rule out deploying troops to seize Iranian oil! U.S. stocks plummet, dragging down Taiwan stocks, TSMC falls below 1800 TWD.

U.S. President Trump gave an exclusive interview to the Financial Times over the weekend, stating that the primary goal of the current war with Iran is to “seize oil,” while not ruling out sending troops to occupy Iran’s export hub, Kharg Island. Following a widespread decline in U.S. stocks last Friday, Taiwan’s stock market has dropped nearly 700 points to 32,444 points, with the leading stock TSMC also falling below 1,800 NTD.

Statistics on U.S. stocks and cryptocurrency prices: Trump intends to seize Iranian oil and is considering sending troops to take Kharg Island.

In the interview, Trump candidly mentioned that his main objective in military actions against Iran is to “seize oil,” using Venezuela as an example. He pointed out that the U.S. has identified Iran’s oil export hub, Kharg Island, as a potential strategic target.

Last week, Trump revealed that he is conducting indirect negotiations through Pakistan and has set April 6 as a deadline. If the negotiations fail by then, further attacks on Iran’s energy sector will be launched.

At the same time, the United States and Israel conducted joint airstrikes on Iran’s heavy water reactor and uranium ore facilities last Friday. Iran warned that it would retaliate against the steel and industrial facilities of Israel and six countries in the Persian Gulf. The worsening situation in the Middle East has once again become a catalyst for turmoil in global financial markets this week.

Rising oil prices intensify inflation concerns, leading to a sharp decline in U.S. stocks.

Concerns about supply disruptions quickly reflected in oil prices. Brent crude oil and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) both surged, reaching around $108 and $102 per barrel, respectively, setting recent highs in nearly two weeks. The spike in oil prices further deepened market worries about the resurgence of inflation, adding to the already fragile stock market’s woes.

All four major U.S. stock indices closed lower last Friday:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 793.47 points (-1.73%), closing at 45,166.64 points.

The S&P 500 index dropped 24.63 points (-1.67%), closing at 6,368.85 points.

The Nasdaq index plummeted 459.72 points (-2.15%), ending at 20,948.36 points.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index decreased by 128.20 points (-1.69%), closing at 7,457.67 points.

(Iran’s conflict fuels inflation pressure! Interest rate hike expectations soar, Bitcoin stabilizes at 70K.)

Taiwan stocks opened below 33,000 points, TSMC fell below 1,800 NTD.

Affected by the sharp decline in U.S. stocks and a significant drop of 882 points in Taiwan Stock Index futures overnight, the Taipei stock market today (29) opened down over 600 points, near 32,400 points. Leading stock TSMC opened down 40 NTD to 1,780 NTD, Delta Electronics fell 45 NTD to 1,465 NTD, and Hon Hai dropped 4.5 NTD to 195 NTD. The leading stocks are weakening across the board, and market confidence has clearly shaken.

Bitcoin rose slightly by 2%, hovering around 67K.

The cryptocurrency market reacted first over the weekend. Bitcoin fell nearly 2% this morning, touching $65,000, then rebounded to $67,000, while Ethereum rose 2.27% to around $2,030. However, this rise is still insufficient to compensate for the 7% to 8% drop from last Thursday to Friday, when Bitcoin and Ethereum stabilized at around $71,000 and $2,170, respectively.

In the options market, the upcoming expirations on March 30, March 31, and April 1 have a maximum pain point around $67,000 to $68,000, close to the spot price, indicating that the short-term direction is unclear. The nominal amount expiring on June 26 is as high as $5.72 billion, with a pain point at $80,000, reflecting a more optimistic market outlook for Bitcoin’s performance in the second quarter.

This article, “Trump does not rule out sending troops to seize Iranian oil! U.S. stocks plummet, dragging Taiwan stocks down, TSMC falls below 1,800 NTD,” first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.