Dollar and crypto gain as gold lags in conflict

The U.S. dollar and cryptocurrencies have emerged as unexpected winners during the Iran conflict, while traditional safe-haven assets such as gold and Treasurys have underperformed.

The shift follows U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran from Feb. 28, with elevated oil prices above $100 per barrel driving inflation concerns and reshaping investor behaviour.

“This is what happens when you have a conflict that triggers stagflation risk: It becomes difficult to trade it,”

Said ITC Markets strategist, Daniel Tenengauzer.

Rising inflation expectations have triggered a selloff in U.S. government bonds, pushing Treasury yields to their biggest two-week increase in nearly a year and reducing demand for fixed-income assets.

The stronger macro backdrop has also lifted the U.S. dollar, with the ICE Dollar Index climbing more than 2% this month as markets scale back expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Meanwhile, cryptocurrencies have gained ground, with Bitcoin rising about 3.1% to $73,770 and Ethereum up 7.9% to $2,298, outperforming a 2.7% decline in the S&P 500.