Markets, debt, crypto nuance
Geopolitical shocks are strengthening the dollar and pressuring stocks while BTC/ETH have held up — the ‘extreme fear’ indicator sits at 14, signaling accumulation, even as public debt rises (US ~128.7% of GDP, France ~119.6%), stoking stagflation worries. [](https://x.com/i/status/2032572691513737618) [](https://x.com/i/status/2031997366207746185) [](https://x.com/i/status/2032036126228103497).
The war in Iran pushed the Bank of America cross‑market stress gauge to 0.79 on March 13, 2026 and helped lift the dollar, Bloomberg reported. bloomberg.com U.S. stocks slipped with the S&P 500 headed for its third straight weekly decline and two‑year Treasury yields up more than 30 basis points this month, Bloomberg noted. bloomberg.com Bitcoin retested roughly $72,000 on March 13, 2026 while Ethereum traded near $2,096 the same day, according to CoinDesk market coverage and price data. coindesk.com The Crypto Fear & Greed Index plunged to 14 on March 12, 2026—an "extreme fear" reading—and Blocklr highlighted that readings below 20 have historically been followed by positive 30‑day returns about 85% of the time. blocklr.com IMF projections compiled by FRED show U.S. general‑government gross debt rising toward ~128% of GDP by 2030, while the European Commission forecasts France’s public debt climbing to about 120% of GDP by 2027, tightening fiscal space. fred.stlouisfed.org
