Israel launches airstrikes on Iran, global assets in turmoil, what will happen to virtual currencies and blockchain assets?

On the night of June 12 local time, Israel initiated the 'Rising Lion' operation, launching airstrikes on multiple military and nuclear facility targets within Iran. This sudden event instantly shook the global financial markets.

From the perspective of traditional financial markets, risk-averse sentiment has surged. International oil prices skyrocketed over 10%, with Brent crude reaching $94 per barrel, setting a nearly four-month high. As a safe-haven asset, gold significantly rose, breaking through the $2600 per ounce barrier, nearing its historical high. Meanwhile, the three major U.S. stock indices plummeted, with the Dow Jones down 1.3% and the Nasdaq falling nearly 2%. Global stock index futures also retreated. Investors flocked to U.S. Treasuries and other safe-haven assets in search of capital safety.

Looking at the cryptocurrency market, cryptocurrencies led by Bitcoin collectively plunged. Bitcoin fell nearly 5%, while Ethereum, Cardano, and Solana dropped over 10%. According to Coinglass data, over $1.1 billion in cryptocurrency market contracts were liquidated in the past 24 hours, affecting 240,000 people, of which over 90% were long positions. Carolyn Maloney, co-founder of crypto derivatives liquidity provider Orbit Markets, stated that the crypto market moved downward in sync with other major risk assets, responding negatively to news of Israel's strikes on Iran.

As for future trends, the price movements of virtual currencies and blockchain-related assets are likely to be fully driven by geopolitical news in the short term. If the situation in the Middle East further deteriorates and risk-averse sentiment continues to rise, funds may further withdraw from risk assets, and virtual currencies may continue to face selling pressure. However, if the situation eases and market risk appetite rebounds, they could see a recovery. Nevertheless, the cryptocurrency market itself is also influenced by various factors such as regulatory policies and technological developments, and its future trends remain highly uncertain.