{"id":59380,"date":"2026-03-04T00:38:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T04:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-shaken-by-middle-east-conflict-and-kospi-volatility-trump-meets-coinbase-ceo\/59380\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T00:38:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T04:38:30","slug":"global-markets-shaken-by-middle-east-conflict-and-kospi-volatility-trump-meets-coinbase-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-shaken-by-middle-east-conflict-and-kospi-volatility-trump-meets-coinbase-ceo\/59380\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Shaken by Middle East Conflict and KOSPI Volatility; Trump Meets Coinbase CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Middle East conflict escalates<\/strong> as the Israeli military launches a massive wave of strikes against Iranian infrastructure, while Iranian rockets target <strong>Jerusalem<\/strong> and central Israel.<\/li>\n<li><strong>South Korea\u2019s KOSPI index<\/strong> experiences extreme volatility, recovering to a <strong>7.2% loss<\/strong> after an initial intraday plunge of <strong>12.7%<\/strong> triggered by regional war fears.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a><\/strong> holds a private meeting with Coinbase (<a href=\"\/stock\/COIN\">COIN<\/a>) CEO <strong>Brian Armstrong<\/strong> to discuss personnel appointments, signaling a major pro-crypto shift in U.S. policy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>China\u2019s National People\u2019s Congress (NPC)<\/strong> confirms that domestic consumption will be the primary driver of the nation\u2019s <strong>2026 economic growth<\/strong>, with the annual session set to conclude on <strong>March 12<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Geopolitical Escalation: Israel and Iran Exchange Strikes<\/h2>\n<p>The security situation in the Middle East reached a critical tipping point on Wednesday as the <strong>Israeli military<\/strong> launched what officials described as a &quot;broad wave of strikes&quot; against <strong>Iranian launch sites, defense systems, and strategic infrastructure<\/strong>. The operation follows days of intensifying hostilities, with the <strong>Israel Defense Forces (IDF)<\/strong> aiming to dismantle the Iranian regime&#39;s security apparatus.<\/p>\n<p>In retaliation, the <strong>Israeli Home Front Command<\/strong> detected a significant barrage of rocket launches toward <strong>Jerusalem<\/strong> and wide areas of central Israel. Air raid sirens were reported across the city, forcing residents into shelters. The conflict has begun to spill over regionally, with <strong>emergency sirens sounding in Bahrain<\/strong> and other Gulf nations as local authorities urge citizens to seek safety amid heightened threats to U.S. and allied military installations.<\/p>\n<h2>Market Turmoil: KOSPI Plunges on War Fears<\/h2>\n<p>Global financial markets reacted sharply to the military escalation, with South Korea\u2019s <strong>KOSPI index<\/strong> suffering one of its most volatile sessions in history. The index plummeted as much as <strong>12.7%<\/strong> in early trading\u2014triggering &quot;sidecar&quot; volatility halts\u2014before recovering some ground to close down <strong>7.2%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The &quot;Black Tuesday&quot; sentiment was exacerbated by a sharp depreciation of the <strong>South Korean Won<\/strong>, which breached the <strong>1,500 per dollar<\/strong> level for the first time in 17 years. Major tech heavyweights were hit hard, with <strong>Samsung Electronics<\/strong> and <strong>SK Hynix<\/strong> seeing double-digit percentage drops as investors fled to safe-haven assets like <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold-price.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">gold<\/a> and the U.S. dollar.<\/p>\n<h2>Trump and Coinbase CEO Discuss Administration Appointments<\/h2>\n<p>On the political front, <strong>Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a><\/strong> reportedly held a private discussion with <strong>Brian Armstrong<\/strong>, the CEO of Coinbase (<a href=\"\/stock\/COIN\">COIN<\/a>). According to reports from <em>Politico<\/em>, the meeting focused on <strong>personnel appointments<\/strong> for the administration, specifically looking for crypto-friendly candidates to lead financial regulatory bodies.<\/p>\n<p>This meeting underscores Trump\u2019s dramatic pivot toward the digital asset industry. The President has previously pledged to establish a <strong>Bitcoin and crypto presidential advisory council<\/strong>, and the inclusion of Armstrong in high-level discussions suggests that the industry may have a direct hand in shaping the next era of U.S. financial regulation.<\/p>\n<h2>China NPC Shifts Focus to Domestic Consumption<\/h2>\n<p>In Beijing, the <strong>National People&#39;s Congress (NPC)<\/strong> spokesperson confirmed that the 2026 annual meeting will conclude on <strong>March 12<\/strong>. A central theme of this year&#39;s session is the formal launch of the <strong>15th Five-Year Plan<\/strong>, which prioritizes <strong>domestic consumption<\/strong> over traditional export-led growth to stabilize the world&#39;s second-largest economy.<\/p>\n<p>As part of its broader trade strategy, China\u2019s chief trade negotiator met with a Vice President from Johnson &amp; Johnson (<a href=\"\/stock\/JNJ\">JNJ<\/a>) to discuss bilateral commercial ties. This meeting comes as Beijing attempts to manage relations with global multinationals ahead of a highly anticipated <strong>Trump-Xi summit<\/strong> scheduled for later this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Middle East conflict escalates as the Israeli military launches a massive wave of strikes against Iranian infrastructure, while 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