At night, suddenly dive into the water.

On March 18, evening in Beijing, the conflict in the Middle East intensified, leading to a collective decline in the three major stock indexes in the US. The price of gold continued to hit new highs. As of 23:05, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.68%, the Nasdaq fell about 2%, and the S&P 500 index fell more than 1.2%. Technology stocks led the decline, with Tesla falling more than 6% and Nvidia falling more than 4%.

Several Chinese stocks rose against the market. Xiaomi Group-ADR, Baidu Group, and BYD shares-ADR rose more than 1%. Xiaomi Group released strong financial reports today, with several core indicators hitting new highs.

The price of gold continued to soar. As of 22:34 Beijing time, the spot price of London gold was US$3028.279/ounce, up 0.93%; the price of COMEX gold futures rose 0.95% to US$3034.8/ounce.

David Russell, CEO of GoldCore, said that the spot price of gold may face resistance at US$3050/ounce in the short term, which may lead to some profit-taking and consolidation. However, once it breaks through, the price of gold may rise to US$3150/ounce to US$3200/ounce by the end of the month.

Moreover, international oil prices rose. As of 22:46 Beijing time, the main contract of NYMEX crude oil futures rose 0.21% to US$67.70/barrel; the main contract of ICE Brent oil futures rose 0.27% to US$71.28/barrel.

On the information front, according to Xinhua News Agency, the US military has launched a large-scale air strike against the Houthi rebels in Yemen in recent days, warning Iran to "immediately" stop supporting the Shia militant organization. The Houthi rebels then launched an attack on the US aircraft carrier, and the Red Sea situation suddenly became tense. Analysts believe that the US is hitting the Houthi rebels this time, on the one hand, to maintain its maritime navigation interests, and on the other hand, it is intended to further weaken the anti-Israeli forces in the Middle East and to warn Iran. The mutual attacks between the US and the Houthi rebels are unlikely to be resolved in the short term, which will further increase the risk of an escalation in the region.

Another Xinhua News Agency report said that Israel's military launched a large-scale strike against the targets of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip on the 18th, according to the government's instructions. According to the Gaza health department, the air strike has killed 310 people. Analysts pointed out that the situation in the Middle East may further escalate in the next step.