# US energy policy

Hawkish Powell, Middle East Shock and Oil Surge Send Markets Tumbling

The Fed maintained rates but Chair Powell’s hawkish tone, coupled with escalating Middle East tensions and a surge in oil prices, triggered a sharp global market selloff. Stocks and cryptocurrencies fell, Treasury yields and the dollar rose, and paradoxically precious metals dropped as real yields climbed. Investors now face the twin risks of prolonged restrictive U.S. policy and an oil-driven inflation shock, complicating the outlook for markets and central‑bank timing on future rate cuts.