Gold is a widely known safe-haven asset and tends to benefit during geopolitical turmoil, but the metal has remained largely range-bound amid the latest Middle East conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

This week (March 13, 2026–March 19, 2026), multiple enterprises in the solid-state battery sector were active: Dali Times commenced construction of a 2 GWh specialized semi-solid-state battery base; EVE’s Longquan Phase III/IV all-solid-state batteries rolled off the line in Chengdu; Chery released its 600 Wh/kg Rhino all-solid-state battery technology。

Former US Treasury Secretary and former US Fed Chair Janet Yellen criticized on Thursday that President Trump's tariff policy has "taken a devastating blow" to the economy. She said in a program, "When President Trump took over (the White House), the US economy was growing very strongly, the labour market was functioning well, the unemployment rate was low, and the record of job creation was excellent. Our economy was running well, but President Trump has sabotaged it." It is reported that Yellen's criticism mainly focused on Trump's tariff policy, and the US stock market had previously fallen into a "continuous decline" due to his various threats and capriciousness. The latest episode occurred this week: shortly after firmly launching "reciprocal tariffs," Trump announced that he had authorized a 90-day tariff suspension for countries that did not take retaliatory actions. Trump said that during this period, he would significantly reduce the reciprocal tariffs on these countries to 10%, and the suspension measures would take effect immediately. His move initially caused the three major US stock indices to surge violently on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq index rising more than 12%, marking the second-largest single-day gain in history. However, by Thursday, as optimism faded and investors regained their composure, the three major indices collectively pulled back significantly. When asked "how to evaluate the Trump administration's handling of the economy so far," Yellen replied, "I'm afraid I can't give it a passing grade." According to the latest news, Trump's thinking has changed again. It is reported that he said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday that if countries cannot reach an agreement with the US, he will call off the 90-day "suspension period." "If we cannot reach the agreement we want to reach, or the agreement we must reach, or the agreement that is beneficial to both parties, then we will return to the original state," he said. According to White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, the US Trade Representative's Office has informed him that about 15 countries have already made "clear offers," and the US side is studying and evaluating these offers to decide whether they are good enough to be submitted to Trump for review. He also said that the White House is scheduled to hold a high-level meeting on Thursday to discuss the next steps in the negotiations. Trump's "tariff stick" has attracted a lot of criticism. European Central Bank Governing Council member and Governor of the Bank of France Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Wednesday that US President Trump's policies in recent weeks have weakened confidence in the US dollar. He said in a recent interview that the Trump administration's protectionism and unpredictability are "bad factors" for the US economy, but this may be a positive factor for the development of the euro's "international role." Former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said earlier this week that due to the US government's comprehensive tariff hikes on trading partners, the US economy is now heading towards a recession, which may lead to 2 million Americans losing their jobs.

Former US Treasury Secretary and former Fed Chairman Janet Yellen stated on Monday that the economic uncertainty caused by Trump's "tariff stick" has triggered a "very concerning" trend in US dollar-based assets. She bluntly said, "The recent sell-off of US Treasury bonds indicates a 'worrying decline' in confidence in US policy-making." Yellen mentioned in a program, "Over the past few weeks, we have seen a very unusual pattern in the developments of the financial markets. I do not think this is a manifestation of market dysfunction, where market liquidity completely dries up, but rather a pattern that shows a loss of confidence in US economic policies." "The safety of fundamental financial assets is indeed very concerning," she added. Yellen served at the US Fed for nearly a decade, and was the Fed Chairman from 2014 to February 2018 during the Obama administration, later serving as Treasury Secretary in the Biden administration. She said that the current market indicates that investors are cautious about US Treasury bonds. She explained, "Normally, when the situation is chaotic and uncertainty is high, investors would want to invest in safe assets (buying US Treasury bonds), which often lowers the yield of US Treasury bonds, but now the yield of US Treasury bonds is rising. And when the yield of US Treasury bonds rises, it usually attracts capital inflows, thereby boosting the US dollar, but the US dollar is now falling again." Yellen warned, "The recent drop in US bond prices and the sharp rise in yields are unusual phenomena, raising concerns that the US bond market might 'crash'." "This indicates, investors are starting to avoid US dollar assets and are questioning the safety of US Treasury bonds, which are the cornerstone of the global financial system," she added. In addition, regarding Trump's "ever-changing" tariff policies, Yellen criticized, "Things have been very chaotic. The implementation and suspension of reciprocal tariffs... this indeed creates an environment where families and businesses are paralyzed by future uncertainty—making planning almost impossible." She also mentioned the US Fed. She said that if financial stability risks do arise, the US Fed will have the ability to intervene, but she "has not seen" the relevant factors come into play, and "hopes" they will not. "Tariff policies and the uncertainty they create present the most difficult situation for the US Fed." Yellen believes that the US Fed needs to monitor inflation expectations, while stating "the US Fed will be reluctant to cut interest rates". This is not the first time Yellen has criticized Trump in recent days. Last week, she bluntly warned that President Trump's tariff policies have "taken a devastating blow" to the economy. "This is the most severe policy damage to our economy I have seen in my career. Trump's tariff plan is causing enormous damage to our economy," she said.

Former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has forecasted that although the US inflation rate is showing a slowing trend, President Trump's tariff policies will lead to higher inflation and a decline in average household income . "I expect that, due to the impact of tariffs, the inflation rate will reach at least 3%, or slightly above 3%, this year," Yellen said on a show on Thursday. However, Yellen also pointed out that, in terms of Trump's tariff policies, "there is still a great deal of uncertainty about which (tariff measures) will actually take effect." But she said, "I am quite confident that we will see an impact on prices from (Trump's tariff policies)." Yellen added that this would reduce average household income. "The most recent and optimistic estimates I've seen suggest that the average household will lose about $1,000 in income due to tariffs and their ripple effects," she said. "This figure could be higher, depending on how the tariff plans progress," she said. Yellen's remarks came as data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the increase in the inflation rate in recent months has been lower than expected. Data released on Wednesday showed that the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.1% MoM and 2.4% YoY in May, both lower than market expectations of 0.2% and 2.5%, respectively. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy costs, rose 2.8% YoY, remaining at its lowest level since March 2021 and also below market expectations of 2.9%. The cooling of inflation has prompted US President Trump to increase pressure on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. Trump fiercely criticized Powell as a "dummy" at the White House on Thursday, claiming that a 2 percentage point interest rate cut could save the US $600 billion a year. Meanwhile, Trump's allies have also argued that tariffs will not exacerbate inflation. Yellen, who served as Fed Chairman from 2014 to 2018, said that the Fed should now "be concerned about the possibility of second-round effects, or wage increases or inflation expectations leading to persistent inflation" . She pointed out that the Fed "cannot accurately gauge how tariffs will affect labour market spending or inflation." "Therefore, I expect (the Fed) to continue to remain firmly on the sidelines," she added, suggesting that the Fed may continue to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

At the G20 meeting, Yellen said that the United States will provide Ukraine with $10 billion in new economic aid in the next few months.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned on Tuesday (April 25) local time that a failure by Congress to raise the federal government's debt ceiling, and the resulting default, would trigger an economic disaster that would lead to higher interest rates in the coming years.

US Treasury Secretary Yellen said that she strongly disagrees with Fitch's downgrade of the US rating;

U.S. media began to release again: U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen plans to visit Beijing in early July

US Treasury Secretary Yellen reiterated that the nation is ready to take action to suppress the contagious runs in the US banking system.