Global stock markets experienced a notable downturn as investors reacted to a combination of slowing global growth forecasts and heightened geopolitical tensions. The market instability was fueled by escalating military conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, alongside diplomatic disputes in Southeast Asia.
The downturn saw a noticeable flight of capital toward traditional safe-haven assets, including gold and government bonds. Analysts noted that fear over the persistence of inflation coupled with the potential for supply chain disruptions caused by conflicts is eroding investor confidence in riskier equities.
Furthermore, reports of a major Cloudflare outage that impacted thousands of internet services, including X and ChatGPT, added to the overall atmosphere of technical and economic uncertainty. The incident underscored the fragility of global digital infrastructure and its potential to disrupt commerce, further influencing market volatility and increasing demand for robust economic and political stability.
