Lantern Festival Blood Moon, Iran War Rattle U.S. and Taiwan Stocks and Test Bitcoin’s Safe-Haven Role

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said a total lunar eclipse will be visible from Taiwan during the Lantern Festival on March 3, 2026, with totality lasting from 7:04 p.m. to 8:02 p.m. The celestial event coincides with the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran, but oil prices, inflation and concerns about AI stock valuations are the forces actually moving markets. The “blood moon” is merely an association driven by market sentiment, not a cause of share-price volatility.

The S&P 500 closed at 6,881.62 on March 2, up less than 0.1%. It fell 64.99 points to 6,816.63 on March 3 after the conflict widened. CoinDesk cited QCP Capital as saying Bitcoin and Ether declined after the first wave of U.S. military strikes, triggering about $300 million in long liquidations. That showed Bitcoin was not providing a reliable safe haven at the time. Taiwan stocks also came under pressure from a technology-sector pullback and geopolitical risks.