On February 27, 2025, trading activity surged in the U.S. financial markets, with the CME Group reporting a record volume of 67.1 million options and futures contracts traded. Interest rate contracts alone accounted for 50.9 million of these trades, marking a 21% increase over the previous high. This spike in trading volume reflects heightened market uncertainty as investors seek to protect their capital. Notably, call options volume for the 20+ year Treasury Bond ETF, $TLT, reached nearly 1.1 million, three times higher than at the beginning of 2024. The $TLT ETF has gained approximately 6% year-to-date, coinciding with unprecedented short-interest levels in the fund. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Bonds recorded their largest monthly gain since July 2024, while the dollar index rose by about 1% over the week, ending a three-week losing streak.