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(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, and the headline, the lede and the economic were updated in the story.)

U.S. stock futures rose on Wednesday, after Tuesday’s record close. This followed President Donald Trump‘s announcement of a temporary pause in a military-backed operation called ‘Project Freedom.’

This project was designed to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said on Truth Social that while the U.S. operation would be paused temporarily to allow negotiations to continue, America’s blockade would remain firmly in place.

In the labor market, private sector employment showed renewed momentum by adding 109,000 jobs in April. This acceleration was fueled by continued strength in health care alongside a rebound in the trade, transportation, and utilities sectors, marking the fastest pace of job growth since January 2025.

Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.37%, and the two-year bond was at 3.89%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 94.1% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged during June’s meeting.

Index Performance (+/-)
Dow Jones 0.66%
S&P 500 0.59%
Nasdaq 100 1.09%
Russell 2000 0.81%

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Wednesday. The SPY was up 0.75% at $729.20, while the QQQ advanced 1.21% to $689.78.

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XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) are breaking out of multi-month patterns as Flare (CRYPTO: FLR) CEO Hugo Philion criticized Cardano for underperforming in DeFi.

XRP At Triangle Apex With Shorts Getting Squeezed

XRP is grinding higher at $1.4268 pressing against the apex of a symmetrical triangle that has been compressing since February’s $1.13 lows. Volume surged 27.50% to $3.94 billion as serious capital rotates in.

Open Interest sits at $2.61 billion while the Binance Long/Short ratio reads 2.2637, meaning longs outnumber shorts significantly across both retail and top trader accounts.

The 24-hour liquidation data shows $2.96 million shorts liquidated versus $1.61 million longs. Shorts are getting squeezed as price pushes higher, building a bullish liquidation cascade …

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A Major New Study Finds That 73% of Americans Chasing High-Risk Bets Feel Financially Behind — And Believe They Have No Other Way to Catch Up

By JBizNews Desk | New York — May 6, 2026

A growing share of Americans are turning to high-risk bets — from cryptocurrencies to sports wagering and prediction markets — not out of speculation alone, but out of a sense that traditional paths to financial security are no longer working.

That is the central finding of the Northwestern Mutual 2026 Planning & Progress Study, which reveals a striking contradiction: more Americans say they feel financially secure than in recent years, yet millions are simultaneously embracing riskier strategies to build wealth.

The data suggests those two realities are not in conflict — they are deeply connected.

The Numbers

About half of American adults now say they feel financially secure, up from 44% a year earlier. More than half also describe themselves as disciplined financial planners.

But beneath that surface, a different trend is taking hold.

Roughly 40% of Americans are either investing in or considering high-risk assets such as crypto, prediction markets, and sports betting. Among those participants, 73% say they are doing so because they feel financially behind and believe these bets offer a faster path to their goals than traditional saving or investing. Among Gen Z, that figure rises to 80%.

The implication is clear: for a large segment of the population, conventional wealth-building strategies are no longer seen as sufficient.

Why Traditional Saving Feels Broken

The frustration driving that shift is rooted in everyday economics.

Inflation remains the top financial concern for more than four in ten Americans, outpacing worries about savings levels, debt, or healthcare costs. More than half expect inflation to worsen in 2026, and nearly half say their incomes are not keeping up with rising prices.

When living costs increase faster than earnings, the logic of steady, long-term saving becomes harder to sustain — particularly for younger Americans who feel they are starting from behind.

Economic sentiment reflects that pressure. More Americans expect the economy to weaken than improve this year, with pessimism cutting across income levels and age groups.

What the Bets Look Like

The shift toward risk is visible across multiple platforms.

Prediction markets — where users wager on outcomes ranging from elections to economic data — have surged into the mainstream. Trading volume reached tens of billions of dollars in early 2026, with platforms like Polymarket hosting thousands of active contracts tied to real-world events.

At the same time, financial strain is showing up in everyday spending behavior. A third of Americans used Buy Now, Pay Later services for large purchases in 2025, while nearly a quarter relied on them for routine expenses such as groceries and gas.

That overlap — using credit for necessities while taking risks for upside — points to a broader financial squeeze.

The Risk That Gets Overlooked

None of these strategies are designed to reliably build long-term wealth.

Crypto markets remain highly volatile. Betting platforms are structured with odds that favor operators. And retail investors in speculative assets often underperform due to timing and behavioral biases.

But the study suggests the shift is not driven by ignorance of risk — it is driven by a lack of perceived alternatives.

Traditional advice — save consistently, invest conservatively, and wait — assumes a level of financial stability that many Americans no longer feel they have. Rising costs, stagnant real wages, and economic uncertainty have eroded confidence in that model.

Nearly eight in ten Americans report noticing higher grocery prices in recent months, and consumer sentiment remains subdued. In that environment, the appeal of faster, higher-risk returns becomes easier to understand.

What is emerging is not simply a trend in investing behavior, but a broader signal about the state of the American economy — one in which a growing number of people feel that the standard path to financial security is no longer within reach.

And when that belief takes hold, risk stops looking optional.

It starts looking necessary.

JBizNews Desk
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Cryptocurrency exchange giant Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) could create volatility for the crypto sector when the company reports first-quarter financial results Thursday after market close.

Here are the earnings estimates, what analysts are saying ahead of the report and the key items to watch.

• Coinbase Global stock is showing downward pressure. Where is COIN stock headed?

Coinbase Q1 Earnings Estimates

Analysts expect Coinbase to report first-quarter revenue of $1.50 billion, down from $2.03 billion in last year’s first quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company has missed analyst estimates for revenue in four of the last six quarters, while beating estimates in six of the last 10 quarters overall.

Analysts expect Coinbase to report 26 cents per share in earnings for the first quarter, down from $1.94 per share in last year’s first quarter.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in eight of the past 10 quarters, while missing estimates in the most recently reported fourth quarter.

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Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz put 70% odds on the CLARITY Act passing and said Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) needs to break $84,000 to trigger a move to $100,000.

CLARITY Act Momentum Building

Novogratz explained that Republicans need to get the bill done because they campaigned on it. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-SC) was holding things up around banking issues and Trump ethics provisions, but appears ready to let those go to committee.

“There’s still some work to do on the Democratic side,” Novogratz noted. He plans to fly to Washington next week to meet with senators and make the case that America needs the legislation.

Novogratz framed the CLARITY Act as essential for selling American brands globally through tokenization of mortgages, equities, and private assets. 

He pointed out that five to six billion people cannot call a broker and buy Apple stock, but tokenization changes that dynamic.

The $84,000 Bitcoin …

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Bitcoin is consolidating near $81,000, supported by strong ETF inflows and neutral overall sentiment as traders assess whether momentum can extend higher.

Cryptocurrency Ticker Price
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) $81,454.17
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) $2,348.91
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) $88.68
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) $1.42
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) $0.1129
Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) $0.056365  

Notable Statistics:

  • Coinglass data shows 140,534 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $583.85 million.       
  • SoSoValue data shows net inflows of $467.4 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Tuesday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows of $97.6 million.
  • In the past 24 hours, top …

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XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is up 5% in a week, and traders point to strengthening momentum and a possible larger move ahead.

Momentum Signals Strength

Trader Cryptoinsightuk said XRP is forming a strong base around $1.40 on the weekly chart, a level viewed as highly bullish.

Momentum indicators are supporting this outlook, with both the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence showing bullish crossovers.

The setup suggests a reversal from previously weak momentum, with price stabilizing at a former resistance level that is now acting as support.

This shift could lead to a sharp …

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Momentum is building behind President Donald Trump’s push to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world,” as lawmakers work to advance key legislation that could reshape the industry.

“We obviously fully support the president’s agenda to make America the crypto capital of the world,” said Zach Witkoff, CEO of World Liberty Financial.

Witkoff, the son of Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff, discussed the CLARITY Act with FOX Business early Wednesday.

The act seeks to establish a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency. It previously received bipartisan support in the House but stalled in the Senate amid concerns over its treatment of stablecoin yield.

WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST SUGGESTS TRUMP MAY USE HIS CRYPTO TOKEN TO TAKE FOREIGN BRIBES

After delays, the bill is now gaining momentum, with Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., indicating it could soon advance to a markup in the Senate.

While stopping short of predicting whether the measure will ultimately pass this time, Witkoff told “Mornings with Maria” that there are still “a lot of stakeholders at the table” as negotiations continue.

He also pushed back on concerns from traditional banks over crypto incentives, arguing that the growth of stablecoins has not led to a mass exodus of deposits.

“You haven’t seen it [deposit flight] at all [over the past year], and that’s all while stablecoins have been growing,” he said.

TRUMP NAMES DAVID SACKS AS WHITE HOUSE AI AND CRYPTOCURRENCY CZAR

“In fact, some of the bigger banks in the world have actually seen deposits come into the bank.”

He pointed to Customers Bank, which he said was a “much smaller” institution before working with crypto firms, and noted periods of deposit growth as it expanded into the space.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity here for the banks that sort of get in on this early and actually embrace crypto, embrace stablecoins,” he added.

“We’re really just talking about a digital dollar here, and what we’re trying to do is democratize yield.”

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott previously told FOX Business he hopes to hold a markup of the bill this month and bring the CLARITY Act to the Senate floor by June or July.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

“That means the average person in the country will be able to keep more of their money in their pocket,” Scott said last Thursday.

“America will be the crypto capital of the world.”

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Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) is exhibiting unusually high trading activity driven by Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC)-driven “hyperliquidity,” according to Jeff Park of Bitwise Asset Management.

Hyperliquidity, Not Typical Equity Behaviour

In a May 6 post, Park said Strategy can handle roughly $1 billion in options notional in a single day across just a few trades.

He noted that the company is becoming more transparent about potentially selling Bitcoin from its balance sheet to pursue relative-value trading opportunities.

This marks a more pragmatic and flexible approach to …

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Dogwifhat (CRYPTO: WIF) has surged more than 25% after South Korea’s largest crypto exchange Upbit announced a token listing.

Upbit Opens WIF To Korean Market

Upbit revealed plans to list dogwifhat on May 6, sparking massive reactions within the crypto community. 

The token is now available for trading in KRW, BTC, and USDT pairs, opening it to a massive new audience in one of the world’s most active crypto markets.

Users can start trading WIF at 16:00 KST today.

The Solana (CRYPTO: SOL)-based meme coin inspired by a viral image of a Shiba Inu wearing a pink knitted hat is now accessible to millions of Korean traders.

Upbit pointed out that deposits and withdrawals are supported only …

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Michael Saylor once told Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) holders to “sell a kidney if you must, but keep the Bitcoin.” The line became instant crypto folklore — pure Bitcoin maximalism wrapped in classic Saylor theatrics. But Strategy Inc‘s (NASDAQ:MSTR) first quarter earnings call added an important caveat to that narrative.

Not from Saylor himself, who remained aggressively bullish on Bitcoin, but from Strategy CIO Phong Le, who openly discussed scenarios where selling Bitcoin could make financial sense for the company.

Bitcoin Meets Corporate Finance

“We also have Bitcoin that we have the opportunity, and the option of selling,” Le said during the call.

He went further later on, saying Strategy could consider “selling Bitcoin either to buy U.S. dollars or …

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Stablecoins are no longer a side conversation in digital finance. With transaction volumes rising, regulators moving faster and major institutions building around blockchain-based settlement, the question for investors is now where the pressure lands first.

Dinis Guarda argues that the biggest shift is already under way. As Founder and CEO of ztudium, he has spent more than two decades working across fintech, blockchain, artificial intelligence and digital transformation, with experience spanning financial platforms, advisory work and global technology ecosystems. His work has been recognized by Thinkers360, Forbes and Cryptoweekly, and he is widely positioned as a voice on the future of digital finance and emerging technology.

In this exclusive interview with the Champions Speakers Agency, Guarda discusses why stablecoins are becoming part of mainstream financial infrastructure, which sectors face the most disruption, and why regulatory clarity around the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act could shape the next phase of institutional digital asset adoption.

Q1. Stablecoins are moving closer to mainstream payments and financial infrastructure. Which sectors are most exposed if adoption keeps growing: banks, payment networks, exchanges, remittance firms or fintech platforms?

This question contains its own answer: stablecoins are not moving closer to mainstream — they are already there. The data makes this abundantly clear. Total stablecoin transaction volume hit $33 trillion in 2025, up 72% year on year.

By August 2025, stablecoins accounted for 30% of all on-chain crypto transaction volume — their highest annual share on record — and the Federal Reserve has noted aggregate market capitalisation reaching $317 billion by April 2026, representing more than 50% growth since early 2025.

Citi GPS has revised its 2030 stablecoin issuance forecast upward to a base case of $1.9 trillion, with a bull scenario of $4.0 trillion.

The real challenge is not adoption velocity. It is the way the market is deeply fragmented and there is an alarming absence of coordinated institutional governance.

What we are witnessing is a two-speed adoption dynamic: major institutional players — Visa, Mastercard, JPMorgan, BlackRock, Coinbase, Circle — are building stablecoin infrastructure at scale, whilst regulatory frameworks, interoperability standards, and cross-border settlement corridors remain deeply uneven across jurisdictions.

This creates structural inequality. Those with …

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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse sees the crypto industry entering a critical policy window in the U.S., even as markets show strength, with Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) trading above $80,000.

Key Legislative Window Narrowing

Speaking at Consensus Miami 2026, Garlinghouse said the weeks of May 11, and May 18 could be decisive for advancing federal cryptocurrency legislation.

He warned that if momentum stalls in the Senate Banking Committee, the probability of passing a comprehensive crypto bill could decline sharply.

In that case, regulatory progress may be delayed further as political attention shifts toward the upcoming election cycle.

Garlinghouse …

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A billion dollars just moved into crypto, and the person behind it is not a gambler chasing the next hot coin.

Katie Haun is a former government prosecutor who once investigated crypto fraud for the US Justice Department. She later became a top executive at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most respected investment firms in Silicon Valley. 

In 2022, she left to start her own fund focused entirely on crypto and blockchain. This week, she raised another $1 billion.

If you’ve ever wondered whether crypto is just a speculative asset or something much bigger, this massive move deserves a closer look. 

What Katie Haun Sees That Most Investors Are Missing 

When the internet was being built in the 1990s, the people who made the most money long-term were not always the ones with the flashiest websites. They were often the ones who built the servers, the fibre cables, and the payment systems that every website needed to function.

Haun is making the same bet on crypto. She believes the financial system is being rebuilt on blockchain technology, and she wants to own the infrastructure that powers it.

Her track record proves this to be true:

A company called Bridge, which she backed, was bought by Stripe for over a billion dollars.

Another company called BVNK, which helps businesses move money using crypto rails, was bought by Mastercard (NYSE:MA) for close to two billion dollars, which is the largest crypto acquisition ever recorded.

Neither of these was a crypto experiment. Each was a real business solving a real problem that’s plagued traditional banking for years, while reshaping how money works globally.

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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Kraken and MoneyGram have announced a global partnership aimed at making it easier for users to convert cryptocurrency into cash across more than 100 countries.

Crypto-To-Cash Integration

The collaboration links Kraken’s crypto trading infrastructure with MoneyGram’s international payments and cash pickup network, enabling users to withdraw crypto as physical cash or local currency.

Transactions are expected to be processed instantly or near-instantly through MoneyGram’s retail and digital channels.

The rollout will be phased …

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Zcash (CRYPTO: ZEC) is up 30% in the last 24 hours as Multicoin Capital disclosed a significant position and the privacy coin’s quantum resistance narrative gains traction.

Multicoin Reverses 2019 Stance On Privacy Coins

Multicoin Capital built a significant Zcash position, Co-Founder and Managing Partner Tushar Jain revealed at Consensus Miami. 

The disclosure marks a sharp reversal from Multicoin’s 2019 essay arguing that “privacy is a feature of valuable cryptocurrencies, not a product offering in and of itself.”

Jain explained that Bitcoin can withstand protocol-level freezes, but public ownership still leaves holders exposed if a government, creditor, or other actor can connect coins to a person. 

Tokens with built-in privacy features like ZEC aim to mitigate that risk by obscuring transaction details and user identities.

The firm previously argued users should not have to sell Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) or Ethereum (CRYPTO:

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Bitcoin trades above $82,000 on Wednesday morning, supported by improving sentiment and four consecutive days of spot ETF inflows as U.S.-Iran tensions eased.

Bitcoin ETFs saw $467.4 million in net inflows on Tuesday, while Ethereum ETFs reported $97.6 million in net inflows.    


Cryptocurrency
Ticker
Price
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) $82,399.34
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) $2,409.64
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) $89.46
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) $1.45
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) $0.1166
Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) $0.056509

Meme coin market capitalization is trading 8.2% higher to $40 billion over the past 24 hours.

Trader Commentary: 

Crypto trader Jelle …

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is above the 200-day exponential moving average for the first time in three months as U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $467 million in inflows and oil crashed 6% on U.S.-Iran peace deal hopes.

Iran Peace Deal Hopes Trigger Risk-On Rally

Bitcoin climbed to $82,000, alongside a more than 1% rise in Nasdaq futures amid reports of progress toward a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Axios reported Wednesday that Washington and Tehran are close to a one-page memorandum aimed at ending the war. 

The draft agreement includes negotiations between U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian officials conducted directly and through intermediaries.

The report raised hopes for normalizing oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been mined by Iranian forces. 

Disrupted flows since late February have wreaked havoc in energy markets worldwide, …

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Cryptocurrency punters have slightly raised odds of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) topping $100,000 this year after its latest price spike.

Bitcoin Heading Toward $100,000?

Polygon (CRYPTO: POL)-based Polymarket currently assigns a 47% chance of Bitcoin reclaiming the key milestone at any point in 2026, up 7 percentage points in a week. The odds were 32% a month ago.

The uptick in odds coincided with Bitcoin climbing to a three-week high of $81,000. The cryptocurrency has jumped over 17% in a month.

Bitcoin slipped below the $100,000 mark in mid-November and has yet to recover that level.

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Tron (CRYPTO: TRX) founder Justin Sun said on Tuesday that individuals who “defrauded” him are now using those funds to bankroll coordinated trolling efforts against him.

Sun Vows To Fight

Sun took to X to express his anguish, adding that the forces who wronged him are paying for troll armies to attack him, and that he’s paying for the wages of those coming after him.

“‘Ungrateful’ doesn’t capture it,” he added.

“We must become strong enough to defeat people like this, not just for ourselves, but for the users who stand behind us, and for the commitment we owe to this entire industry,” the cryptocurrency billionaire said.

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman of Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR), hinted on Tuesday at a potential sale of some of the company’s Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) holdings to fund dividend payments on its preferred stock.

Saylor Says Company Wants To Be Flexible

Saylor, during Strategy’s first-quarter earnings call, said the firm is willing to be more flexible in managing its capital stack.

“We’ll probably sell some Bitcoin to fund a dividend just to inoculate the market, just to send the message that we did it,” Saylor said.

He stressed that the potential sale would not be a reflection of any issues, insisting that all is “fine” with the company and Bitcoin.

“The more optionality we create and the more tools we have at our disposal, I think, the better it is for the equity investors,” the Bitcoin bull added.

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Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said on Tuesday the Clarity Act would be signed into law by President Donald Trump in around the first week of July.

Mark Up By Next Week?

At the Solana Accelerate USA event in Miami, Moreno noted strong “progress” and indicated that the key cryptocurrency legislation could be marked up next week.

“We have to merge it with, not to give you all the inside baseball, but there are a bunch of committees that have jurisdiction, so we have to put it into a tidy package. But we’ll get it on the president’s desk before the end of June and he’ll sign it into law before July 4th,” said Moreno, who is part of the Senate Banking Committee.

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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The official X account tied to meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) reacted on Tuesday to GameStop Corp.’s (NYSE:GME) $56 billion unsolicited bid to acquire online marketplace eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY).

Is Dogecoin Teasing Cohen?

Dogecoin cited an interview in which GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen broke down the numbers and financing behind the massive bid.

“Meme stock behavior from a meme stock ceo. game respects game,” Dogecoin said.

The Strange Interview

Interestingly, the interview, which aired on Monday, has been making headlines lately.

Cohen repeatedly deflected questions, directing interviewers to the company’s website while avoiding key …

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Leading cryptocurrencies and stocks rose on Tuesday as the U.S. confirmed that Iran’s truce remains in place despite a flare-up in hostilities.

Cryptocurrency 24-Hour Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 9:25 p.m. EDT)
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) +1.26% $81,222.79
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH)
               		 +0.47% $2,371.00
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP)                          +1.46% $1.41
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL)                          +2.92% $86.77
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE)              +3.55% $0.1147

Crypto Market Gains Momentum

Bitcoin attempted to break $82,000 but faced rejection around $81,750. Ethereum nearly broke $2,400, while XRP and Dogecoin recorded noticeable increases in the 24-hour period.

Shares of Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) and Bitmine Immersion Technologies Inc. (NYSE:BMNR) closed up 1.79% and 1.36%, respectively.

Over $385 million was liquidated in the past 24 hours, with $314 million in short positions alone wiped out, according to Coinglass data.

Open interest in Bitcoin futures rose further by 5.15% over the last 24 hours. That said, retail and whale traders on Binance remained on the bearish side, betting that BTC prices would fall.

Despite the latest spike, “Fear” sentiment returned to the market, according to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index.

Top Gainers (24 Hours) 

Cryptocurrency (Market Cap>$100 M) Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 9:25 p.m. EDT)
LAB (LAB)       +48.68%     $2.61
MemeCore (M)                    +34.62%     $3.72
Everything (EV)             +21.98%     $0.001034

The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $2.69 trillion, following an increase of 1.50% over the last 24 hours.

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) should be considered a core component of modern investment portfolios, according to Fidelity, with the asset manager citing its strong performance and diversification benefits.

Bitcoin Stands Out

Bitcoin has evolved into a major asset class, often rivaling traditional markets in size while delivering strong long-term returns.

According to Fidelity, it has frequently ranked among the top-performing assets, outperforming peers about 73% of the time.

The report highlights Bitcoin’s strong risk-adjusted returns and its correlation with global money supply, suggesting a potential role as a …

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(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, and the headline were updated in the story.)

U.S. stock futures rose on Tuesday after Monday’s lower close, following the announcement of “Project Freedom” by President Donald Trump.

The U.S. military said on Monday that it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as Tehran tried to disrupt President Trump’s new effort to reopen commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump told Fox News on Monday that if Iran attacks American vessels, they will be “blown off the face of the Earth.” Asked on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” whether the ceasefire was over or a U.S. attack was imminent, Trump replied, “Well, I can’t tell you that.”

Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.42%, and the two-year bond was at 3.93%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 95.9% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged during June’s meeting.

Index Performance (+/-)
Dow Jones 0.28%
S&P 500 0.34%
Nasdaq 100 0.55%
Russell 2000 0.54%

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Tuesday. The SPY was up 0.50% at $721.57, while the QQQ advanced 0.74% to $677.87.

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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse declared he has never been an XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) maxi and wants Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) to succeed as the CLARITY Act faces a pivotal two-week window for Senate advancement.

CLARITY Act Needs Hearing This Month

Garlinghouse maintains hope for the Senate’s CLARITY Act but warned its survival depends on the next two weeks. 

The market structure bill awaits scheduling of a Senate Banking Committee hearing, though bank lobbyists continue resisting.

“If it doesn’t happen then, I think the likelihood is going to drop precipitously,” Garlinghouse told attendees Tuesday at Consensus 2026 in Miami. 

He still thinks the hearing will happen but emphasized the narrow window for action.

Senators revealed compromise language last week on stablecoin yield, the major sticking point that had stalled the bill. 

The compromise allows crypto firms to pursue certain rewards programs …

Full story available on Benzinga.com

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Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) reported first-quarter results after Tuesday’s closing bell, beating the analyst revenue estimate.

Here’s a look at the details inside the report. 

Strategy’s Q1 Details       

Strategy reported quarterly losses of $38.25 per share, according to Benzinga Pro data. 

Quarterly revenue came in at $124.3 million, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $120.75 million.

Strategy reported the following Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) summary (as of May 3, 2026):

  • BTC Yield: Achieved BTC Yield of 9.4% in 2026 year-to-date.
  • BTC Gain: Achieved BTC …

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is increasingly seen as a national security tool, sparking a debate about how Bitcoin will integrate in times of rising sovereign debt.

U.S. Debt Crossed 100% Of GDP Post-WWII Threshold

U.S. public debt has topped 100% of GDP for the first time since 1946 when the country demobilized after World War II. 

The government now spends $1.33 for every dollar collected, with debt service approaching $1 trillion annually.

Post-WWII, the U.S. inflated away debt through nominal GDP growth. Analysts argue the same playbook is inevitable now, requiring the Fed to keep rates below inflation while government …

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Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) has maintained a neutral outlook for the crypto market in Q2, citing persistent macroeconomic uncertainty while pointing to early signs of stabilization across major digital assets.

Macro Forces Dominate Near-Term Outlook

In its latest Charting Crypto report, Coinbase said global factors, including inflation risks, potential oil supply disruptions, and slowing economic growth, are continuing to drive market behavior.

The firm noted that while crypto-specific developments such as CLARITY Act and Post-Quantum Cryptography remain relevant, they are currently overshadowed by broader macroeconomic conditions.

As a result, Coinbase recommends a balanced approach to risk and return in the near term.

Despite the cautious stance, the report …

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Bitcoin is consolidating around $81,000, showing limited short-term momentum as institutional demand supports price stability despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.

Cryptocurrency Ticker Price
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) $81,423.88
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) $2,366.83
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) $85.49
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) $1.40
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) $0.1139
Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) $0.056290

Notable Statistics:

  • Coinglass data shows 92,906 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $262.32 million.       
  • SoSoValue data shows net inflows of $532.2 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Monday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows of $61.3 million.
  • In the past 24 hours, top …

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BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes reaffirmed his $125,000 Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) target at Consensus Miami 2026, dismissing the CLARITY Act as irrelevant and arguing that fiat liquidity is the only factor that matters.

Regulation Won’t Move The Needle

Hayes bluntly dismissed pending U.S. crypto legislation, including efforts to establish clearer rules for stablecoins and digital assets. 

He argued that the CLARITY Act will bring nothing unless it triggers more money printing.

Hayes noted the industry has already grown into a multi-trillion-dollar market without regulatory certainty. 

He argued that regulation primarily benefits centralized companies rather than the underlying crypto assets themselves, and anyone who wants to integrate Bitcoin into their business has already found a way since 2009.

The reason crypto has value is its utility outside the traditional banking system, Hayes explained.

Bitcoin has proven it works without regulatory …

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Ripple (CRYPTO: XRP) partnered with Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) and Crypto ISAC to share exclusive threat intelligence on North Korean hackers infiltrating crypto companies as insider threats.

The DPRK Insider Threat

North Korean threat actors are working from the inside out, gaining trust over months before compromising devices through malicious software.

The Drift hack started with malicious actors building relationships with contributors over months, ultimately bypassing traditional security to compromise multisig wallets and steal funds.

“This is a social engineering campaign on a new level,” Crypto ISAC Director of Growth Christina Spring wrote. 

“Companies in both crypto-native and traditional financial institutions are seeing more of this type of sophisticated operation,” she added.

The data Ripple shares ranges from domains and wallets associated with fraud to …

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This wasn’t just a layoff. When Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) cut roughly 14% of its workforce, the headline looked familiar. The reasoning didn’t. “The biggest risk now is not taking action,” CEO Brian Armstrong wrote to employees—before laying out something far more structural than a typical cost reset.

The company isn’t just getting smaller. It’s getting flatter—and more AI-native.

No More ‘Pure Managers’

The clearest shift is in how Coinbase defines leadership. “No pure managers: Every leader at Coinbase must also be a strong and active individual contributor,” said his letter to employees.

That’s not a tweak. It’s a redesign.

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is increasingly being accessed by institutional investors through diversified financial products rather than direct ownership.

BTC Next Adoption Phase

At a Bitcoin 2026 industry event, participants from Bitwise Asset Management, VanEck, and Kraken laid out the next leg of institutional adoption — and the message was clear: the plumbing is finally here.

Institutions are increasingly treating Bitcoin as part of broader portfolio allocation strategies rather than a standalone speculative asset.

VanEck portfolio manager Matthew Sigel pointed to three main drags on Bitcoin this cycle:

  • The post-halving four-year cycle
  • OG holders and miners selling into Q4 and early Q1 strength
  • The “quantum boogeyman” overhang

Sigel argued all three are reversible.

He said the wild leverage that defined …

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) climbed above $81,000, prompting speculation if there a sharp breakout could be on the cards.

‘Green Candle Therapy’

Crypto analyst Taiki Maeda said in his podcast on May 4 that Bitcoin may already have formed a market bottom and could be entering a phase of strong upward momentum driven by what he described as “green candle therapy,” a rapid price surge that shifts market sentiment decisively bullish.

He argued that many early sellers have already exited the market, while sentiment remains cautious despite relatively stable price levels.

According to Maeda, this type of …

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For years, tokenization sounded like one of those big financial ideas that always felt just a little too early.

Sure, there were lots of people who were excited about using blockchain technology for stocks, bonds, and other financial assets, but for many investors, it still felt more experimental than practical.

That’s no longer the case. And, surprisingly enough, it’s Wall Street leading the way.

From July 2026 onwards, the DTCC will begin testing with tokenized securities trading, with a full platform launch in October 2026.

In essence, what the DTCC does is create digital counterparts to the underlying assets that it holds in custody. As a result, investors have the same rights to their investments for which they’ve been waiting for over 100 years, except that the blockchain makes it more efficient now.

Notably, the DTCC processes trillions of dollars daily in transactions and manages over $114 trillion in securities.

So when an institution of that size starts seriously implementing tokenization, investors need to realize that this could be the start of something significant.

Why DTCC’s Move Is Such a Big Deal

DTCC plans to introduce blockchain technology to the existing financial sector without stripping away the rights that investors currently enjoy.

With its tokenization network, the firm will tokenize actual, tangible assets that are being held by the firm in custody, with the exact ownership rights …

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Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) reports Q1 2026 earnings today after growing Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) holdings from 555,450 BTC to 818,334 BTC since last year’s Q1 call.

The One-Year Accumulation Spree

Strategy added 262,884 Bitcoin in one year, growing holdings 47% while maintaining its position as the second-largest known Bitcoin holder in the world after Satoshi Nakamoto.

The company now controls roughly 3.9% of Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million supply.

On April 20, Michael Saylor announced Strategy acquired 34,164 BTC for approximately $2.54 billion at an average price of $74,395 per coin, one of its largest single purchases of the year. 

Meanwhile, public companies collectively hold 1.15 million BTC as of March 31, representing 5.47% of total supply as per Bitwise. 

The institutional stockpile grew by …

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XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) analysts are debating whether real-world utility can translate into sustained price appreciation, considering the token is down over 30% in one year despite increased adoption.

Traders Split Over “Utility vs. Price” Relationship

Some traders argue that XRP’s value proposition depends entirely on adoption within global payments infrastructure.

Trader BarriC, said that long-term XRP holders remain confident because no Ripple executive has ruled out significant upside potential.

He argued that XRP’s long-term price would depend on whether it becomes embedded in global financial systems, rather than retail speculation.

Other market participants remain skeptical.

They argue that XRP’s role as a bridge …

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) tapped $81,000 on Tuesday morning as several indicators signal a buying opportunity, according to crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe.

The Q4 2022 Parallel

Van de Poppe noted that the current perpetual funding rate remains negative at 5% annualized, meaning shorts are paying longs. This doesn’t happen often, and quite often there’s a strong rally afterward.

“Bitcoin is at its capitulation point,” van de Poppe posted. “That also resonates with the current market sentiment, where nobody is interested in buying into this asset class. That’s usually the best moment to be doing so,” he added.

The Short Squeeze Setup

Van de Poppe explained that there are not many leveraged longs left to be liquidated in the markets. The market remains spot-driven without forced sellers.

As …

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Bitcoin trades around $81,000 on Tuesday as Bitcoin ETFs saw $532.2 million in net inflows on Monday, while Ethereum ETFs reported $61.3 million in net inflows.    


Cryptocurrency
Ticker
Price
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) $81,024
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) $2,380
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) $84.77
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) $1.40
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) $0.1112
Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) $0.056276

Meme coin market capitalization is trading 3.4% higher to $38.3 billion over the past …

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A trader with a track record of successful bearish calls exited a large Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) short late Monday as the leading cryptocurrency climbed to $81,000.

Traders Exits Before Shorts Get Wrecked

The trader closed a 700 BTC position valued at $56.68 million at the time of reporting, incurring a $1.94 million loss after holding for nearly 70 hours.

This single move erased $1.71 million in profits from their eleven prior successful BTC shorts.

Interestingly, the closure came hours before Bitcoin recaptured $81,000 for the first time since Jan. 31, perhaps in an effort to limit losses and avoid liquidation.

Bitcoin’s spike caught short position traders …

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Cryptocurrency behemoth Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) will release earnings for the first quarter after the market close on Thursday. A quick overview of what’s going on with the company and its stock.

Will Coinbase Beat Earnings?

Analysts estimate America’s largest cryptocurrency trading platform to announce earnings per share of $0.26, down a massive 86% year-over-year, and 60% from the previous quarter.

Coinbase is also expected to report quarterly revenue of $1.70 billion, down 26% from the same quarter last year.

Notably, Polymarket bettors gave Coinbase just a 5% chance of beating its quarterly earnings.

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Stockholm, 5 maj 2026 – Virtune today announces the completion of the monthly rebalancing for the Virtune Crypto Top 10 Index ETP, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm for both the SEK-denominated (ISIN code SE0020052207, ticker name VIR10SEK) and the EUR-denominated (ISIN code SE0020052215, ticker name VIR10EUR) ETP.

In addition to the Virtune Crypto Top 10 Index ETP, Virtune’s product portfolio includes:

Virtune Bitcoin ETP
Virtune Stellar ETP
Virtune Staked Ethereum ETP
Virtune Staked Solana ETP
Virtune Staked Polkadot ETP
Virtune XRP ETP
Virtune Avalanche ETP
Virtune Litecoin ETP
Virtune Chainlink ETP
Virtune Arbitrum ETP
Virtune Staked Polygon ETP
Virtune Staked Cardano ETP
Virtune Crypto Altcoin Index ETP
Virtune Bitcoin Prime ETP
Virtune Coinbase 50 Index ETP
Virtune Staked Near ETP
Virtune Sui ETP
Virtune Stablecoin ETP
Virtune Bittensor ETP
Virtune BNB ETP
Virtune Hyperliquid ETP

Index allocation as of 30 April (before rebalancing):

Bitcoin: 41.57%
Ethereum: 30.69%
BNB: 9.37%
XRP: 9.31%
Solana: 5.30%
Bitcoin Cash: 1.00%
Cardano: 0.98%
Chainlink: 0.72%
Stellar: 0.59%
Litecoin: 0.48%

Index allocation as of …

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Toncoin (CRYPTO: TON) surged on Monday after Telegram founder Pavel Durov said the messaging giant will become the “driving force” behind The Open Network blockchain.

Telegram To Lead TON

TON, the native token of The Open Network, surged over 23% in the last 24 hours to a 4-month high, with trading volume skyrocketing 623%.

The spike came after Durov announced that Telegram would replace the Swiss-based nonprofit TON Foundation as the main driving force behind the open-source TON network.

Glory Days Ahead For Telegram, TON?

Durov added …

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Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) defended on Monday the bipartisan compromise on stablecoin yields in the Clarity Act, deeming it a “substantially improved, consensus-based product.”

Senator Says Compromise Addresses ‘Core Concern’

Tillis addressed the banking sector’s concerns that the revised text doesn’t adequately safeguard banks against “deposit flight.”

“We have worked in good faith with all sides throughout this process to encourage compromise and to avoid letting the perfect become the enemy of the good,” Tillis, who worked with Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) to finalize the compromise language, said.

Tillis said the compromise prevents stablecoin rewards from resembling interest on bank deposits, addressing the “core concern” over deposit flight, while helping cryptocurrency firms offer other forms of rewards.

“The result is a substantially improved, consensus-based product,” the lawmaker said. “Some in the banking industry may not want either of these things to happen, and we respectfully agree to disagree.”

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Cryptocurrency bettors are pricing in higher odds on Iran closing its airspace for commercial flights after renewed attacks in the Strait of Hormuz challenged the ceasefire.

Will Peace Be Short-Lived?

Polygon (CRYPTO: POL)-based Polymarket showed a 52% possibility that Iran initiates a “major closure” of its airspace, up from 42% the day before.

A “major closure” is defined as a broad closure, cancellation, or suspension of commercial flights transiting, arriving in, and departing from Iranian airspace or a major Iranian Airspace region. Limited cancellations, delays or other partial closures will not qualify.

Over $3.70 million has been wagered on the outcome, making it one of the most actively traded bets on Polymarket.

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Leading cryptocurrencies extended their gains, while stocks declined on Monday as Iranian attacks on UAE oil facilities unsettled investors.

Cryptocurrency 24-Hour Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 9:40 p.m. EDT)
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) +1.77% $80,244.39
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH)
               		 +1.28% $2,360.97
XRP (CRYPTO: XRP)                          +0.20% $1.39
Solana (CRYPTO: SOL)                          +0.29% $84.31
Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE)              -0.53% $0.1110

Crypto Sentiment Shifts To ‘Neutral’

Bitcoin faced sharp rejection at $80,000, dropping to an intraday low of $78,217, before reclaiming the critical level later in the day.

Ethereum also reversed from the highs reached on Sunday, while XRP and Dogecoin traded sideways.

Shares of Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) and Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) closed up 3.74% and 6.14%, respectively.

Over $480 million was liquidated in the past 24 hours, with $329 million in short positions alone wiped out, according to Coinglass data.

Open interest in Bitcoin futures rose further by 4.95% over the last 24 hours, signaling heightened speculative interest. However, both retail and whale traders on Binance leaned toward the bearish side, betting that prices would fall.

Market sentiment flipped from “Fear” to “Neutral,” according to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index.

Top Gainers (24 Hours) 

Cryptocurrency (Market Cap>$100 M) Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 9:40 p.m. EDT)
RaveDAO (RAVE)       +28.00%     $0.7869
Toncoin (TON)                    +27.69%     $1.75
Circle Internet Group Tokenized Stock (CRCLon)             +19.58%     $123.56

The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $2.65 trillion, up 1.33% over the last 24 hours.

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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) could trade as high as $180,000 between this year and next, with confirmation likely coming from holding the mid-$80,000s short term, according to analysts.

The Saylor Supply Shock Math

Prominent crypto analyst Pentoshi projected broke down the numbers behind Strategy Inc.’s (NASDAQ:MSTR) Bitcoin buying spree.

Strategy has purchased 88,568 Bitcoin so far with total holdings reaching 818,334 and a goal of hitting at least 1 million by year-end.

The average works out to roughly 730 BTC per day. Meanwhile, miners produce 450 BTC per day. 

Strategy is currently on pace to buy 1.6 times the supply mined, meaning one single corporate buyer has purchased more than double the BTC created during this period.

“Obviously, at some point something has to give,” Pentoshi noted. He added that any increased buying from ETFs …

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(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, and the headline were updated in the story.)

U.S. stock futures were mixed on Monday, following Friday’s divergence between the Dow Jones and other benchmark indices.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that starting Monday morning, the U.S. will lead an initiative to escort stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz‘s restricted zones. He described the mission as a “humanitarian gesture” aimed at assisting neutral nations affected by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. This was dubbed as “Project Freedom.”

Crude oil futures were higher as traders are also likely to evaluate OPEC+’s decision to raise oil output by 188,000 barrels per day, announced at its first meeting following the exit of key member the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.37%, and the two-year bond was at 3.88%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 94.8% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged during June’s meeting.

Index Performance (+/-)
Dow Jones -0.37%
S&P 500 -0.12%
Nasdaq 100 0.03%
Russell 2000 -0.34%

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were mixed in premarket on Monday. The SPY was down 0.11% at $719.89, while the QQQ advanced 0.069% to $674.64.

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