Market Performance
| Asset / Index | Value ($) | Daily Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | 67,242.0 | +1.03% |
| Ethereum (ETH) | 1,980.72 | +1.32% |
| Bitcoin Spot ETF | -133.30M | Net Outflow |
| Ethereum Spot ETF | -41.80M | Net Outflow |
| Nasdaq (NAS100) | 24,963.7 | +0.38% |
| S&P 500 (SPX) | 6,881.32 | +0.56% |
| Russell 2000 (RUT) | 2,656.8 | +0.03% |
| U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) | 97.311 | -0.09% |
| VIX Volatility Index | 19.62 | -3.30% |
| U.S. 10-Year Yield | 4.08649 | +0.78% |
| Brent Crude Oil (BRENT) | 70.975 | +0.85% |
| LBMA Gold (XAU) | 5,016.93 | +0.82% |
| LBMA Silver (XAG) | 78.985 | +2.54% |
“Prepared at UTC 07.45 am”
Today’s Key Events
- President Trump Expected to Make Statements on the Economy
- US Jobless Claims and Home Sales
- FOMC Members Bostic, Bowman, Goolsbee, and Kashkari to Speak
- Walmart Earnings Report
Fed Minutes Show Cautious Stance
- FOMC meeting minutes showed that nearly all participants favored keeping interest rates steady, with only a few members preferring a cut.
- Officials assessed that the labor market could stabilize within the year with appropriate monetary policy, while warning that progress toward the 2% inflation target could be slower and more uneven than expected.
- Many members emphasized that if inflation remains persistently high, interest rate hikes should remain an option. The minutes also highlighted vulnerabilities in the private credit market.
Interest Rate Expectations for March
According to CME FedWatch data, the probability of the Fed keeping interest rates unchanged in March is priced at 93.6%. The probability of a 25-basis-point cut during the same period is calculated at 6.4%. The cumulative probability of a 25-basis-point cut by April is 20.9%, while the probability of a 50-basis-point cut remains quite low.
Military Option on the Table for Iran
According to reports in the US press, following the reinforcement of air and naval assets in the Middle East, military options against Iran have been presented to President Donald Trump. It was reported that the military is ready to launch an operation in the near future, but Trump has not yet made a final decision. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit Israel at the end of the month to brief Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the Iran negotiations.
Tariff Warning from the EU
European Commission spokesman Olof Gill said that the EU is prepared to respond if the US imposes additional customs duties. He stated that all necessary steps will be taken to protect the EU’s economic interests. The statement signaled that transatlantic trade tensions could rise again.
Trump Meets with Advisors
It was reported that US President Donald Trump met with his senior advisors at the White House to evaluate the process with Iran. Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Marco Rubio were also reported to have attended the meeting. It was reported that the contacts with Iran in Geneva, the Russia-Ukraine process, and Gaza were also on the agenda.
Major Funding for OpenAI
OpenAI is reportedly close to completing the first phase of a new funding round that is expected to raise over $100 billion. The company’s total valuation could exceed $850 billion. Strategic investors such as Amazon, SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft are said to be committing close to the upper end of the range.
CLARITY Act on the Agenda
US Senator Bernie Moreno said the CLARITY Act, which regulates the crypto market structure, could be passed before April. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated that the search for consensus on stablecoin interest rate provisions continues during the regulatory process. It is stated that the bill has made clear progress in Congress.
White House Stablecoin Meeting
The White House is scheduled to hold its third stablecoin meeting tomorrow morning. It has been reported that a limited number of participants representing crypto companies and banks have been invited to the meeting. The discussions are expected to shape the roadmap for the digital dollar and yield regulations.
Crypto Signal from the SEC
US SEC Chairman Paul Atkins announced that the investment contract framework will be clarified and innovative exemption mechanisms will be evaluated. Pilot trading applications for tokenized securities and updates to broker-dealer rules are on the agenda. It was emphasized that the SEC will focus on openness and transparency rather than short-term price movements.
Ethereum 2026 Priorities
The Ethereum Foundation has updated its 2026 protocol priorities under the headings of scalability, user experience, and strengthening L1 security. Plans include increasing the gas limit to 100 million, advancing ePBS, and accelerating zkEVM work. The Glamsterdam upgrade is targeted for deployment in the first half of 2026.
Aptos Token Model Updated
Aptos announced a comprehensive update to the $APT token economy, transitioning to a performance-based supply mechanism. Under the new model, the maximum supply will be capped at 2.1 billion $APT, and this limit cannot be changed after community approval. Additionally, the Aptos Foundation announced that it will permanently lock and stake 210 million $APT, and these tokens will not be released to the market.
Base Transitions to Independent Stack
The Ethereum Layer 2 network Base announced that it will transition to an independent “unified technology stack,” ending its technical dependence on Optimism’s $OP Stack and Superchain architecture. The goal is to reduce coordination and maintenance costs by consolidating the decentralized core components into a single code base. It was stated that this change will allow Base to perform deeper optimizations according to its own needs.
