dri

Strategy's preferred stock STRC recorded a record trading volume on Thursday, with a transaction amount reaching $1.53 billion, more than quadrupling the average over the past 30 days. Reports indicate that this peak in trading mainly occurred on the eve of the ex-dividend date, with a large number of trades priced at or above the $100 par value level. STRC currently offers an annualized cash dividend of approximately 11.5%, paid monthly.The high trading volume propelled Strategy to complete a new round of Bitcoin accumulation through its ATM (at-the-market) financing mechanism, purchasing approximately 11,707 BTC, allowing the company to continue expanding its position as the largest publicly traded Bitcoin holder in the world. Market data shows that STRC slightly retreated by about 1% in pre-market trading after entering ex-dividend trading, approaching the trading range just below $100, consistent with the usual price adjustment pattern for dividend-paying assets after the ex-dividend date. During the same period, the price of Bitcoin slightly weakened to around $80,500, and Strategy's common stock also fell by about 2%, reflecting the continued significant correlation between cryptocurrency assets and the company's stock price.

Gate released the private wealth management report for April 2026. The report indicates that the overall cryptocurrency market is showing a strong fluctuation due to the continuous inflow of ETF funds and expectations of interest rate cuts. In April, BTC and ETH rose approximately 11.9% and 7.3%, respectively. Among them, the net inflow of BTC ETF reached $2.44 billion in a single month, setting a new high in nearly six months, and the total management scale surpassed $100 billion for the first time, indicating a significant rebound in market risk appetite.In terms of product performance, the overall annualized return of Gate's private wealth USDT strategy is approximately 5.6%, continuing its steady performance. The "Interstellar Hedge (USDT)" has achieved a cumulative return of 18.2%, with all 22 cycles generating positive returns, achieving a win rate of 100%; the "Star Core Intelligent Investment (USDT)" has reached a maximum return rate of 9.5% in the past year; the "Gravitational Hedge (USDT)" has maintained a win rate of 100% for two consecutive years, with a maximum drawdown of only 0.01%, demonstrating outstanding risk control capability. Overall, the historical maximum drawdown of each strategy is generally controlled within 0.9%.Looking ahead, the report points out that the BTC RHODL ratio has risen to 4.5, the third highest level in history, while exchange reserves have fallen to a seven-year low, indicating an enhanced trend of long-term holding and continued supply contraction, with a generally optimistic outlook for the medium to long-term market.

The co-founder of the Solana ecosystem DeFi project Ranger Finance, cobra (@barrett_io), posted on the X platform that Ranger Finance is gradually shutting down. The project took on business beyond its sustainable capacity, and the founder invested personal funds to maintain operations, but delays in financing led to the accumulation of bills. Ultimately, the financing was unsuccessful, and the raised funds were returned.The team is trying to fairly pay employees and suppliers with the remaining two months of operating funds, but it is insufficient to cover all expenses. The treasury liquidation was unexpected and severely impacted budget decisions. Subsequently, the Drift attack incident depleted the remaining funds and personal capital. Treasury users affected by the Drift attack will receive recovery tokens when distributed by the Drift team. The founder stated that in hindsight, the project should have been shut down earlier and apologized for this.

According to CoinDesk, Los Angeles-based stablecoin-driven digital bank Fasset announced the completion of a $51 million Series B financing round, with investors including Japan's SBI Group, Investcorp, and Turkish asset management company Arz Portföy. The valuation for this round has not been disclosed.Fasset covers over 50 payment channels across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East through stablecoin technology, serving over 1,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in 125 countries, with an annual transaction volume exceeding $32 billion. The company plans to use the funds from this round to expand into new markets, develop loan and trade financing products, and expand its proprietary stablecoin payment and custody infrastructure "Own Network." Additionally, Fasset has recently partnered with Tether, the issuer of USDT, to launch a gold-backed digital bank card.

According to The Block, K33 research director Vetle Lunde stated that Strategy's perpetual preferred stock STRC may be becoming an important factor driving the mid-month rise in Bitcoin. Lunde pointed out that STRC dividends are paid on the last day of each month, while the ex-dividend date is set around the 15th of each month.Since Strategy will issue additional shares through the ATM mechanism when the STRC price exceeds the $100 par value and use the raised funds to purchase BTC, the market demand for STRC tends to increase before the ex-dividend date, often leading to more BTC buying.Data shows that the scale of BTC purchased by Strategy through STRC has grown from 4,467 coins in January this year to about 46,872 coins in April. Currently, Strategy's total Bitcoin holdings have reached 818,869 BTC, valued at approximately $6.57 billion.However, K33 also noted that the speed at which STRC returned to par value this month has slowed compared to before, with only 1 BTC added through this tool recently, indicating that market demand may be approaching a phase of plateau.

PANews' in-depth analysis article points out that, in the context of accelerating global cryptocurrency regulation, compliance capability is becoming a key watershed in the competition among CEXs. Trading platforms represented by Gate are strengthening their competitiveness in the mainstream financial system by continuously expanding their global licensing network.Specifically, Gate is promoting its compliance layout through its various operational entities: Gate US achieves compliant operations in 46 jurisdictions by holding 35 state-level MTL licenses in the United States; leveraging the Cyprus CySEC license, MiCA license, and Payment Institution (PI) license, it is deeply developing business in multiple regions in Europe; Gate Japan is entering the highly regulated Japanese market with the FSA license; it is tapping into the rapidly growing Middle Eastern market with the Dubai VARA license; at the same time, it has completed its layout in the Australian market through AUSTRAC registration.The article notes that compared to some platforms that focus on advancing in a single region, Gate prefers to promote its global compliance layout by establishing entities in multiple locations and directly applying for licenses. Although this path takes longer and incurs higher costs, it helps enhance long-term compliance credibility and diversify risks associated with a single jurisdiction. As global regulation enters the enforcement phase in 2026, the industry's model of "expanding first, complying later" is gradually retreating, and compliance is transforming from a cost item into a core asset, becoming a key threshold for platforms to participate in mainstream market competition.

International oil prices continue to fluctuate at high levels, and market trading enthusiasm continues to rise. According to data from the Gate platform, WTI crude oil (XTIUSDT) reached a maximum of $99.69 in 24 hours, currently reported at $98.33, with a 24-hour increase of about 1.64%; Brent crude oil (XBRUSDT) reached a maximum of $105.58 in 24 hours, currently reported at $103.89, with a 24-hour increase of about 1.18%. Against the backdrop of high oil price fluctuations, the trading demand in the crude oil derivatives market has further been released.According to CoinGlass data, the 24-hour contract transaction volume of WTI crude oil (XTI) on the Gate platform reached $4.1903 million; the 24-hour contract transaction volume of Brent crude oil (XBR) reached $11.1608 million, both firmly ranking first in the industry. With continuous capital inflow, Gate's liquidity advantage and market influence in the commodity contract sector have further increased.Gate contracts pioneered the commodity contract sector, covering XBRUSDT (Brent crude oil), XTIUSDT (WTI crude oil), BZ (Brent crude oil), CL (WTI crude oil), and NG (natural gas) perpetual contract trading, providing 24/7 trading, USDT settlement, and up to 100 times leverage, assisting users in cross-market asset allocation and strategy layout in volatile markets.

Bernstein reiterated its "Outperform" rating on Figure Technology Solutions (FIGR) and maintained a target price of $67, implying about a 72% upside from the current stock price of $38.97. Figure's Q1 2026 performance was strong: loan issuance reached $2.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 113%; adjusted revenue was $167 million, a year-on-year increase of 92%, exceeding market expectations by 6%; adjusted EBITDA was $82.7 million, with a profit margin of about 50%, slightly above market expectations. However, the GAAP diluted EPS was $0.18, about 9% below expectations, primarily impacted by $26 million in equity incentive expenses.Bernstein's analysis suggests that this performance should reshape the market's perception of Figure, as it is not a traditional credit company, but rather a "tokenization-driven capital market platform," with core profits coming from network fees and operational leverage, and it maintains a pricing model based on a 25x EBITDA valuation for 2027. Additionally, the tokenization ecosystem continues to expand: the yield-bearing security token YLDS reached $598 million (up 80% quarter-on-quarter); the balance of stock lending products was $368 million (up 79%); and the small business loan segment contributed $6 million in revenue. Figure's current stock price is still not far from the 2025 IPO issue price of $36, but there remains a significant gap from the historical high of $78.

On-chain detective ZachXBT exposed American threat actor Dritan Kapllani Jr, claiming he is suspected of participating in a social engineering theft targeting crypto users, totaling approximately $19 million. ZachXBT stated that Dritan has long flaunted luxury cars, high-end watches, private jets, and nightlife on social media. On April 23, 2026, during a "Band 4 Band (B4B)" voice chat on Discord, he publicly displayed an Exodus wallet containing $3.68 million in assets to prove he was wealthier than another hacker.The relevant ETH address is: 0x4487db847db2fc99372a985743a26f46e0b2bba6. ZachXBT tracked and found that this address is linked to a social engineering theft case involving 185 BTC (approximately $13 million) on March 14, 2026. The next day, Dritan's Exodus wallet received about $5.3 million of those funds. By the time of the B4B call six weeks later, about $1.6 million had been spent or laundered.On May 11, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed a criminal indictment against Trenton Johnson, who is accused of participating in the aforementioned 185 BTC theft case and could face up to 40 years in prison. "Coconspirator 1" in the indictment is alleged to be Dritan, who has not yet been formally charged. ZachXBT also pointed out that Dritan is connected to hacker John Daghita (Lick), who was previously arrested for stealing $46 million from the U.S. government, and John had exposed Dritan's old wallet address on Telegram.On-chain analysis shows that this address is related to multiple high-confidence social engineering theft cases in 2025, with a total amount involved exceeding $5.85 million. ZachXBT stated that Dritan has been active in "The Com" hacker circle for a long time and had previously not faced formal charges due to his minor status. He is now over 18 years old, and "the borrowed time may finally be over."

Wintermute released a weekly market summary stating that the U.S. stock market continued its strong performance, recording a sixth consecutive week of gains, with the Nasdaq index rising 4.5% and the S&P 500 index rising 2.3%, both reaching all-time highs, while small-cap stocks and tech giants strengthened simultaneously. Non-farm payroll data exceeded expectations, with the unemployment rate stable at 4.3%, showcasing a resilient labor market. Despite the turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz, the market viewed it as noise, and the war premium has significantly receded. Iran-U.S. negotiations have returned to square one, with Iran's demands for sovereignty, compensation, and sanctions relief being directly rejected by Trump. This week's CPI data will test the transmission of energy prices to inflation, and with Powell's term ending and Waller taking over, the Fed's June FOMC dot plot will be closely watched.In terms of crypto assets, Bitcoin broke through the $80,000 mark, reaching a peak of around $83,000, marking its first time above the 200-day moving average (for the first time in seven months), but this rise was clearly driven by leverage: open interest surged by $10 billion in one month, while spot trading volume hit a two-year low, indicating a typical short squeeze rather than a healthy breakout. Institutional funding remains supportive, with ETF net inflows of $623 million and trading platform reserves hitting a seven-year low, but short-term risks are high—RSI has entered the overbought zone, and if the squeeze ends without spot trading picking up, Bitcoin's price could quickly retreat.Altcoins have shifted towards personalized narratives, with tokenization and AI computing sectors performing prominently. Overall, in the crypto market, this round of rebound needs to be quickly validated as a true bull market starting point: currently driven mainly by the stock market and leverage resonance, if CPI rises or the Fed's leadership change brings uncertainty, whether Bitcoin can independently hold above $80,000 will become a key confirmation signal.

According to Jinshi reports, the year-on-year increase of the U.S. April CPI is expected to be 3.7%, the largest increase since September 2023, compared to a year-on-year increase of 3.3% in March. The core CPI, excluding food and energy prices, is expected to rise by 0.3%, which may be rounded to 0.4%. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to make a one-time adjustment to rents. Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP, stated that this will lead to a significant catch-up effect, with the core CPI increase expected to rise by about 0.1 percentage points.

Glassnode's latest weekly report indicates that Bitcoin slowly climbed from $77,000 to $82,000 last week, with buying pressure continuing to support during the pullback, even as momentum began to cool near local highs. The spot CVD surged, reflecting strong bullish sentiment and a firm belief in price increases. Meanwhile, spot trading volume also increased, indicating that the recent price trend gained more support with heightened investor participation. However, the easing of price momentum suggests that buying and selling pressures are becoming more balanced, implying that the market may be entering a stabilization phase.The situation in the futures market is similar, with a rise in risk appetite. The increase in open interest indicates heightened speculative activity, with investors willing to take on more risk; the perpetual contract CVD surged, indicating sustained bullish momentum. However, the decline in long funding rates suggests a shift towards bearish sentiment, and bullish sentiment may have weakened.In the options market, the demand for downside protection has decreased, while open interest has increased, indicating a shift in market expectations towards neutral or slightly bullish. However, the volatility spread has surged significantly, indicating that the risks reflected in options pricing are much higher than the actual risks, reflecting a notable increase in participant uncertainty.In summary, supported by stronger on-chain activity, healthier profitability, and more stable holder positions, Bitcoin's market structure continues to improve. Although bullish sentiment is strengthening, the slowdown in capital inflows and cautious market sentiment suggest that the market remains sensitive to changes in risk appetite.

a16z Crypto published an article explaining the investment logic behind Arc, pointing out that stablecoins have evolved from tools for crypto trading to a core layer of global financial infrastructure, driving the upgrade of blockchain from "application layer finance" to "system-level economic operating systems."The trading volume of stablecoins reached approximately $9 trillion last year, placing them on the same scale as global payment networks like Visa and PayPal. The total supply of US dollar stablecoins has also exceeded $270 billion, with cross-border payments, B2B settlements, and foreign exchange trading becoming the core use cases for stablecoins, gradually making them the "upgrade layer for global capital flows."a16z Crypto stated that the existing blockchain infrastructure is still primarily aimed at crypto-native users and individual developers, lacking native support for large institutional-level demands. The reason for participating in the ecosystem construction related to ARC tokens is mainly due to the gradual on-chain transition of global finance; in the future, only a few public chains will be able to support the "on-chain economic system foundation."

Bitfinex Alpha's latest report indicates that after entering May, BTC successfully broke through the dense selling pressure zone of $78,000 to $79,000, briefly approaching $83,000. This round of increase is mainly driven by spot demand rather than leveraged funds. Since May 8, the spot CVD (Cumulative Volume Delta) has significantly risen, showing that buyers are continuously taking orders and absorbing market supply.ETF capital inflows and public market increases have become the main driving forces, while long-term holders have now accumulated nearly 4 million BTC, marking the largest increase since the pandemic crash in 2020, which means that the circulating chips in the market are being further locked up. The market currently expects about a 94% probability that the Federal Reserve will maintain interest rates in June. In the context of macroeconomic uncertainty, institutional funds continue to position themselves in the crypto market.

According to on-chain data monitored by Catcher Predict, significant capital movements are predicted to occur in the market Polymarket. A large whale invested $158,628.58 in "FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid CF," specifically targeting "FC Barcelona." Based on the current transaction price, the latest corresponding winning probability for this target is 59%.

According to GMGN monitoring, the Base ecological token POD (Dolphin) surged significantly this morning, with a peak market value exceeding $82 million, currently falling back to $76.4 million, with a 24-hour increase of 130%, and an on-chain trading volume of approximately $2.9 million during the same period.The catalyst for this round of increase may be the strong market performance of VVV. As an AI model development and DePIN project, Dolphin provides the "Dolphin Mistral 24B Venice Edition," which is the default uncensored AI model on the Venice platform, leading to an increase in POD as the core model provider.

"Cathie Wood" posted on the X platform, stating that despite the rise in oil prices over the past three months, the yield curve remains flat, and the Federal Reserve has not monetized this energy shock. The bond market may begin to digest the deflationary effects brought about by AI and technology-driven productivity improvements. Currently, the costs of AI model training and inference have significantly decreased, productivity growth is accelerating, while unit labor costs remain subdued.Although the current market narrative focuses on tariffs, deficits, and structurally high inflation, underlying signals indicate that deflationary forces related to innovation are accumulating. It is expected that inflation may be below expectations in the next 6 to 9 months, which will have profound effects on interest rates and long-term stocks.

Artificial intelligence is driving economic growth in the United States: investments in software and IT equipment contributed +134 basis points to GDP growth in the first quarter of 2026, growing by 2.0%, marking the largest quarterly contribution in history. This means that 67% of economic growth in the previous quarter was driven by artificial intelligence.In other words, without technology investments driven by artificial intelligence, GDP growth in the first quarter would have been close to flat. This contribution is also about 10 basis points higher than the record set in 1999. Over the past five quarters, investments in software and IT equipment have averaged a contribution of +90 basis points per quarter, setting the highest contribution for any consecutive five quarters on record. The U.S. economy has become highly dependent on artificial intelligence.