Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Gate News message, April 15 — U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Wright stated that there is no necessity to further release the country's strategic petroleum reserves.

Allbirds has raised $50 million through convertible bonds and will transition from footwear retail to AI computing, rebranding as NewBird AI to reflect its new mission.

Gate News message, according to the April 15 update, Bitcoin ETFs recorded a single-day net inflow of 4,566 BTC (approximately $337.41 million) and a 7-day net inflow of 6,753 BTC (approximately $499.04 million). Ethereum ETFs saw a single-day net inflow of 23,405 ETH (approximately $54.37 million)

The central bank released a report stating that Taiwan’s CBDC development will follow a phased promotion strategy. In the short term, it is not urgent to issue retail CBDC; the focus is on wholesale CBDC and the infrastructure for asset tokenization. The central bank emphasized that CBDC will not increase the money supply and will have legal standing. As a rule, merchants may not refuse to accept it, in order to prevent the payment market from becoming overly dependent on the private sector.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, BE (Bloom Energy Corp) has surged by 22% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

The World Silver Institute forecasts a widening supply shortage in the silver market, projecting a 46.3 million ounce deficit by 2026. While demand for silver bars and coins will rise, other sectors will decline, leading to an overall consumption decrease. Despite near-term challenges, a positive outlook for silver remains.

Trump threatens to fire Fed Chair Powell if he stays past May 2026, amid an ongoing Justice Department investigation into the Fed's renovations. Powell insists he will not resign before the investigation concludes, regardless of Trump's criticisms.

Crypto hedge funds are diversifying into traditional commodities and equity indices, indicating that crypto trading infrastructure is merging with mainstream finance, as reported by Bloomberg.

Strive, a Nasdaq-listed bitcoin treasury company, is raising its Series A Preferred Stock dividend to 13.00%. It also acquired 27 additional bitcoins, totaling 13,768 BTC, ensuring dividend payments can be supported for about 19.6 years.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent indicated that the Federal Reserve may lower interest rates further, emphasizing that rising oil prices have not impacted inflation expectations, as they remain detached from broader economic price pressures.

Gate News message, April 15 — The United States has not agreed to extend the ceasefire agreement, according to Axios.

Tether Investments participated in a $134 million funding round for Stablecoin Development Corporation, aimed at enhancing stablecoin infrastructure. Global stablecoin circulation has surpassed $300 billion, with Tether's USDT user base reaching 570 million.

Hedge funds are increasingly investing in energy stocks amid ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions, with long positions rising over 10% since February. Energy stocks have seen a 22% year-to-date surge, driven by rising oil prices, as funds boost their holdings.

BlackRock recently transferred over $35 million in ETH and $41 million in BTC through its ETFs to a major CEX, totaling nearly $76 million in value.

Bitcoin and ether ETFs reclaimed positive territory after recent volatility with combined inflows of $973 million. XRP quietly gained ground, while solana slipped into outflows. Key Takeaways Bitcoin ETFs gained $786 million and ether $187 million from April 6–10, led by Blackrock IBIT

Bitcoin's recent rise to mid-$74,000 followed a risk asset rally linked to a U.S.-Iran nuclear framework, but skepticism remains due to flat Treasury yields and unchanged gold prices. The core issue of uranium enrichment persists, and while on-chain data shows BTC's gradual advance, options markets reflect doubts about a sustained breakout. Overall, analysts see the rally as temporary, with macro conditions still tight and potential downside risks.

International oil prices rose significantly due to heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, with WTI crude up 1.97% and Brent crude up 2.00% amid Iranian threats to U.S. maritime actions.

In a Fox Business News interview, President Trump expressed optimism about resolving the Iran conflict soon, emphasizing that the U.S. will not agree to terms if Iran seeks nuclear weapons development.

Nigeria's inflation rate fell to 20.12% in August 2025 from 21.88% in July, driven by a slowdown in food prices and central bank policies. Despite this drop, inflation remains high, requiring reforms in agriculture and infrastructure for sustained improvement.

The SEC approved FINRA's proposal to eliminate the Pattern Day Trader rule, removing the $25,000 minimum balance requirement for retail investors and introducing a risk-based intraday margin model to enhance market liquidity.