Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

Bloomberg strategist Mike McGlone says the crypto bear market may be in its early stages, and Bitcoin could fall to $10k. Even though Bitcoin ETFs have matched S&P 500 ETF returns, Bitcoin ETFs have higher volatility and the valuation of underlying assets that lack real support remains elevated.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Qalibaf warned that the U.S. oil price would rise due to blockade measures, hinting at retaliation against the United States. At the same time, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are escalating, and market forecasts suggest that oil prices could break above $115 per barrel. The U.S. and Britain differ on their stance toward the blockade of Hormuz, and there are also differences in statements between Trump and the Central Command, affecting the likely future direction of oil prices.

Gate News message, on April 13, U.S. President Trump said that he is building the "greatest stock market in history."

Gate News message: On April 13, JPMorgan Chase will expand JPM Coin to the Canton Network this year via Kinexys. The network currently processes more than $350 billion per day in U.S. Treasury repo settlement.

Michael Saylor, chairman of MicroStrategy, recently revealed that the company’s bitcoin holdings only need to achieve 2.05% annualized growth to avoid issuing new shares and pay preferred stock dividends indefinitely. With its current holdings of 766,970 bitcoins, at today’s market value they can support dividend payments for about 48.7 years, demonstrating financial sustainability. The company then uses the preferred stock funds to buy more bitcoins, creating a virtuous cycle.

As SpaceX is about to launch its first initial public offering, commercial space enthusiasm is heating up again. Taiwan’s outlier venture capital firm, announced the launch of a new $300 million fund, taking an all-out aim at the space industry. Founder Hou Hai-chi uses quantitative data and patent software to successfully lay the groundwork for new startups such as Vast Space and AstroForge, and analyzes government contracts to uncover non-dilutive funding, signaling the enormous potential of the space economy.

The U.S. Central Command announced it will implement a maritime traffic blockade for all vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports at 22:00 Beijing time on April 13, covering all countries’ ships in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, but it will not affect ships traveling to and from non-Iranian ports via the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. imposes a naval blockade on Iran, causing the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks to fall apart. Market risk sentiment intensifies, and Bitcoin drops to $71,000, with a 24-hour decline of 3.1%. Traditional market capital flows into safe-haven assets, and analysts are divided on Bitcoin’s future trend, with $70,000 support acting as a key level.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, USDKRW (US Dollar vs South Korean won) has surged by 0.5% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

Gate News message, April 13. According to Alternative.me data, today the Crypto Fear and Greed Index is 12, down further from yesterday’s 16, with the market in an “extreme fear” state. This index evaluates market sentiment across multiple dimensions, including volatility, market trading volume, social media, market surveys, Bitcoin’s share of the overall market, and Google Trends keyword analysis. The lower the number, the greater the level of fear.

Gate News message, April 13, Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor posted on the X platform that the annualized breakeven return on Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings is about 2.05%. If Bitcoin’s long-term growth rate exceeds this level, Strategy can pay dividends indefinitely without issuing additional MSTR stock. Michael Saylor said that the relevant data can be tracked in real time on the company’s official website.

Gate News message. April 13. On Monday, the Japanese and South Korean stock markets opened lower. The Nikkei 225 Index (Japan’s benchmark stock index) opened down 557.91 points on April 13 (Monday), a decline of 0.98%, to 56,366.20 points. The Korea KOSPI Index (South Korea’s benchmark stock index) opened down 127.08 points on April 13 (Monday), a decline of 2.17%, to 5,731.79 points.

The UK has decided not to participate in the U.S.’s blockade operation in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the importance of supporting freedom of navigation and keeping the strait open, and is working with countries such as France to form a protection alliance.

The U.S. announces a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to respond to the collapse of U.S.-Iran peace talks, triggering a sharp surge in oil prices. Oil prices rebound to above $100, and U.S. stock index futures fall. Gold and cryptocurrencies also slip; Bitcoin falls back to above 70K, and the total market value drops to $2.41 trillion.

Gate News message. On April 13, following a marathon-style peace negotiation in Islamabad that failed to reach an agreement, countries across the Middle East are rushing to push the United States and Iran back onto the negotiating table. Despite strong statements from both the U.S. and Iran, the door to diplomacy remains open, and the second round of talks could take place within the next few days. Regional countries are consulting with the United States to ensure they can extend the two-week, highly fragile ceasefire period announced on Tuesday evening. Iranian officials have put forward alternative proposals, including continuing symbolic uranium enrichment activities or reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium, but the two sides were unable to reach a compromise.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, XAGUSD (Silver) has dropped by 2% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market activity.

Gate News: According to the latest Gate TradFi data, XTIUSD (WTI Crude USOIL) has surged by 8% in a short period. Current volatility is significantly higher than recent averages, indicating increased market

TD Cowen adjusted its price target for Bitcoin-focused Strategy while maintaining a positive outlook, contrasting it with its new buy rating for Ethereum-based Sharplink, which offers a more active digital asset growth model through staking.

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compilation of the most relevant crypto news from Latin America over the past week. In this edition, Argentinian banks start a JPM Coin-based interbank settlement pilot, TRM Labs underscores compliance advances, and Milei backpedals on dollarization. Key Takeaways:

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has shifted his stance, now supporting the CLARITY Act after previously criticizing it. He believes recent negotiations improved the bill, which he calls strong, and emphasizes the need for Congress to pass it.