Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

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.

On April 15, two vessels, including a supertanker under U.S. sanctions and a cargo ship with food supplies, transited the Strait of Hormuz into Iranian waters, activating positioning systems without interference, though Iranian authorities have not confirmed the reports.

TeraWulf reported a $900 million stock offering to finance AI data centers, causing its stock price to drop following the announcement, as per Gate News on April 15.

Genter Jay Technology has established an AI development center to promote generative AI and B2B and B2C applications. The company hopes to improve operational efficiency and player engagement, and also aims to turn things around. However, many players are skeptical, worried that AI will only become a tool for reducing costs, impacting game quality.

Nvidia's new open-source AI tools for quantum systems prompted a significant surge in global quantum computing stocks. The Ising model addresses error correction and calibration challenges, achieving faster execution and improved accuracy. Market growth is projected to exceed $11 billion by 2030, with Europe leading advancements.

With AI demand growing, the importance of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is increasing, and Asia’s semiconductor industry is undergoing structural adjustments. Samsung and SK hynix are accelerating the development of HBM4 and outsourcing the photomask process, which could benefit Japanese photomask makers such as DNP. Despite SK hynix lowering its HBM4 shipment outlook, DDR5’s gross margin is higher than that of HBM4, allowing traditional DRAM to regain pricing power. Samsung is under pressure, and HBM4 may be delayed in its rollout, affecting the overall timeline.

The Philippine DOE requires oil and gas companies to disclose storage capacities to monitor fuel supply amid global disruptions. Compliance is crucial, with penalties for non-compliance, and additional LPG shipments are set to improve supply levels.

China's Guotou Ruiyuan Silver Futures Fund will halt trading due to high premiums on its shares, effective until April 16, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. Investors are warned of potential losses from excessive premiums. Trading may be further suspended if premium issues persist.

Victory Giant, a PCB maker, is set to price its Hong Kong share sale at HK$209.88 per share, aiming to raise HK$17.5 billion. The offering, driven by strong demand, could increase by 15%. Proceeds will mainly fund AI circuit board capacity expansion.