Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
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Tether's USAT stablecoin surges 540% in April, trails USDC and PYUSD
Tether's U.S.-focused USAT token jumped to $140.8 million in circulating supply during April, a sixfold monthly increase, though it remains far behind Circle's USDC and PayPal's PYUSD in the competitive stablecoin market.
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Iran Restores 18 Missile Sites After US-Israel Strikes
Iran has begun restoring access at 18 missile sites and rebuilding underground launchers following recent strikes by the US and Israel. Prediction markets reflect escalating regional tensions, with Iran Airspace Closure odds rising to 15.6% from 9%.
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Bitcoin slips below $74,000 as ETF outflows stall recovery
Bitcoin dipped to $73,600 as of late May, marking the second time the asset fell below $75,000 in the month. ETF outflows totaling $2.26 billion over two weeks and heavy dealer positioning near $75,000 have stalled the market's recovery, with on-chain metrics showing a partial recovery lacking bull-market capital flow strength.
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White House reviews CFTC prediction-market rule as Trump backs federal control
The White House is examining a CFTC proposal on prediction markets after President Trump publicly backed the agency's exclusive authority over event-contract platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, setting up a clash with states that claim sports-linked contracts function as online betting.
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US Treasury removes 80 outdated entries from sanctions blacklist
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the removal of roughly 80 deceased individuals and defunct entities from its SDN sanctions list, signaling a shift toward systematic delistings rather than ad hoc case-by-case decisions.
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Google engineer charged with insider trading on Polymarket prediction market
Michele Spagnuolo, a Google security engineer, was charged with commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering for allegedly using confidential Google Trends data to place winning bets on Polymarket, generating over $1.2 million in profits. The case marks the second federal criminal prosecution tied to insider trading on a prediction market platform.
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Chainalysis: 47% of crypto firms now meet 2020's top-10% compliance standard
Chainalysis reports that nearly half of crypto organizations onboarded in 2026 now meet compliance standards that would have placed them in the industry's strictest tier six years ago, signaling rapid maturation—though gaps with traditional finance persist.
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UBS: Family offices cut US exposure as trade war fears mount
UBS's 2025 Global Family Office Report shows wealthy families are reducing US portfolio allocations amid trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty, with roughly 80% of assets still concentrated in North America and Western Europe.
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Iran airstrikes trigger $1B crypto liquidations as oil surges 2%
Bitcoin fell below $73,000 on May 28 as geopolitical tensions between Iran and the US sparked roughly $1 billion in crypto liquidations and sent crude oil prices jumping more than 2% toward $98 per barrel.
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Crypto Compliance Tightens, but Indirect Monitoring Gap Persists
Around 47% of crypto organizations onboarded in 2026 are operating at compliance standards that would have ranked among the industry's strictest five years ago, yet gaps in indirect monitoring persist, creating openings for illicit actors.
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Ether slides below $2,000 as futures open interest hits record 16.39M tokens
Ethereum dropped below $2,000 for the first time since late March amid heavy selling pressure, while futures open interest surged to a record high of 16.39 million tokens ($32.5 billion notional value). The divergence signals aggressive net shorting and growing skepticism about ETH's value proposition.
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Pentagon awards Dell $9.7B contract for military Microsoft software consolidation
The US Department of Defense awarded Dell Federal Systems a five-year agreement to centralize Microsoft enterprise software licensing across military branches, the intelligence community, and the Coast Guard, projected to save $422 million annually.
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CFTC seeks to reverse $5M Gemini settlement over flawed whistleblower allegations
The CFTC filed a joint motion with Gemini in Manhattan court to vacate their $5 million settlement, arguing the enforcement action relied on a whistleblower's allegations that lacked credibility and should never have been pursued.
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SBI Global Asset Management Tokyo Seminar: 1,000 Yen XRP Giveaway June 30
SBI Global Asset Management and the Yomiuri Shimbun Group are hosting a free investment seminar in Tokyo on June 30, offering 1,000 yen worth of XRP to all 333 in-person attendees and streaming sessions online for remote viewers.
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Bitcoin longs defend $70K support as spot ETF outflows hit $1.5B
Bitcoin traders opened long positions to hold support near $70,000 while spot ETF outflows exceeded $1.5 billion over seven days. Analysts warn that negative Coinbase premium signals caution ahead of inflation data.
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Brent crude surges 5.8% to $114.44 as Middle East tensions roil markets
Renewed military escalations in the Middle East sent Brent crude surging 5.8% to $114.44 per barrel, triggering a broad selloff in equities. Bitcoin hovered near $66,000, showing mixed signals as investors weighed supply-chain risks and inflation concerns.
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Goldman Sachs warns South Korea's leveraged ETFs may amplify market volatility
Goldman Sachs cautioned that South Korea's upcoming 2x leveraged ETFs on Samsung and SK Hynix could heighten market swings, as the two stocks comprise nearly 50% of the Kospi index and rebalancing flows may destabilize the broader market.
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Google Engineer Charged with Insider Trading on Polymarket
The Justice Department and CFTC charged Google software engineer Michele Spagnuolo with using non-public information to profit $1.2 million on Polymarket, a prediction market platform. Spagnuolo faces up to 50 years in prison on charges of commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
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US Treasury removes 80 outdated names from OFAC sanctions blacklist
The US Treasury Department removed approximately 80 names from its Specially Designated Nationals list, targeting deceased individuals and defunct companies. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed the action as refocusing OFAC resources on active threats, particularly Iran's financing networks.
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Treasury yields surge to 4.63% as Persian Gulf strikes push oil above $126
US military strikes in the Persian Gulf have driven Brent crude oil to a four-year high of $126 per barrel, lifting the 10-year Treasury yield to 4.63% and raising the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like Bitcoin.
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Google engineer charged with insider trading on Polymarket prediction market
Michele Spagnuolo, a Google software engineer, was arrested and charged with using internal search data to place 16 bets on Polymarket, netting $1.2 million in profits before the company's Year in Search report went public.
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Paramount Skydance secures $54B-$57.5B debt for $110B Warner Bros. Discovery deal
Paramount Skydance is assembling one of the largest debt packages in corporate history to finance its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with the combined entity projected to carry $79 billion to $87 billion in total debt post-close.
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BlackRock Bitcoin ETF posts record $527.8M single-day outflow
BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) experienced its largest single-day outflow ever on November 18, as investor redemptions accelerated amid a broader Bitcoin price decline below $93,000.
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US strikes Iranian station; Bitcoin drops below $77K amid tensions
US military forces shot down four Iranian drones and struck a ground control station near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, prompting Bitcoin to fall below $77,000. The strikes triggered $300 million in crypto liquidations, reigniting debate over whether offensive action on Iranian soil aligns with the stated April ceasefire.