Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
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Energy buyers shift to domestic sources amid Iran tensions
Geopolitical tensions involving Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are prompting some energy buyers in Asia and Europe to explore domestic and regional fuel alternatives, though structural shifts remain limited by capital constraints and skeptical market pricing.
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WEMIX shuts bridges and DEX after $724K exploit on stablecoin migration
WEMIX, a blockchain gaming platform from South Korean publisher Wemade, suspended bridge services and decentralized exchange trading following a $724,000 USDC.e breach. The incident marks the second major exploit in six months, raising questions about the platform's security posture during its stablecoin transition.
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Storj Labs files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, proposes STORJ tokenholder equity mechanism
Storj Labs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in West Virginia while pledging to keep its decentralized storage network operational. The company intends to propose a court-approved mechanism allowing tokenholders to participate in the reorganized company's equity, though eligibility and allocation details remain undisclosed.
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Red Sea shipping hits record low after Houthi attacks on Saudi oil
Shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait dropped to eleven vessels on Sunday—the lowest level in months—after Houthi attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities disrupted Middle Eastern energy export routes.
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Supreme Court blocks Trump tariff authority, Congress path opens
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on February 20, 2026, that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize presidential tariff authority. The Trump administration responded by invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows temporary tariffs lasting 150 days unless Congress votes to extend them.
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MAS tightens monetary policy for first time since 2022 as oil prices surge
The Monetary Authority of Singapore raised its core inflation forecast and steepened the Singapore dollar's exchange rate band on April 14, citing energy-driven price pressures from Middle East tensions. The move marks the first tightening in four years.
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Oil prices fall 5% as Iran signals ceasefire if US maintains pause
Brent crude and WTI both declined sharply after Iran indicated it would halt attacks if the United States maintains a pause in operations, easing geopolitical tensions that had driven energy markets higher.
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POSCO International tokenizes trade receivables on Injective
POSCO International, South Korea's largest trading company, is piloting blockchain-based tokenization of real trade receivables with LG CNS on the Injective network, marking a shift toward corporate use of on-chain settlement infrastructure.
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Fed rate hold expected in July, but traders price 20% hike odds
A Reuters poll shows all 104 surveyed economists expect the Federal Reserve to hold rates steady at 3.50%-3.75% in late July, yet prediction markets price in a 20% chance of a 25 basis point hike. The divergence is rattling crypto markets.
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US Oil Prices Fall 8% on US-Iran Ceasefire and Diplomatic Talks
US crude oil prices dropped over 8% following announcements of a US-Iran military halt and entry into negotiations, with market participants citing reduced geopolitical risk as the primary driver of the decline.
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BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity back Clarity Act with $30 trillion firepower
A coalition of five major financial firms managing over $30 trillion in combined assets endorsed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, designed to draw jurisdictional lines between the SEC and CFTC over digital assets.
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Tom Lee: Crypto Exchange Shutdowns Signal Market Bottom
Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee argues that recent cryptocurrency exchange closures, including BitMart and BitMEX, could signal an approaching market cycle bottom, though critics contend shutdowns reflect regulatory pressure rather than market fundamentals.
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XRP Community Validates 32.445B Token Escrow Holdings
XRP community members and the XRP Ledger Foundation director validated Ripple's escrow holdings at 32.445 billion XRP using public blockchain data, clarifying conflicting figures circulating online.
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Flare Networks CEO Announces Six-Month XRPFi Integration Roadmap
Flare Networks CEO Hugo Philion announced a six-month roadmap to transform the XRP-based DeFi ecosystem through large-scale integration, with technological updates rolling out within two weeks and institutional adoption expected to follow security audits.
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Bitcoin options expiry hits max pain, fails to spark volatility
A $1.2 billion Bitcoin options expiry on Deribit Friday landed near max pain at $64,140, but failed to spark the volatility traders had anticipated. Weak spot ETF inflows and leveraged liquidations suggest demand has dried up on both sides of the market.
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Chainlink expands with eight integrations across three blockchains
Chainlink announced eight integrations across four services and three blockchain networks, including partnerships with Aave, CaliberCo, and Glacis Labs. The expansion reinforces the protocol's role in cross-chain interoperability and compliance.
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Tokenized Brazilian cattle unlock $20K credit, signal $8T financing gap solution
A pilot in Brazil used encrypted livestock identities to turn ten dairy cows into nearly $20,000 in collateral, signaling how tokenization could unlock credit for millions of small farmers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America who own valuable animals but lack land titles.
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Shiba Inu surges 40% on Korean retail buying, volume spikes 1,245%
Shiba Inu jumped nearly 40% to $0.00000582 on Sunday, adding $1 billion to its market cap as 24-hour trading volume spiked 1,245% to $717 million. South Korean retail buying emerged as a significant market driver, with SHIB/KRW accounting for $68.99 million in volume on Upbit.
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Coinbase launches US perpetual futures as CME sues to block
Coinbase began offering perpetual futures on its CFTC-regulated exchange, marking the first time this $1 trillion-plus product class trades legally in America. CME sued to block the move, arguing perpetuals are swaps and belong under stricter rules.
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Bitcoin Quantum Threat Not Immediate, Coinbase CEO Says
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said quantum computing doesn't pose an immediate threat to Bitcoin, but warned the industry must begin preparing now for eventual quantum-resistant security upgrades through a newly launched Bitcoin Security Consortium.
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Shiba Inu Surges to $0.0000054 Amid Overbought Signals
Shiba Inu's price rose from $0.0000042 to $0.0000054 over 24 hours amid 2.4 trillion SHIB in gross exchange inflows, yet net inflow was only 22.6 billion SHIB. South Korean retail demand and whale positioning are cited as catalysts, though the token's RSI has surged above 78, signaling overbought conditions.
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Bitcoin trapped between $65K and $62.5K resistance levels
Bitcoin is trading near $64,500 this weekend, positioned between $65,000 resistance and $62,500 support—the two levels that will determine whether the week closes with a recovery rally or a breakdown toward $60,000.
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CFTC warns prediction markets against template contract certifications
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an advisory Friday reminding prediction market firms not to cut corners with contract certifications, marking the second regulatory warning in recent months against overly generalized submissions.
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Alpaca Controls 94% of Tokenized-Stock Market Despite Crypto's Decentralization Promise
Alpaca, a self-clearing broker founded in 2015, now custodies or clears roughly 94% of tokenized US stocks and ETFs—a concentration that mirrors the centralization crypto was supposed to eliminate. The DTCC's October launch of its own tokenization service may reshape the landscape.