EFG Bank economist Sam Jochim stated that the Bank of Japan's belated rate hike was more like easing off the accelerator than slamming on the brakes. He believes there is still room for further rate hikes next year, noting that the Bank of Japan emphasized that even after the hike, interest rates remain significantly low. Future trends will largely depend on the annual spring labor negotiations, which will set the tone for wage growth, meaning another rate hike before June is unlikely. He stated that although the Bank of Japan is still behind the curve after making today's decision, the pace of monetary policy tightening will continue to be very slow. (Jinshi)

In an interview, Michael Saylor stated, “Bitcoin Core v30 is extremely conservative about protocol changes. We have always had to be extremely conservative when modifying the Bitcoin protocol. Any changes to the protocol should be very cautious. We must ensure global consensus. I think we should only upgrade the network when eight billion people worldwide agree that quantum computing poses a threat. But if only half the community thinks it's a good idea and the other half opposes it, then I think we should slow down. These changes must be very, very cautious. In my view, Bitcoin is essentially a monetary protocol, and its lack of rapid change and frequent iteration is precisely its strength, not its weakness. I think the way to ruin something good is to assume that it will fail if you keep adding features. So I don't belong to the camp that's keen on constantly adding new features to Bitcoin.”

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, a newly created wallet withdrew 836.4 BTC from FalconX, worth $73.67 million.

Ira Auerbach, former head of digital assets at Nasdaq, stated that the US is preparing to further solidify the regulatory framework of the GENIUS Act in 2026. Stablecoin issuers that previously relied on offshore regulatory systems will find significant advantages in relocating their reserves and operations back to the US. Furthermore, Auerbach noted that some retirement plan providers are preparing to test deploying 0.5% to 1% cryptocurrency exposure in target-date and balanced funds, which could potentially create stable demand correlated with market cycles. (CoinDesk)

According to Foresight News, data from Glassnode indicates that the 25D skew, which measures the implied volatility of put options minus that of call options, remains positive. This suggests that put options are still priced higher than call options, reflecting the market's ongoing caution towards downside risks. The current skew pattern does not align with the typical pattern observed before a breakout.

According to Odaily, billionaire Ken Griffin's hedge fund, Citadel, is experiencing its most challenging annual return since 2018 due to setbacks in natural gas investments, which were previously a major profit source. As of December 18, the flagship fund reported a return rate of 9.3%. The fund has seen gains in equities, fixed income, credit, and quantitative strategies, and even achieved slight profits in commodities, including natural gas, despite earlier losses this year. With less than two weeks remaining in the year, 2023 may become the sixth year since Citadel's 1990 inception with returns below 10%, highlighting the firm's recent reliance on commodities trading for high returns.

Stablecoin infrastructure startup Nodu announced the completion of a $1.45 million Pre-Seed funding round, led by Digital Space Ventures. The company is building a MiCA-compliant stablecoin alternative to replace providers like Zerohash and Bridge, offering European institutions a native option for programmable money. (Techfundingnews)

Citadel Investments, the hedge fund owned by billionaire Ken Griffin, is facing its worst annual return since 2018 after a failed bet on natural gas, a major source of its profits. According to a source familiar with the matter, the flagship fund had a return of 9.3% as of December 18. The fund profited across equities, fixed income, credit, and quantitative strategies, and even made a small profit on commodities, including natural gas, after suffering losses at the beginning of the year. Even so, with less than two weeks left in the year, it could become Citadel Investments' sixth year with a return below 10% since its inception in 1990, highlighting the company's reliance on commodity trading in recent years, which has fueled its high returns. Ken Griffin has previously stated that Bitcoin will be disrupted by a more advanced cryptocurrency based on the Ethereum blockchain, but ultimately, the digital dollar will disrupt the entire cryptocurrency space, and the only way to value cryptocurrencies is to hope that someone will buy them at a higher price in the future. (Jinshi)

Winnebago Industries has surpassed expectations in the first quarter of Fiscal 2026, reporting an EPS of $0. 19 and revenue of $702. 7 million, both above market forecasts. source: https://tokenist.com/winnebago-industries-wgo-exceeds-q1-expectations-with-strong-eps-and-revenue/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=winnebago-industries-wgo-exceeds-q1-expectations-with-strong-eps-and-revenue

Oil prices are now slumping to their lowest point since the 2020 pandemic crash. Brent crude crashed below $60 per barrel and dropped over 2% today, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is barely holding above $53, according to data from Google Finance as of press time. This is the second week in a row of […] source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/oil-prices-at-lowest-levels-since-2020/

When finance is no longer dependent on apps, but becomes a basic capability that can be accessed.

Strategy is no longer just a "publicly traded company that holds Bitcoin," but has become a real-world case study of how crypto assets can affect corporate credit, debt costs, and capital structure.

Recommended reading tonight: 1. The Crypto Industry from the First Principles of Money: The Major Divergence of Cryptocurrencies Under the Dominance of BTC; 2. Looking Back at 2025: The Top Ten Influential Figures in the Crypto Industry; 3. The Shift from Asset Class to Technology.

SpaceX's latest round of internal stock offerings has locked in the company's valuation at $800 billion.

The crypto market, cryptocurrencies: How should we correctly view the convenience, risks, and regulatory challenges brought by crypto assets? Golden Finance: The Prince Group case continues to deepen and its impact continues to expand.

As the meme craze fades, transaction volume is no longer a reliable competitive advantage, and independent wallets must return to the essence of financial services.

Cryptocurrencies, BTC, ETH, Will the Crypto Industry Be Better in 2026? Jinse Finance, In the last few months of 2025, the atmosphere of a bear market began to spread.

Powell, SEC, who will succeed Powell? Golden Finance: Everything has become uncertain due to the latest statement from the JPMorgan Chase CEO.

Russia has once again drawn a firm line on cryptocurrency, reaffirming that Bitcoin and other digital assets cannot be used for payments inside the country, with all domestic transactions required to be settled exclusively in rubles.

Coinbase has appointed George Osborne, the former United Kingdom chancellor of the exchequer, as chair of its internal advisory council, a move that underscores both the exchange’s global policy ambitions and a renewed push to help the UK catch up with the United States in digital assets—particularly pound-pegged stablecoins.