40 ARTICLES
Two macro shocks have reshaped interest rate markets globally this week: Trump's announcement of historically severe Iran sanctions and an unexpected Treasury buyback operation from Bessent. The RBNZ now prices in 52 bp of tightening by year-end, the ECB 40 bp, while the Fed holds a 65% probability of no change. Markets are positioning for an inflation squeeze from both sides — a weaker dollar and higher oil.
Bitcoin breaks $70,000 for the first time since June, gaining over $6,000 intraday. Shorts are liquidated to the tune of $2.7 billion, ETH climbs 17%, and HYPE jumps 22%. Total market capitalization rises by $200 billion in under a day.
Bitcoin is approaching $70,000 while Ethereum significantly outperforms and institutional ETF inflows accelerate. Analysts nevertheless warn against mistaking a sharp rally for a confirmed new bull cycle.
Tuesday's options market flagged concentrated activity in three Russell 3000 components: ITT Inc, NRC Group, and Toll Brothers. With 6,977 contracts traded in ITT alone — equivalent to 697,700 underlying shares — professional players are sending clear signals of position-building.
The stock market's valuation is near historic peak levels according to a key indicator that has previously warned of bubbles. The last time the signal flashed this strongly, the dot-com bubble burst.
An unidentified projectile struck a cargo vessel as it transited the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday morning. The incident sent Brent crude above $91 per barrel — the highest level in six months — as markets price in heightened escalation risk in one of the world's most critical oil corridors.
Syntetiske aksje-perpetuals på kryptoplattformer nådde $250 milliarder i handelsvolum i juli 2026 — en økning på 17x siden april. Binance kontrollerer 76% av markedet. Men bak veksttallene gjemmer seg regulatorisk usikkerhet og konsentrasjonsrisiko som få snakker høyt om.
Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial has received conditional preliminary approval from the OCC to establish a national trust bank for the USD1 stablecoin, which has $4 billion in circulation — while the project's $112 million DeFi exposure approaches critical liquidation levels in a risk-off market.
Ethereum breaks key support below $1,900 and is now trading around $1,880, as thin liquidity and a deteriorating macro backdrop push the crypto sector into risk-off mode. The Fear & Greed Index at 34 reflects a marked sentiment shift, while competition from Solana, Arbitrum, and other L2 platforms puts additional pressure on ETH's fundamental value proposition.
LINK surges 18% in an otherwise sluggish crypto market where Bitcoin holds around $62,982 with Fear & Greed at 34. Altcoin rotation is underway: VELVET enters the top 100 after a 150% weekly gain, while oracle competitors battle for market share.
Reddit (RDDT) has been confirmed as a new member of the S&P 500 index effective August 18, 2026, triggering a 15 percent share price jump on Friday and forcing index funds to buy the stock.
Brent crude handles på $87,12 fatet fredag, opp nær 4% for uken, drevet av vedvarende lavt tankertransitt gjennom Hormuzstredet og en åpen amerikansk trussel om ubegrenset navalblokade mot Iran. Risikopremien sitter fast i prisen — og markedet finner ingen exit på kort sikt.
Råoljefutures endte nær flat etter at to påfølgende forsøk på å bryte 50%-retracement på $83.87 mislyktes. Selgerne har overtaket på kort sikt, med neste støttenivå ved $81.60.
Historical patterns that have preceded the biggest stock market crashes are emerging once again – and all three indicators are now triggering at the same time, according to Nasdaq Markets.
Brent crude climbs to $89.60 after Iran and the US present directly contradictory accounts of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Markets are pricing in sustained supply uncertainty as geopolitical risk premium builds once again in oil contracts.
New inflation data shows that price pressures in the US are more persistent than expected, and that Trump's tariff and trade policies could force the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher for longer than markets are hoping.
USD opens slightly stronger against all major currencies Monday morning in Asia. EUR/USD is trading at 1.1554, USD/JPY at 157.79, while China's CPI fell to 0.5% in July — weaker than the expected 0.8% and the lowest reading in six months.
NYU professor Scott Galloway warns that excessive AI investments and inflated valuations could trigger a stock market crash that sends AI stocks down 50–70 percent.
Kinas sentralbank har gjennomført sitt største månedlige gullkjøp siden oktober 2023, og øker sine offisielle reserver til 76,08 millioner fine troy unser. Gullets spotpris er opp 8% på kort sikt, med analytikere fra Deutsche Bank og State Street som ser kursmål mot $4 700–5 000 innen utgangen av 2026.
Bitcoin is trading around $64,966 and battling a tight resistance band at $65,300–$65,500. A $102 million whale short was liquidated at exactly this level on Thursday, while three consecutive days of net ETF inflows provide technical support. A risk-off regime keeps sentiment in check.
Bitcoin holds at $64,970 in a risk-off market with Fear & Greed at 30, while Pi Network trades at $0.09 following a drop from its all-time high of $2.99. Only 16 million of 60 million registered users have completed KYC, and tier-1 exchanges continue to keep the door shut.
A week marked by geopolitical de-escalation in the Middle East and falling oil prices below $80 has triggered a broad but moderate dovish repricing across global rate markets. The RBNZ stands out with an 85% probability of a hike at its next meeting, while the Fed's probability has slipped to 54% — leaving the market split.
Eurozone retail sales fell 0.3% in June against an expected +0.1%, driven by broad-based declines across food and non-food sectors. The disappointment deepens an already weak activity picture and increases pressure on the ECB for further easing — with direct implications for EUR/USD and European risk assets.
Leopold Aschenbrenner's AI fund Situational Awareness, which at its peak had returned over 1,000% since inception, lost two-thirds of its value in July 2026 and was forced into an emergency sale.
Decentralized exchanges are capturing a record 24% share of spot crypto trading while centralized platforms are on track for their lowest monthly volume in a year. A risk-off mood, falling volatility, and structural distrust of CEXes are driving the migration.
Tokyo and Washington confirm a historic coordinated currency intervention of up to $59 billion to halt the yen's slide to a 40-year low. The BOJ signals an imminent rate hike, USD/JPY volatility escalates — and markets are waiting for the next move.
Bitcoin is trading near $62,763 as markets price in a 66% probability of a Fed cut in September. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has defined his reaction function around 'underlying inflation' — but refuses to reveal exactly which indicators he weights most heavily. With official inflation measures ranging from 2.2% to 3.7%, uncertainty is at its peak and risk is real in both directions.
BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes sold 2,364 ETH for $4.3 million on August 1, 2026, realizing a $241,000 loss — just weeks after building up a position of 7,213 ETH at an average entry of $1,923. On-chain data reveals a pattern of repeated buying at highs and selling at lows in a market defined by risk-off sentiment.
Sterling bounced back after testing the 100- and 200-day moving averages at 1.3398–1.3400, then broke through the swing level at 1.34797. The next resistance sits at 1.3517, followed by the July high at 1.35573. The macro picture is mixed: risk-off in crypto (BTC at $62,893, F&G 25/100) while sterling holds technically strong.
The kiwi and aussie are leading currency markets on Thursday with the strongest daily gains in several weeks. NZD/USD breaks through the 61.8% retracement and sets its sights on the resistance zone at 0.5881–0.5886, while AUD/USD finally clears the triple rejection level at 0.7022.
Eurozone GDP rose 0.4% quarter-on-quarter in Q2 2026 — double the consensus estimate of +0.2% — and +1.0% year-on-year against an expected +0.5%. The figures strengthen the ECB's case for keeping rates elevated, with June HICP inflation at 2.8% still running well above the 2% target.
British mortgage approvals rose to 58,200 in June, but underlying credit data tells a darker story: credit card debt is growing 12.5% annually, the default rate is at its highest level since the financial crisis, and the Bank of England is holding rates at 3.75% while markets price in two hikes by March 2027.
Råoljeprisene kollapset mandag da geopolitiske spenninger lettet og tekniske støttenivåer brøt sammen. WTI falt $6,70 til $82,61 — det kraftigste enkeltdagsfallet siden april 17. Neste tekniske støtte ligger ved $80,30, og ytterligere nedsiderisiko ned mot $77–79-sonen.
Risk sentiment improves Monday morning after the Iran conflict takes a pause. AUD/USD climbs back above the 0.70 handle, CHF is the week's biggest mover so far, and oil prices signal a 3% drop at the open. USD/JPY holds near fresh highs at 163.67 — but markets know the peace is fragile.
The Buffett Indicator is flashing red again, but experts are divided on whether it still makes sense in a globalized and digitized economy.
SHIB shoots 36% higher with no concrete news driver — Upbit dominates volume, whale accumulation accelerates, and exchange reserves fall to a record low of 86 trillion tokens. But in a broadly risk-off market with Fear & Greed at 26 and Bitcoin below $65,000, the rally raises as many questions as it answers.
Bitcoin is trading around $64,286 on Friday, down nearly $4,000 from its weekly high, after spot ETFs reported $240 million in net outflows in a single day. Stablecoin inflows to exchanges are at their weakest since 2025, with monthly average inflows down to $2.3 billion — well below the $5.6 billion seen at the previous ATH. Risk-off sentiment dominates.
XRP is trading around $1.14 with spot demand at its highest level since June, but RSI signals overbought conditions and resistance is stacked up toward $1.21. The coin remains down 69% from its July 2025 peak of $3.65, and delays to the CLARITY Act are weighing on sentiment.
Elon Musk declined to rule out a merger between Tesla and SpaceX on the Q2 earnings call on July 22. With SpaceX valued at $1.8 trillion versus Tesla's $1.5 trillion, a pure stock deal could cut existing shareholders' ownership in half. Prediction market Kalshi prices in a 50% probability of a merger before May 2027.
Friday, July 24, 2026 ended with a split market: the Dow Jones rose 0.46% to 51,947, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.64% to 24,976 amid continued pressure in the technology sector. Sandisk plunged 11% after weak results, and semiconductors have now fallen more than 5% over the past month. The rotation out of growth stocks and into defensives continues.
APREX · EST. 2026
