Author: John Smith

The SEC CLARITY Act roundtable convened in Washington today, April 16, bringing regulators and industry together for a public discussion on digital asset market structure as the Senate Banking Committee targets a late-April markup of the most consequential crypto bill the US has ever seen. Summary The SEC is hosting a roundtable on digital asset market structure today, not a vote or markup, but a signal of where regulators stand before Congress acts on the CLARITY Act. The Senate Banking Committee is targeting a late-April markup, with Chair Tim Scott yet to set a firm date as of April 15,…

A new Cato Institute paper argues that U.S. capital gains rules make “bitcoin taxes make no sense,” burying everyday BTC payments in paperwork and locking the asset into a hoarding role instead of money. Summary Cato Institute’s Nick Anthony argues US capital gains rules make daily bitcoin spending “make no sense.” Treating BTC as property forces users to track tax lots on small purchases, from coffee to groceries. Cato urges scrapping gains on crypto payments or adopting a higher de minimis threshold than the current $200 proposal. The Cato Institute is calling for a reset of how the United States…

Coinglass flags $1.64b in BTC longs at risk below $70,721 and $1.25b in shorts above $78,068 as Bitcoin grinds in a tightly leveraged $70k–$78k range. Summary Coinglass data shows $1.64b in BTC longs at risk if price dips below $70,721. Another $1.25b in BTC shorts could be wiped out if Bitcoin breaks above $78,068. Traders face a narrow band between major liquidation pockets as BTC hovers in the mid-$70,000s. According to Coinglass, if Bitcoin (BTC) falls below $70,721, the cumulative long liquidation intensity on major centralized exchanges (CEXs) climbs to roughly $1.644 billion. Conversely, if BTC breaks above $78,068, the…

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company reported strong first-quarter earnings on Thursday, as steady demand for artificial intelligence chips pushed both revenue and profit to record levels. Summary Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company posted a 58% jump in Q1 profit to a record NT$572.48 billion, beating estimates as AI chip demand stayed strong. Revenue rose 35% year over year, with Nvidia-led demand driving growth and pushing advanced chips to dominate the sales mix. TSMC expects over 30% revenue growth in 2026 and plans higher capex as capacity remains tight amid persistent AI demand. The world’s largest contract chipmaker posted net income of $18.2…

Morgan Stanley’s newly launched spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund has overtaken the WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund in total net inflows just over a week after entering the market. Summary Farside Investors data reveals the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust reached $103 million in total net inflows following a $19.3 million daily gain on Wednesday. The fund surpassed the WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund’s $86 million total by utilizing a market-low 0.14% fee to capture immediate investor interest. Farside Investors data shows the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) pulled in $19.3 million on Wednesday, pushing its total net inflows to $103 million. With this, MSBT has…

Optimistic signs of a de-escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict pushed the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 to new record highs on Wednesday as Bitcoin moved toward the $75,000 mark. Summary Nasdaq and S&P 500 indexes reached all-time highs on Wednesday as technology stocks rose over 2% following signs of a potential diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East. Bitcoin climbed past $75,000 to extend its two-week rally while JPMorgan and Bernstein analysts identified the current market environment as a tactical entry point for investors. President Donald Trump stated the conflict with Iran is very close to ending, though he emphasized that…

The Take It Down Act has secured its first federal conviction, with an Ohio man pleading guilty to using more than 100 AI models to create and distribute nonconsensual deepfakes of women and children, putting the first real enforcement stamp on a landmark AI-specific law. Summary James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty on April 7 to cyberstalking, producing child sexual abuse material, and publishing digital forgeries under the Take It Down Act. The law, signed by President Trump in May 2025, makes it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual AI-generated intimate imagery and requires platforms to remove…

Two suspects were arrested in San Francisco after allegedly firing at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home early Sunday morning, the second attack on the property in three days, as federal and local prosecutors escalate charges against a separate suspect from an earlier Molotov cocktail incident. Summary Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23, were arrested April 13 after a Honda sedan stopped outside Altman’s North Beach property and a round was allegedly fired from the passenger window. Days earlier, 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama was charged with attempted murder after throwing a lit incendiary device at Altman’s home before moving on…

Chainlink price is at $9.32 on April 15, up 1.64% on the 4H session, after clearing all four SMAs simultaneously for the first time since the February decline, with the ribbon compressed into a $0.14 band before the breakout and the 4H MACD holding a positive crossover above the zero line. Summary Chainlink price is at $9.32 on April 15, +1.64% on the 4H chart, after breaking above a compressed four-SMA ribbon where SMA 20 at $9.01, SMA 50 at $8.99, SMA 100 at $8.87, and SMA 200 at $8.98 all converged within a $0.14 range. The 4H MACD (12,26,9)…

Pi Network price is trading at $0.1672 on April 15, with the daily MACD histogram printing at exactly 0.0000 for the first time since the February all-time low, raising the question of whether the extended bearish phase that carried price from the $2.99 peak to the $0.1351 floor is finally losing its downward force. Summary Pi Network price is at $0.1672, +0.48%, on April 15, as the daily MACD histogram reads 0.0000 for the first time since the $0.1351 all-time low on Feb. 11, marking the first pause in bearish momentum expansion during the current downleg. The daily SMA ribbon…