Cryptocurrency

This report highlights increasing government influence in the U.S. economy, exemplified by Trump’s pardon of Binance’s founder and the government’s equity stake in Intel. These actions raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest, market distortion, and fair competition. Trade tensions with Canada have escalated, while China expresses a conciliatory tone ahead of a potential Trump-Xi meeting. U.S. stocks are up, driven by tech, and dividend stocks are gaining appeal as interest rates are projected to decline.

This report highlights China’s focus on domestic consumption and technological self-reliance. It also examines emerging government influence in the U.S. economy, including a stake in Intel and Trump’s pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. These actions raise questions about a potential shift towards a more interventionist economic model in the U.S. under President Trump. Other key points include Intel’s strong earnings, S&P 500 gains, and dividend stocks as an investment focus. Finally, it notes Moscow’s muted reaction to Trump’s changed stance on Russia.

Tesla’s Q3 revenue increased by 12% year-over-year, but net income plunged 37%. Price cuts to compete with Chinese EV manufacturers and a 50% surge in operating expenses, including AI investments, contributed to the decline. The market reacted negatively, with shares dipping in extended trading. This adds to broader market concerns, as other tech companies also reported disappointing earnings. Simultaneously, smaller altcoins faced a disproportionate impact during the recent crypto market correction, highlighting their increased risk.

Tesla’s Q3 earnings revealed a 12% revenue increase but a 37% net income drop due to price cuts to compete with Chinese EV makers and a surge in operating expenses driven by AI and R&D investments. This mixed performance and broader market concerns led to a dip in Tesla’s stock price. The market awaits upcoming earnings reports from tech giants to gauge overall market health. A recent crypto downturn disproportionately impacted smaller coins, highlighting the volatility of altcoins.

Cryptocurrencies’ direct use in real estate is limited, but blockchain’s potential to revolutionize Commercial Real Estate (CRE) is significant. Experts like Tony Giordano foresee widespread adoption within a decade. Blockchain offers secure data storage for property records and facilitates tokenization, enabling fractional ownership and streamlined trading. Deloitte projects trillions of dollars in economic activity through tokenization by 2035. AI combined with blockchain can also enhance CRE finance by facilitating mortgage and interest rate transfers, avoiding prepayment penalties and freeing up capital.

Paxos, the infrastructure provider for PayPal’s PYUSD stablecoin, mistakenly minted $300 trillion worth of PYUSD due to a “technical error.” The error, detected and rectified quickly, involved burning the excess tokens. While customer funds remained safe, the incident highlights critical questions about safeguards and operational protocols in stablecoin issuance. The event underscores the role of custodians and the importance of swift error correction in maintaining trust. This comes as stablecoins gain traction, increasing scrutiny of their resilience and regulatory compliance.

Citi plans to launch a cryptocurrency custody service in 2026, driven by regulatory clarity and client demand, according to a senior executive. This service aims to provide institutional clients with secure management of digital assets. Citi is also exploring stablecoins for use in regions with less developed banking infrastructure and has invested in stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK. Other Wall Street firms, like JPMorgan and Bank of America, are also evaluating stablecoins, though approaches to crypto custody vary.

Qualigen Therapeutics (QLGN) will launch C10 Cryptocurrency Asset Treasury (DAT) purchases next week. The company has established USD settlement and crypto custody accounts, but has not yet purchased any virtual currencies. QLGN views the recent crypto pullback as a deleveraging event and plans an 80/20 passive/active allocation for CXC10. They will also expand hedging tools, pursue strategic M&A, and promote C10 private and ETF products to grow assets under management. Previous market volatility included $16B in liquidations and ~$200B wiped from market cap.

World Liberty Financial (WLF), a crypto venture linked to the Trump family, announced at Token2049 its plans to launch a debit card and explore tokenized commodities. CEO Zach Witkoff highlighted the debit card aiming to bridge crypto with traditional spending, and their active work on tokenizing assets like oil and timber. WLF also launched USD1, a stablecoin reportedly among the top five globally. Donald Trump Jr emphasized WLF’s independence, while Witkoff noted USD1’s potential to boost demand for U.S. Treasuries. The company plans to launch USD1 on the Aptos blockchain.

CoinShares, a leading European digital asset manager, has acquired Bastion Asset Management, a London-based, FCA-regulated alternative investment manager. This acquisition enhances CoinShares’ active management capabilities and aligns with its strategic goal of becoming a global leader in digital asset management. Bastion’s quantitative alpha investment approach and expertise will be integrated into CoinShares, facilitating the development of actively managed funds, particularly for the U.S. market, and strengthening CoinShares’ position as a comprehensive digital asset investment platform.