The Morning Risk Report: Wall Street Steered Billions to Blacklisted Chinese Companies, House Probe Finds

createsend.com Good morning. A congressional investigation found that Wall Street used billions of dollars of American retirement savings and other investments to buy shares in index funds…

Fed’s Liabilities and QT: as ON RRPs Plunge toward Zero, Operating Losses Begin to Decline

wolfstreet.com After ON RRPs go to zero, reserves will decline, further reducing the Fed’s interest expenses and losses. But it’s not straightforward. By September 2022, the Fed started…

Thai plastics firm will pay $20 million to settle with U.S. over Iran sanctions violations

apnews.com A Bangkok -based plastics firm has agreed to pay $20 million to settle with the U.S. over 467 “egregious” violations of Iran sanctions, the U.S. Treasury announced on…

BlackRock’s BUIDL surged 200% in weeks

dlnews.com After a flying start, inflows into BlackRock’s Ethereum-based tokenised fund are leveling out. BUIDL began with $100 million in funding, and attracted another $160 million…

U.S. sanctions fundraisers for extremist West Bank settlers who attacked Palestinians

pbs.org The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on two entities accused of fundraising for extremist Israeli-occupied West Bank settlers who have harassed and attacked…

U.S. sanctions two entities over fundraising for extremist West Bank settlers who attacked Palestinians

cbsnews.com The Treasury Department on Friday announced sanctions against two entities that have been accused of fundraising for extremist Israeli-occupied West Bank settlers connected…

US sanctions fundraisers for extremist West Bank settlers who commit violence against Palestinians

apnews.com The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on two entities accused of fundraising for extremist Israeli-occupied West Bank settlers who have harassed and attacked…

Bank of America boycott calls grow after MAGA accounts closed

newsweek.com Bank of America is facing calls for a boycott over allegations it is closing accounts of customers based on their political views. Multiple MAGA profiles and Republicans…

What stalled this year’s seemingly infallible stock market rally

aol.com A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business’ Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. You can listen to an audio version of the…

Yen's Gains Against the Dollar Could Be Short-Lived. Watch Treasury Yields

barrons.com The drop in U.S. Treasury yields on the back of Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran is a key factor in the slight decline in USD/JPY but this trend is unlikely to…

Stock Market Today: Stocks lower as Israel strike on Iran rattles markets

thestreet.com Check back for updates throughout the trading day U.S. equity futures moved lower Friday, while oil prices whipsawed and save-haven assets rallied, following reports of an…

Why the Big Four apparently won’t audit Tethers $108bn reserves

dlnews.com Ever since Tether came to dominate the stablecoin market, the issuer has been bedevilled by a big question — why doesn’t the company produce audits of its reserves? Now CEO…

Investors pull money from cash to pay tax bills, sell US stocks

finance.yahoo.com Cash equivalent funds saw a $160 billion tax-related outflow in the week to Wednesday, according to a Bank of America's weekly report that cites fund flows and asset…

Treasury Yields Head To 'Danger Zone': Analyst Forecasts Potential Spike To 5%, Disorderly Sell-Off For Markets

benzinga.com Yields on the 10-year Treasury note have ascended to a striking 4.70% this month, the highest mark since early November 2023 amid a toxic mix of higher inflation, a…

Iran’s Oil Exports Climb to the Highest Level in 6 Years

oilprice.com Crude oil exports from Iran hit the highest level in six years during the first quarter of the year, data from Vortexa cited by the Financial Times has shown. The daily…

Morning Bid: Mideast flare-up spooks markets

finance.yahoo.com A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom Westbrook: Escalation in the Middle East has rounded out a rough week for financial markets. Barring a…

Pension vs. Social Security: Which Will Give Me More Retirement Money?

finance.yahoo.com Most retired workers depend on multiple streams of income during their retirement. Two of the most common such income streams are Social Security and pensions. If we look at…

China-Middle East ties enjoy a ‘renaissance’ as trade spats strengthen ties

scmp.com “China’s commercial relations with the Middle East are experiencing a renaissance,” he said in an interview. “The past few years have been transformative. It’s no longer a…

Tether Announces New Framework, Eyes Tech and Education

beincrypto.com Tether, a prominent stablecoin issuer, announced an expansion on April 18, 2024, introducing four new business divisions — Data, Finance, Power, and Education. This move…

Regulated Dollar Stablecoins Created by a Proposed New Senate Bill Would be Crypto’s Ultimate Trojan Horse

unchainedcrypto.com A new stablecoin bill proposed in the U.S. Senate embodies the duality of regulation: though its immediate purpose is to put up guardrails around one segment of the…

Iran's Oil Exports Climb To The Highest Level In 6 Years

zerohedge.com Iran's Oil Exports Climb To The Highest Level In 6 Years By Irina Slav of OilPrice.com Crude oil exports from Iran hit the highest level in six years during the first…

Biden's 'Punishing' Iran Sanctions For Israel Attack End Up Being Meek Political Smokescreen

zerohedge.com Biden's 'Punishing' Iran Sanctions For Israel Attack End Up Being Meek Political Smokescreen President Biden has unveiled the administration's promised new sanctions on Iran…

U.S. and UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to weekend attack on Israel amid escalating tensions

pbs.org The U.S. and U.K. on Thursday imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle…

"The Federal Reserve Is Clearly Trapped"

zerohedge.com "The Federal Reserve Is Clearly Trapped" Submitted by QTR's Fringe Finance Friend of Fringe Finance Lawrence Lepard released his most recent investor letter this week. He…

Tether champions decentralized systems expanding tech, AI, education and financial reach

cryptoslate.com Since its inception, Tether has expanded from a stablecoin to a financial linchpin in developing regions, according to its CEO Paulo Ardoino, speaking at Token 2049 in…

'Bitcoin Senator' Lummis Leads Push for US Stablecoin Legislation

decrypt.co Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced fresh stablecoin legislation Wednesday, renewing lawmakers’ years-long attempt at enacting a…

Oil prices steady after sharp losses; US reimposes Venezuela sanctions

investing.com Investing.com-- Oil prices steadied Thursday following the prior session's sharp losses, after the U.S. reimposed sanctions on Venezuela's oil exports. At 09:00 ET (13:00…

The three factors affecting Bitcoin ahead of the halving

dlnews.com Bitcoin investors are gearing up for a post-halving boom in the next couple of weeks. However, three factors could make the days leading up to it chaotic, according to David…

Ondo Finance Brings Tokenized Treasuries to the Cosmos Ecosystem with Noble Integration

coindesk.com Tokenized real-world asset (RWA) platform Ondo Finance ( ) said Thursday that it has teamed up with asset issuance chain Noble to bring its tokenized U.S. Treasury offerings…

Is China's 'Dumping' Driving US Treasury Yields Higher?

zerohedge.com Is China's 'Dumping' Driving US Treasury Yields Higher? Tonight's TIC data held few surprises and nothing of significant note, but it got us thinking... For the 9th month of…

U.S. Jobless Claims Data Could Keep Treasury Yields Elevated

barrons.com U.S. Treasury yields could remain elevated if job market data on Thursday come in stronger than expected, said Joseph Dahrieh, managing principal at Tickmill. Data pointing…

With Mideast on brink, investors ignore geopolitical risks at their peril

scmp.com Yet, traders have a tendency to say one thing and do another. As JPMorgan noted in a report on Monday, “equities remain significantly higher [year to date] and continue to…

US Dollar Strengthens on Powell's Hawkish Stance

youtube.com This week has seen the US dollar increase, driven by soaring U.S. Treasury yields. The 2-year note approached the psychological ...

Investing in Treasury Bonds: Weighing the Pros & Cons

finance.yahoo.com Treasury bonds are often considered the bedrock of conservative investment portfolios. These are U.S. government bonds that offer a unique combination of safety and steady…

This Tax Day, refunds are looking bigger as the IRS gets its act together

fastcompany.com On this Tax Day, refunds are looking a bit bigger for taxpayers. According to the latest IRS statistics, the average income tax refund so far this season is $3,011, up $123…

Japan, Korea, US Agree Forex Cooperation As Yen, Won Dive

asiafinancial.com Finance chiefs from the United States, Japan and South Korea have agreed to “consult closely” on foreign exchange markets, amid worrying declines of the yen and won. The…

U.S., Japan, South Korea finance chiefs share concern for weak yen, won

asia.nikkei.com WASHINGTON -- Top finance officials from the U.S., Japan and South Korea expressed shared concerns over the recent weakness in the yen and the won at their first trilateral…

The overlooked threats to the global financial system

financialpost.com Since the great financial crisis of 2007-08, regulators have engaged in the biggest push since the 1930s to de-risk the global financial system. Yet instability and flawed…

Are We On Japan's Path Of Stagnation?

zerohedge.com Are We On Japan's Path Of Stagnation? Authored by Michael Lebowitz via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, We recently wrote Japan’s Lost Decades to appreciate better why Japan’s GDP…

Stimulus check update: IRS warns time running out to claim tax refund

newsweek.com Time is running out for some Americans to get their share of unclaimed tax refunds, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said. Those who didn't file a tax return in 2020 could…

Railgun under scrutiny for alleged use by North Korean threat actors

cryptobriefing.com Railgun, a crypto privacy protocol once labeled a “prime alternative to Tornado Cash” by blockchain security firm Elliptic, has denied allegations that U.S.-sanctioned…

US senators propose bipartisan stablecoin bill opening door to FDIC insurance in US

cryptoslate.com US senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand have jointly unveiled bipartisan legislation aimed at creating a clear regulatory framework for payment stablecoins,…

Are US Treasury Spikes Signaling a Debt Crisis?

tftc.io Treasury yields have experienced a sharp increase, raising questions about the potential for a government debt crisis. A notable divergence has emerged between US Treasury…

No landing, no Fed rate cuts: the markets new bet on 2024

thestreet.com Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is tasked with a unique and sharply difficult challenge in American public life: talking about the success of the U.S. economy while…

Crypto hedge fund on how to trade Bitcoin amid Fed-driven ‘hiccups’

dlnews.com Bitcoin plunged 7% on Tuesday in the span of a few hours, before bouncing back to $66,300. However, Bitcoin traders should brace for more market “hiccups” over the next two…

Morning Bid: Blunt Powell signals rate cut plans on ice

finance.yahoo.com A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan There's no doubt there's a doubt about any U.S. interest rate cuts this year. After weeks of market…

IMF Tips 3.2% Global Growth, Warns China on Property Crisis

asiafinancial.com The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday issued its latest World Economic Outlook along with national forecasts – and advice for China on ways to alleviate ongoing impacts…

Biden admin has few choices to reduce inflation

washingtontimes.com Why do the smartest people in the world (at least in their own minds) keep getting surprised? This past week, the most common measure of inflation rose, even though official…

The Expected Economic Impact of No Rate Cuts This Year

cnn.com Federal Reserve officials have been saying for months they need to see more convincing data demonstrating that inflation is on a sustainable path to 2% before they can feel…

A shift to renewable energy is 'hopeless' without efficiencies, environmentalist says

cnbc.com Explorer and environmentalist Bertrand Piccard has called for a renewed focus on cutting energy waste, saying it's "hopeless" to shift to renewables without improving…

Justice Kavanaugh Rejects The Substantive "Veterans Benefits" Canon

reason.com On Tuesday, the Court decided Rudisill v. McDonough. This case involved a retired Army officer who was trying to use educational benefits under two different programs. The…

Treasury secretary Yellen calls Iran's actions 'malign and destabilizing'

fortune.com Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday of potential global economic damage from rising tensions in the Middle East as the Biden administration said it was readying…

China’s exporters all smiles at Canton Fair despite threat of trade restrictions

scmp.com “The world is interested in green technology, and it is nice to see that the Canton Fair has put such a focus on that,” said Steven Selikoff, an American importer on the…

Here’s what would happen to the US economy if there are no rate cuts this year

aol.com Federal Reserve officials have been saying for months they need to see more convincing data demonstrating that inflation is on a sustainable path to 2% before they can feel…