How Smart Money Is Positioning To Win In 2026 – American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Hedge funds just revealed their Q4 portfolios. The world’s largest investors are making the same bet.

We’ll get into all of it.

THE RUNDOWN

FED › Minutes from the January meeting showed a more divided central bank than expected. Several officials floated possible rate hikes if inflation stays sticky. Markets still price 93% odds of a hold in March, and two to three cuts remain the base case for 2026. But the tone was noticeably hawkish.

THE PLAY: How the Biggest Investors Are Positioning to Win in 2026

The 13F filings this week told a pretty clear story, even if the individual moves seem contradictory. The biggest investors in the world are getting out of the trades that worked last…

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‘Word-Salad Nonsense’—Fed President Kashkari Says Crypto Advocates Can’t Explain The Use Case

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari on Thursday attacked crypto and stablecoins, saying proponents deliver “word-salad nonsense answers” when pressed to explain how the technology actually works for cross-border payments.

The Cross-Border Attack

Kashkari used a personal example to dismantle crypto’s cross-border payment thesis. 

His wife was born in the Philippines, and he asked crypto advocates how he could send money to his father-in-law in Manila to buy groceries.

“They say, oh my gosh, it’s so costly to do it today. With this gee whiz crypto stuff, you could do it instantly,” Kashkari said. “But then I still say, how does he buy groceries with it? Well, you still got…

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Jim Cramer Says Cryptos Are ‘Getting Slaughtered,’ Dismisses Bitcoin As Iranian War Hedge – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) (ARCA:BTC)

Jim Cramer took to social media platform X on Thursday to question the cryptocurrency market, specifically questioning Bitcoin’s (CRYPTO: BTC) utility during periods of geopolitical instability.

• What is BTC doing today?

Cramer Dismisses “Iranian War Hedge” Narrative

As tensions between the U.S. and Iran reach levels not seen in decades, Cramer dismissed the long-held thesis that Bitcoin serves as a safe-haven asset.

“at the risk of antagonizing everyone, what IS Bitcoin levered to? I was thinking could be good hedge against Iranian war. NOPE,” Cramer wrote on X.

Market “Slaughter” and Sentiment Shift

The broadcaster did not mince words regarding current price action. In…

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Bitdeer (BTDR) Crashes 18% On Convertible Note Offering

Bitdeer Technologies’ shares slid sharply today after the Singapore-based bitcoin miner and AI data center firm announced plans to raise $300 million through a private sale of convertible senior notes due 2032, a financing move that sparked investor concern over potential dilution.

The company said the offering, aimed at institutional buyers, includes an option for initial purchasers to buy an additional $45 million in notes, which would bring the total raise to $345 million if exercised. The notes will be convertible into cash, Class A ordinary shares, or a combination of both at Bitdeer’s discretion.

Bitdeer’s stock fell over 18% in pre-market trading, dropping below $8…

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Bitcoin Isn’t Dead, On-Chain Data Says: Watch These Key Metrics

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) trades around $66,000, but on-chain data suggests the broader crypto market may not be “dead,” though warning signs are emerging.

Is Crypto Dead? On Chain Metrics Say Not Yet

According to data from Santiment, Bitcoin’s network activity has declined significantly since February 2021: 42% fewer unique addresses transacting and 47% fewer new addresses being created.

While this does not confirm a multi-year bear market, it reveals a notable bearish divergence: Bitcoin’s market capitalization reached new highs in 2025 even as underlying network participation weakened.

For a sustainable long-term relief rally, analysts suggest key metrics, such as active addresses, new…

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CME Plans 24/7 Crypto Futures Trading Starting May 29

CME Group will begin offering 24/7 trading for its regulated cryptocurrency futures and options on May 29, pending regulatory review, expanding access to its digital asset derivatives suite as demand from institutional participants grows.

The world’s largest derivatives marketplace said continuous trading will start Friday, May 29 at 4:00 p.m. Central Time on its CME Globex platform. 

The move is designed to give clients round-the-clock access to hedging and trading tools tied to bitcoin and other digital assets, aligning futures markets more closely with the nonstop nature of spot cryptocurrency trading.

Tim McCourt, CME Group’s global head of equities, foreign…

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Sam Bankman-Fried Alleges Judge Uses ‘Trump Playbook’ On Him To Block Evidence

Sam Bankman-Fried said an appeals court just overturned a conviction because Judge Lewis Kaplan wrongfully blocked evidence—the same judge who sentenced SBF to 25 years and presided over Trump’s E. Jean Carroll case.

The Appeals Court Precedent

The Second Circuit threw out a conviction in a separate case, finding that Judge Kaplan wrongfully excluded evidence of intent. 

The appeals court vacated several counts and remanded for further proceedings—a significant rebuke of Kaplan’s evidentiary decisions.

Bankman-Fried immediately connected the dots. “Kaplan repeatedly cut off my testimony and excluded every kind of evidence the government asked him to,” he posted on X. 

His…

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The UAE Has Built Up A $453 Million Bitcoin Reserve

Arkham Intelligence says bitcoin mining operations linked to the UAE’s Royal Group are sitting on roughly $344 million in unrealized profit, excluding energy costs.

Arkham attributed about 6,782 BTC to wallets connected with UAE royal-linked mining activity, valuing the holdings at approximately $453.6 million at the time of analysis. The firm said the implied profit reflects the difference between current bitcoin prices and estimated production costs, though it noted the figure does not account for electricity and operational expenses.

Arkham’s onchain data also points to a steady pace of mining output.

Over the past seven days, the UAE-linked wallets produced around 4.2…

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XRP Flat At $1.40: Why Is It Not Moving?

XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is seeing new institutional partnerships reshape its role within the crypto ecosystem.

Cryptocurrency
Ticker
Price
Market Cap
7-Day Trend

XRP
(CRYPTO: XRP)
$1.40
$85.8 billion
+1.1%

Bitcoin
(CRYPTO: BTC)
$66,558.60
$1.32 trillion
-1.9%

Ethereum
(CRYPTO: ETH)
$1,949.78
$235.3 billion
-1.7%

Trader Notes: Crypto Tony said XRP remains in a clear bearish trend. The outlook calls for further downside, with short-term rallies likely to be viewed as opportunities to short rather than signs of a sustained reversal.

Statistics: Data from Santiment shows overall crypto momentum fading, with social sentiment turning increasingly bearish on Bitcoin and Ethereum…

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