Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Dow Futures Gain As Oil Hike Pace Slows After Trump’s Order, ADP Report Looms— Broadcom, Abercrombie & Fitch, In Focus – Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ), State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (ARCA:SPY)

U.S. stock futures ticked higher on Wednesday after a volatile session for equities on Tuesday.

Investors on Wednesday will also be watching the ADP private payrolls report for February, along with quarterly results from Broadcom, Abercrombie & Fitch and Okta.

The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.08%, and the two-year bond was at 3.53%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 97.3% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in March.

IndexPerformance (+/-)Dow Jones0.17%S&P 5000.32%Nasdaq 1000.36%Russell 20000.45%Stocks In FocusBroadcomOkta
Analysts estimate that cybersecurity company Okta Inc (NASDAQ:OKTA) will… Read more on Benzinga

Kraken Becomes First Crypto Firm To Secure Fed’s Master Account

Crypto took a step toward deeper integration with the U.S. financial system after Kraken secured access to the Federal Reserve’s core payment infrastructure, becoming the first crypto-native firm to operate on the same rails as traditional banks and credit unions.

Kraken’s banking arm, Kraken Financial, received approval for a so-called master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, according to company statements.

The account grants direct entry into the Fed’s payment systems, including Fedwire, a real-time gross settlement network that processes trillions of dollars in transfers each day.

The approval allows Kraken Financial to settle dollar payments…

Read more on BitcoinMagazine

Crypto Stocks Jump As Bitcoin Reclaims $70K – Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR)

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC/USD) crossed $70,000 in early Wednesday trading, pulling crypto-related stocks higher in premarket hours amid the Middle East conflict.

The global crypto market capitalization stood at $2.41 trillion, up 4.64% over the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin changed hands at $70,906.31, up 4.85% over 24 hours and 8.29% over the past week, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH/USD) traded at $2,051.11, up 3.67% in 24 hours.

Crypto Stocks Jump In Premarket TradingMarket Context

The rally in crypto-linked stocks came as risk assets attempted to stabilize following global volatility tied to the Middle East conflict.

Oil prices remained elevated after a recent surge,…

Read more on Benzinga

Virtune AB (Publ) (“Virtune”) has completed the monthly rebalancing for February 2026 of its Virtune Crypto Altcoin Index ETP

Stockholm, 4th of March 2026 – Virtune AB (Publ) (“Virtune”) today announces that it has completed the monthly rebalancing of the Virtune Crypto Altcoin Index ETP, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Nasdaq Helsinki and Xetra (ISIN code SE0023260716).

In addition to the Virtune Crypto Altcoin Index ETP, Virtune’s product portfolio includes:

Virtune Bitcoin ETPVirtune Staked Ethereum ETPVirtune Stellar ETPVirtune Staked Solana ETPVirtune Staked Polkadot ETPVirtune XRP ETPVirtune Avalanche ETPVirtune Litecoin ETPVirtune Chainlink ETPVirtune Arbitrum ETPVirtune Polygon ETPVirtune Staked Cardano ETPVirtune Crypto Top 10 Index ETP SEKVirtune Crypto Top 10 Index ETP EURVirtune Bitcoin Prime ETPVirtune…

Read more on Benzinga

Indiana Governor Signs Bill Allowing Bitcoin In State Retirement Plans

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has signed legislation allowing bitcoin and cryptocurrency investments in the state’s public retirement and savings plans, opening the door for state employees to gain exposure to digital assets through self-directed accounts.

The measure, House Bill 1042, requires Indiana’s public retirement boards, deferred compensation committees, and annuity savings programs to offer self-directed brokerage accounts that include at least one cryptocurrency investment option by July 1, 2027. 

The accounts will allow participants to allocate a portion of their retirement savings to bitcoin, crypto assets, or crypto-linked exchange-traded funds, subject to…

Read more on BitcoinMagazine

Former LAPD Officer Convicted In $350,000 Bitcoin Kidnapping And Home Invasion

A Los Angeles County jury has found former Los Angeles Police Department officer Eric Halem guilty of kidnapping and bitcoin robbery in a 2024 home invasion that targeted a teenage cryptocurrency holder.

The verdict followed a two-week trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where prosecutors argued that Halem, 38, and three alleged accomplices posed as police officers to gain entry to a high-rise apartment in Koreatown. 

Once inside, they restrained a 17-year-old and his girlfriend and stole a hard drive containing private keys to roughly $350,000 in bitcoin.

The victim, who testified under his first name, Daniel, told jurors that the men threatened to kill him if he…

Read more on BitcoinMagazine

Tom Lee: Iran-Related Volatility Is A ‘Risk Premium’, But The Bottom Is Close

Fundstrat’s Tom Lee says crypto could be in its final stages of weakness, or may have already bottomed, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.

In a Monday interview on CNBC, Lee described recent volatility as a typical “risk-premium expansion,” not a structural breakdown. He expects markets to rebound into late March and potentially strengthen through April.

While “crypto winter” sentiment lingers, Lee remains bullish on Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), pointing to strong network fundamentals and accelerating tokenization activity. He argues that long-term price action should ultimately track usage growth.

Lee also highlighted that Bitmain Immersion Technologies (NYSE:BMNR) has been accumulating…

Read more on Benzinga

Bitcoin Holds $68,000 As Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin Slip Despite Strong ETF Inflows

Bitcoin trades around $68,000, showing relative stability even as broader geopolitical tensions keep risk sentiment fragile.

Notable Statistics:

Coinglass data shows 111,700 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $370.30 million.

SoSoValue data shows net inflows of $458.2 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Monday. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows of $38.7 million.

In the past 24 hours, top gainers include River, XDC Network and Mantle.

Notable Developments:

Trader Notes: Trader Dom noted that Bitcoin’s order books on Binance are heavily skewed toward bids, the strongest imbalance seen in years.

He says a structural shift may be near, suggesting that any dip into the…

Read more on Benzinga

Bitcoin Is The Collateral, It Just Needs The Credit Markets

Bitcoin is the largest pool of pristine collateral in the world.

It is scarce, globally settled, politically neutral, and cannot be diluted. Few assets combine monetary premium and liquidity at this scale. Yet borrowing against bitcoin remains expensive, fragmented, and short-term.

That mismatch is not primarily about volatility. It is about market structure. BTC-backed lending exists. But BTC-backed credit markets, in the mature sense, largely do not.

Loans Are Not Markets

If you post BTC as collateral and borrow dollars, the mechanics are simple.

Bitcoin is locked. Cash is advanced. If the loan deteriorates, the BTC is liquidated. That is origination.

In mature…

Read more on BitcoinMagazine