Cool-ish PPI reading paves way for CPI report 

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Markets got a pre-CPI treat on Tuesday in the form of a mildly cool PPI reading. 

Producer prices in December rose 0.2%, down slightly from analysts’ projection of a 0.4% rise. Core PPI, which excludes food and energy, was in line with expectations and unchanged from November (+0.3%). 

The report generally sets the stage well for tomorrow’s more-closely-watched CPI reading, slated to be published at 8:30 am ET. Still, analysts caution investors not to take a cool reading as a sign for future rate cuts. 

“We’ve seen a stubbornness in inflation over the last few quarters,…

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‘Arbitrary and capricious’ strikes again

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A federal appeals court took on elements of the SEC v. Coinbase legal battle yesterday, but we’ll need a bit more time to determine the decision’s exact impact.

The SEC sued Coinbase in June 2023 for alleged securities violations. It later denied the crypto exchange’s petition for rulemaking that December. The petition essentially argued that the SEC’s strategy of using existing securities laws to enforce crypto regulation is “unworkable.”

The agency’s response was a single paragraph, the court pointed out. Basically the SEC said it disagreed, noting it “has discretion…

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Bitcoin DeFi Is Finding Product-market Fit With Runes

Over the past year, the Bitcoin Renaissance has brought significant attention to BTCfi, or “Bitcoin DeFi” applications. Despite the hype, very few of these applications have delivered on their promises or managed to retain a meaningful number of “actual” users.

To put things into perspective, the leading lending platform for Bitcoin assets, Liquidium, allows users to borrow against their Runes, Ordinals, and BRC-20 assets. Where does the yield come from, you ask? Just like any other loan, borrowers pay an interest rate to lenders in exchange for their Bitcoin….

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We're Repeating The 2017 Bitcoin Bull Cycle

The 2017 Bitcoin bull market was a wild ride, with prices soaring from under $200 to nearly $20,000. As we look at the current market, many are wondering if we might see a similar surge again. In this article, we’ll explore the data and trends that suggest we could be on the brink of another massive bull cycle.

Key TakeawaysThe current Bitcoin cycle shows strong correlations with the 2017 cycle.Historical data indicates potential for significant price increases.Investor behavior patterns are mirroring those from previous cycles.Understanding Bitcoin Bull Cycles

Bitcoin has had several bull cycles, each with its own unique characteristics. The most notable was in 2017, where the price…

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Berachain gets flooded with $1.6B in pre-launch liquidity

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As the hyped Berachain L1 gears up for a mainnet launch, an astounding $1.6 billion of liquidity has been deposited into “Boyco,” Berachain’s pre-launch liquidity platform on Ethereum. This flood of liquidity from airdrop farmers would technically make Berachain the 10th largest blockchain by TVL today.

In the past week, four Berachain Pendle pools (by Ethena and Etherfi) have already amassed a collective $515 million in TVL. This dwarves the entire TVL of its main competitor Spectra, which has shot up to $225 million since December.

Source: DefiLlama

The largest Berachain Pendle…

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