Carlyle's Jeff Currie: OPEC supply increases have been bearish surprise for the market
Jeff Currie, Carlyle chief strategy officer of energy pathways, joins CNBC's 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss outlooks on energy.
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Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Bitcoin price in USD: Why this metric captures the global crypto mood
Matthew Kayser In the world of digital assets, no number gets more attention than the Bitcoin price USD. Whether it's flashing across a CNBC ticker or trending on social media, Bitcoin's price against the U.S. dollar does more than tell you what one coin is worth. It reflects the global mood about money, markets, and even the future of finance. Bitcoin isn't just an investment—it's a signal. The Bitcoin price USD acts as a barometer for investors' feelings about risk, inflation, regulation, and technological progress. For anyone watching or trading crypto, understanding this single metric can help decode a much larger story. A Global Gauge of Risk Appetite When global markets get shaky, the Bitcoin price USD becomes a headline. That's because it's increasingly used as a proxy for investor confidence, especially during economic uncertainty. For example, more eyes turn to Bitcoin when banking systems wobble or inflation surges. Its price typically moves in response to investor sentiment about whether traditional systems are still working. A rising BTC price can signal a shift toward risk-taking or fear of currency devaluation. A falling one might reflect a retreat to cash or treasuries. In other words, Bitcoin's USD price isn't just about crypto. It's about how people feel about the financial world at large. The Macroeconomic Forces at Play Outside of crypto, broader economic forces also shape Bitcoin's price movements. Some of the biggest drivers include: While external to Bitcoin itself, these forces create ripple effects that impact demand and price. Inside the Blockchain: Supply and Sentiment Not all price action comes from outside. Bitcoin's own ecosystem plays a significant role in its volatility. Key internal drivers include: Halving cycles: Every four years, the reward for mining Bitcoin is cut in half, reducing new supply and often creating upward price pressure. Exchange outflows: When large amounts of Bitcoin are withdrawn from exchanges, it usually signals that holders want to store the currency, not sell it. This is often viewed as a bullish sign. Miner behavior: If mining becomes more expensive or less profitable, miners may sell more BTC to cover costs, adding supply to the market. Long-term holder activity: The movement (or lack of movement) from wallets holding BTC for over a year could indicate long-term confidence or growing caution. Together, these on-chain patterns help explain why the Bitcoin price USD can swing sharply even when external news is quiet. The Power of Round Numbers There's also the psychology of milestones. Numbers like $30,000 or $100,000 aren't magical but carry emotional weight. They often act as tipping points, where market momentum either builds or breaks. Crossing a round number can lead to: Understanding this psychology is part of reading the chart—and the crowd. Much More Than Just a Number The Bitcoin price USD might look like a simple number, but it is anything but. It tracks the market's mood, mirrors confidence in global systems, and reveals macro and micro dynamics at work. Whether you're a casual observer or an active trader, following Bitcoin's USD price with the right tools can help you better understand where the market is heading—and why it matters.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tesla shareholders face staggering new hurdle after company enacts controversial policy: 'A formidable barrier'
Tesla raised the bar for shareholders to sue the company board or executives for breach of fiduciary duties. The change took effect May 15 and requires an investor or group of investors to hold 3% of the electric vehicle maker's stock "to institute or maintain a derivative proceeding," CNBC reported. Tesla's market cap is $1.123 trillion, so a plaintiff would have to own shares worth $33.7 billion. "Obviously, for a company of Tesla's size, that would be a formidable barrier to anyone bringing a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duty," Tulane Law School's Ann Lipton told CNBC in an email. The change was enabled by a Texas law that "allows corporations to limit shareholder lawsuits against insiders for breach of fiduciary duty," the outlet added. With shareholder approval, Tesla moved its incorporation site from Delaware to the Lone Star State in June 2024. An investor who owned nine shares of Tesla stock sued the company in 2018, and CEO Elon Musk's $56 billion compensation package was revoked in January 2024. Musk is by far the richest person on the planet, and his wealth makes him nearly untouchable. He helped to pioneer the EV movement by becoming an early investor in Tesla in 2003, and the company has been known for innovative technology and industry-leading breakthroughs. Recently, however, the South African has drawn criticism for straying into American and European politics, including spending lavishly on the U.S. presidential election campaign of Donald Trump, leading government spending cuts as the head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, and supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Activists have protested these actions, and Tesla charging stations, vehicles, and dealerships have been vandalized. Sales have plummeted, and Tesla stock spiraled downward, too, though it has regained much of its value. This upheaval and the larger perception change of Musk from groundbreaker to villain could stifle the uptake of EVs, which is one of the many things necessary to slow the rapid rise of global temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels for energy. It would take a massive coalition of shareholders to fight back against this move by Tesla, though companies are generally amenable to public pressure — especially when it comes to consumers' spending power. Tesla, for example, is shifting its focus from EV manufacturing to a robotaxi service and robotics to stabilize its future. Musk has a history of not delivering on outlandish promises, but it has not significantly slowed the company or deterred its supporters. What do you think of Tesla and Elon Musk? Elon is the man Love the company; hate the CEO I'm not a fan of either I don't have an opinion Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Asia Morning Briefing: Michael Saylor Downplays BTC's Quantum Threat
Welcome to Asia Morning Briefing, a daily summary of top stories during U.S. hours and an overview of market moves and analysis. For a detailed overview of U.S. markets, see CoinDesk's Crypto Daybook Americas. BlackRock calls Quantum computers, with their ability to outperform classical binary computers and break traditional encryption, a threat to crypto. So surely bitcoin BTC would price this in, as the threat of computers soon being able to break the encryption that enables the scarcity of bitcoin is an existential one. But on a recent CNBC appearance, Strategy's Michael Saylor downplayed quantum's threat to BTC, arguing that the Bitcoin protocol would implement a software upgrade – just like any other tech company – when the threat becomes imminent. "It's mainly marketing from people that want to sell you the next quantum yo-yo token," Saylor said on CNBC. "Google and Microsoft aren't going to sell you a computer that cracks modern cryptography because it would destroy Google and Microsoft – and the U.S. Government and the banking system." Already, there are a number of proposals about how to secure Proof of Work against the quantum threat, including from BTQ, a startup building quantum-proof crypto hardware. One Bitcoin developer has put forward a draft Bitcoin Improvement Protocol that proposes a hard fork which would move everyone's wallets to quantum-secure addresses. "Bitcoin is a protocol; the software gets upgraded every year," Saylor concluded, arguing that the bigger security threat for bitcoin is phishing. Saylor's view isn't a universal one, however. A recent report from Presto Research argued that the crypto industry is "unprepared" for the coming quantum threat. With BTC above $100K and the market getting ready to challenge another all-time high, traders just don't seem to be concerned. Circle (CRCL) recently had a blockbuster initial public offering, and is set to open the U.S. trading week Monday at over $107 – an impressive rally over its opening price of $69. The number of stablecoins in circulation – the market cap of the asset category – is a well-known fact. Issuance can be seen on-chain after all, and that number comes in at $254 billion, according to CoinGecko data. But figuring out the volume of stablecoins used in payments is a little trickier. In a recent thread on X, Nic Carter, partner at Castle Island Ventures and the cofounder of blockchain data aggregator Coinmetrics, parsed through the available data and found that there's a huge discrepancy in the numbers. Estimating the genuine share of stablecoin transactions driven by payments rather than trading is complicated due to challenges like MEV bot interference, duplicative on-chain transactions, and spam activity designed purely to inflate metrics. Recent analyses illustrate this uncertainty starkly. A top-down heuristic from Visa and Allium estimates stablecoin transaction volumes at roughly $9 trillion annually as of May 2025. However, this figure broadly encompasses trading, DeFi activity, and settlements—not purely payments. In contrast, more detailed bottom-up analyses offer narrower but clearer insights. Fireblocks, a major custody provider, reported annual verified stablecoin payments of around $232 billion, compared with a significantly larger $2.12 trillion in trading volumes among its clients, suggesting that genuine payment transactions represent about 10% of their total stablecoin activity. Similarly, a targeted joint study by Artemis and Dragonfly sampled 20 stablecoin-focused payment providers directly. It calculated a conservative annualized payment volume of approximately $72.3 billion, acknowledging this as a probable undercount given limited sampling. In comparison to that $72.3 billion figure at the high end, Carter writes, is $232 billion, underscoring the substantial uncertainty around how extensively stablecoins are genuinely used as a payment mechanism. As for Circle, the stablecoin issuer doesn't provide a figure in its IPO filing on how much USDC is used for payments, only pointing to general transaction volume. BiT Global and Coinbase have settled their legal dispute over Coinbase's delisting of wrapped bitcoin (wBTC), CoinDesk previously reported. According to a joint court filing, BiT Global agreed to dismiss its lawsuit with prejudice—meaning the case cannot be refiled—and each company will cover its own legal costs. BiT Global initially sued Coinbase last year, claiming the delisting unfairly damaged wBTC's liquidity and reputation, while favoring Coinbase's competing token, cbBTC. Coinbase cited concerns over crypto billionaire Justin Sun's involvement with wBTC, labeling it an "unacceptable risk," though specific settlement terms beyond the dismissal were not disclosed. Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange and custody platform founded by billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has confidentially filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to go public, CoinDesk previously reported. The IPO details, including the size and valuation, remain undisclosed, but Gemini has already engaged Goldman Sachs and Citigroup as financial advisors, positioning itself prominently among crypto-native firms entering traditional markets. This filing follows the successful IPO of stablecoin issuer Circle, whose shares surged dramatically upon debuting on the New York Stock Exchange. Gemini's planned IPO represents a significant step for crypto companies seeking broader acceptance in mainstream finance, although the timing of the offering will depend on the SEC's review and market conditions. BTC: Bitcoin trades flat at $105,600.30 after recovering from an intraday dip, as miners' recent surge in exchange transfers signals potential volatility ahead. ETH: Ethereum held strong above critical $2,500 support amid volatility, closing bullishly near $2,534, as BlackRock's ETH ETF nears $5 billion on sustained institutional inflows. Gold: Gold trades slightly lower at $3,314.92 but heads for weekly gains, supported by weak U.S. jobs data despite easing U.S.-China tensions. Nikkei 225: Japan's Nikkei 225 opens higher at 37,741.61 (+0.50%), extending recent gains after winning sessions in two of the past three trading days
