As the 100th day of US President Donald Trump’s second term approaches, the controversy over his policies continues to escalate. Poll data shows that Trump’s approval rating in his first 100 days in office is only 39%, down 6 percentage points from February this year, setting the lowest record among all US presidents in the past 80 years and highlighting the divisions his policies have caused domestically.
In terms of geopolitics, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said that the progress was good, but he was tough on Russia, saying that he was “disappointed with Putin” and hoped that the two sides would stop the conflict and reach an agreement. The framework of the current agreement has been initially determined, and Zelensky has also sent out signals of reconciliation, but there are still many uncertainties in the situation.
Meanwhile, Trump’s remarks on the tariff issue have once again drawn international attention. On the 25th local time, he declared on the special plane “Air Force One” that the additional tariffs imposed on China would not be lifted unless China made substantive concessions. This is consistent with the contradictory signals from the US side on the tariff issue recently. In response to this, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the United States clearly stated that night that the two sides have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue. If the US side truly wants to solve the problem, it should stop threatening and extorting, and completely abolish all unilateral tariff measures. Maximum pressure is not the correct way to deal with China and is doomed to be ineffective.
Crypto Market and Blockchain Dynamics: Price Fluctuations, Policy Adjustments, and Project Innovations
Fluctuations in the cryptocurrency market
The cryptocurrency market is complex and volatile. As of the time of publication, after BTC broke through $94,500, the latest trading price was $84,030.10, with an intraday increase of 0.7%. The transaction price of ETH was $1,579.65, slightly down by 0.3%. The BNB quote is $583.06, with an increase of 0.9%. SOL performed outstandingly, with a transaction price of $131.32, an increase of 4.4%. The transaction price of DOGE was $0.1549, with an increase of 1.2%. The transaction price of XPR was $2.08, with an increase of 0.1%.
Policy and Regulatory Developments
New developments have emerged in Russia’s cryptocurrency policy. A senior official from Russia’s Ministry of Finance proposed on Wednesday that after the USDT freeze incident, Russia should develop its own stablecoin pegged to other currencies. Previously, Russian regulatory authorities had already allowed the pilot use of cryptocurrencies in international payments, and the USDT freeze incident has prompted Russia to re-examine payment tools. Although Elvira Nabiullina, the governor of the Central Bank of Russia, opposes domestic cryptocurrency payments, he also acknowledges that enterprises are actively testing international cryptocurrency payments.
The United States has also made progress in regulatory litigation regarding cryptocurrencies. On Wednesday, a federal judge suspended the lawsuit filed by 18 state attorneys general and DeFi lobbying groups against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) because the new leadership of the SEC was in place. In addition, another lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States was also dropped because Trump signed a resolution abolishing the relevant dispute rules.
Blockchain Applications and Project Innovation
OpenAI’s latest move has drawn attention from the technology and financial sectors. The company has released the artificial intelligence models o3 and o4-Mini. It is reported that the new models can understand uploaded images, including whiteboards, sketches and charts, etc. Even if the image quality is low, it does not affect recognition. OpenAI claims that o3 is currently the most advanced model. Against the backdrop of competitors accelerating their development, this move aims to consolidate its leading position in the field of generative artificial intelligence.
Quantum computing research company Project Eleven is offering a reward of one BTC to the team that can crack the elliptic Curve encryption (ECC) key of Bitcoin on a quantum computer using Shore’s algorithm within one year. The company pointed out that Bitcoin transaction signatures use the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA), and quantum computers can theoretically derive private keys from public keys through the Shaw algorithm, threatening wallet security. More than 6.2 million Bitcoins, worth nearly 500 billion US dollars, may be at risk.
Financial Markets and Economic Policies: Gold Breakthrough, Central Bank Interest Rate Expectations and Investment Trends
Financial market conditions
The spot gold market witnessed a significant breakthrough. On Thursday, spot gold continued to set new highs at the opening, breaking through the $3,350 mark for the first time and rising by more than $100 overnight.
Economic Policies and Expectations
The interest rate policy of the Federal Reserve attracts much attention. CME’s “FedWatch” data shows that the probability of the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates unchanged in May is 83.2%, and the probability of cutting interest rates by 25 basis points is 16.8%. The probability of keeping interest rates unchanged by June is 32.8%, the probability of a cumulative 25 basis point rate cut is 57.0%, and the probability of a cumulative 50 basis point rate cut is 10.2%.
The recent speech by Federal Reserve Chair Powell conveys a key signal. He emphasized that the interest rate outlook is highly uncertain. Currently, the Federal Reserve is in a good position and needs to wait for clear signals before adjusting its policy. The US economy remains “stable”, but strong imports in the first quarter dragged down the GDP growth rate. Tariffs will push up inflation. Cryptocurrencies are gradually becoming mainstream, and a legal framework for stablecoins needs to be established. There may be “partial relaxation” in bank regulation. At the same time, Powell made it clear that one should not expect the Federal Reserve to rescue the market. He pointed out that the market should adapt to the fluctuations brought about by uncertainties, and the change in Trump’s tariff system is one of the important reasons for the market turmoil.
Investment Trends and Projects
New trends have emerged in the field of investment. VanEck plans to launch a cryptocurrency-related investment ETF (stock code: NODE) next month. By investing in financial instruments and stocks related to cryptocurrency exchanges, Bitcoin miners, and data centers, it aims to offer investors the opportunity to participate in the crypto economy. Crypto Asset Management firm Galaxy and CI Global Asset Management jointly launched the Solana ETF (SOLX), which has been listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The management fee for the first three months is 0%, and this ETF directly invests in SOL tokens.
However, there are also potential risks in the cryptocurrency field. Some people have pointed out that some market makers make profits by borrowing tokens through the “loan option model”, which is often packaged as “low risk and high return”. In fact, this will lead to a sharp drop in token prices, putting small crypto projects in a difficult situation. Market makers borrow tokens from project parties, sell them at low prices, and then repurchase them at low prices to make profits, which seriously affects the development of the project.
Other Important Developments: Urban Crypto Payments and World Economic Outlook
The capital of Panama has taken a new step in the application of cryptocurrencies. On April 15th, Mayer Mizrachi, the mayor of Panama City, announced that once the payment track from cryptocurrencies to fiat currencies is established, Panama City will accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, USDC and USDT to pay taxes and municipal fees, including bus tickets and licenses, etc. Become a new jurisdiction globally that accepts encrypted payments.
World Bank President Banga said on April 16 local time that global economic growth has been lower than expected due to uncertainties, and countries need to enhance consultation and dialogue on trade issues. Meanwhile, a suitable regulatory environment should be created to encourage private investment and job creation in developing countries. The World Bank also plans to expand the participation of the private sector, covering multiple fields such as energy and agriculture.
Conclusion: Opportunities and Challenges in the Dynamic Interweaving of Multiple Fields
At present, the dynamics in the fields of global politics, economy, science and technology are frequently intertwined. The cryptocurrency market has become more volatile under the influence of policies and technologies. The innovation of artificial intelligence models is constantly reshaping the industry landscape, and the policies of central banks and economic conditions are on the nerves of the financial market. Whether they are investors, enterprises or policymakers, all need to closely monitor changes in various fields and seize opportunities and meet challenges in a complex and volatile environment.
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