Author: ChainThink

Key Highlights from Yesterday to Today

Bitcoin rises nearly 5%, breaking above $72,700;

Trump agrees to suspend airstrikes for two weeks; Iran and Israel confirm entry into a ceasefire window;

Anthropic: Annualized revenue exceeds $30 billion, set to expand AI compute capacity through partnerships with Broadcom and Google;

Bloomberg Analyst: Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF to list tomorrow;

CME plans to launch AVAX and SUI futures contracts, currently awaiting regulatory approval;

U.S. SEC Chair: Soon to issue “regulatory rules” on crypto fundraising issues;

Detailed Analysis

1. Market Performance

Bitcoin surges nearly 5% in Asian early trading, breaking above $72,700;

ChainThink report: Ceasefire expectations have ignited a rebound across the crypto markets. According to market data, Bitcoin rose as much as 4.9% to $72,738 during Asian early trading, while Ethereum gained 7.4% to reach $2,273. Over the past 24 hours, crypto market liquidations exceeded $200 million in short positions. Compared to Tuesday’s daytime dip to around $69,065 amid geopolitical shocks, this post-market rally more clearly reflects market pricing into the narrative of “ceasefire → oil price decline → inflation relief → Fed rate cut expectation recovery.”

Nasdaq futures surge in after-hours trading, S&P futures up over 1.6%;

ChainThink report: On Tuesday, U.S. equities were initially dragged down by Trump’s hardline stance and escalating Middle East tensions, with the Dow dropping over 1% intraday, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both approached a 1% decline. The VIX rose 11.5% to 26.95. However, as ceasefire news circulated late in the session, risk appetite rapidly rebounded—S&P 500 closed up 0.08%, Nasdaq rose 0.10%, and Dow fell 0.18%. After-hours futures continued to climb, with S&P 500 futures up over 1.6%, Nasdaq 100 futures up 1.8%, and Dow futures gaining approximately 725 points.

WTI crude plunges nearly 8% after hours, retreating from ~$116 to around $103;

ChainThink report: Escalating Middle East conflict and concerns over Strait of Hormuz navigability pushed WTI crude to a high of $115.8 during Tuesday’s session, closing at $112.95, while Dated Brent spot briefly surged above $140. Following ceasefire announcements, oil markets reversed sharply—WTI dropped nearly 8% after hours to about $103, erasing nearly $13/barrel in a single night. Markets are now reassessing scenarios of restored Strait navigation, alleviated supply disruptions, and the fading war premium.

Gold gains 1.12%, safe-haven demand clashing with rate cut expectations;

ChainThink report: The Haqq Island airstrike and Trump’s hardline rhetoric fueled safe-haven demand, pushing gold up 1.12% to $4,737 per ounce. With ceasefire news emerging, gold faces dual pricing pressures: on one hand, de-escalation reduces safe-haven premiums, while on the other, falling oil prices and cooling inflation expectations may rekindle bets on an imminent Federal Reserve rate cut, supporting gold prices. Gold trading is no longer just about war risks—it now incorporates post-conflict interest rate expectations.

2. Conflict Developments

Trump agrees to suspend airstrikes for two weeks; Iran and Israel confirm entry into a ceasefire window;

ChainThink report: Late Tuesday local time, under Pakistani mediation, Trump announced agreement to suspend airstrikes against Iran for two weeks, contingent upon Iran “fully, immediately, and safely opening the Strait of Hormuz.” Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi confirmed acceptance, and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council declared a ceasefire, though emphasizing “this does not mean the end of the war.” Israel has agreed to join the truce, and Pakistan plans to invite representatives from all parties to Islamabad for negotiations this Friday. This marks the first genuine ceasefire window since the conflict erupted on February 28 and lasted 40 days. However, missile launches toward Israel and Gulf regions occurred minutes after the ceasefire announcement, underscoring the ongoing fragility of the situation.

3. AI Developments

Anthropic: Annualized revenue exceeds $30 billion, to expand AI compute via partnerships with Broadcom and Google

ChainThink report: Anthropic announced on X that its annualized revenue has surpassed $30 billion, a significant increase from $9 billion at the end of 2025, and confirmed plans to expand AI compute capacity through strategic collaborations with Broadcom and Google to support its rapidly scaling operations.

Anthropic to invest $200 million in new private equity initiative

ChainThink report: Anthropic is planning to invest approximately $200 million in a new private equity collaboration aimed at providing AI tools to portfolio companies.

Sources indicate that institutions including General Atlantic, Blackstone, and Hellman & Friedman are considering participation, with an overall fundraising target of around $1 billion. This move is seen as a key strategic expansion into enterprise-grade AI services.

Former OpenAI employees launch $100 million VC fund Zero Shot, focusing on AI investments

ChainThink report: A group of former OpenAI employees has launched venture capital fund Zero Shot with a target size of $100 million, having already raised approximately $20 million in its first round and completed several early-stage investments. The fund was initiated by Evan Morikawa, Andrew Mayne, and Shawn Jain, with additional involvement from Kelly Kovacs and Brett Rounsaville.

Investments include enterprise automation platform Worktrace AI and robotics firm Foundry Robotics. The team stated they will focus on AI sectors with long-term potential while maintaining caution toward certain niches such as “vibe coding” platforms and robot video data training.

4. Industry Frontiers

CME plans to launch AVAX and SUI futures contracts, currently awaiting regulatory approval

ChainThink report: CME announced plans to introduce futures contracts for Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI), further expanding its regulated cryptocurrency derivatives product suite, currently pending regulatory clearance. Market participants can choose between micro or standard contracts: 1) AVAX futures: 5,000 AVAX, micro AVAX futures: 500 AVAX; 2) SUI futures: 50,000 SUI, micro SUI futures: 5,000 SUI.

Tether CEO: Team developing decentralized search engine named hypersearch

ChainThink report: Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino revealed that the team is developing a decentralized search engine called hypersearch, built on a distributed hash table (DHT) architecture.

Bloomberg Analyst: Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF to list tomorrow

ChainThink report: Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas posted on X that, according to NYSE listing announcements, Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund will trade under the ticker symbol “MBST.”

U.S. SEC Chair: Soon to release “regulatory rules” on crypto fundraising issues

ChainThink report: According to CoinDesk, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins stated Monday that the agency is preparing a “crypto regulation” proposal to clarify its approach to the digital asset industry and define which transactions may constitute securities versus non-securities.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins noted that the committee’s new “crypto regulation” framework has already been submitted to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, indicating it is just one step away from formal publication. He emphasized that the rulemaking is primarily grounded in the Securities Act of 1933 and will address issues related to fundraising and startup exemptions.

In a Q&A session, he added that the SEC also intends to soon unveil the long-awaited “innovation exemption.”