Point of View: The Federal Reserve Has Over-Eased, with a 65% Chance of Stagflation in the United States

On April 13, UBS Group said it has hiked its Brent crude oil price forecasts: $100 per barrel by the end of June, $95 by end-September, $90 by end-December, and $85 per barrel for end-March 2027.

On April 13 local time, Iran submitted a legal document to the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its meeting, outlining its stance based on the outcomes of the IMO Council’s previous special session, CCTV News reported Wednesday. Iran denied claims that it is “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” noting the root cause of the current deterioration in Persian Gulf maritime security is external military actions. It also emphasized any proposed “secure maritime passage” arrangement must have Iran’s consent. On the Strait of Hormuz transit issue of international concern, Iran clarified in the document the strait remains open to international navigation, but associated risks have risen sharply amid the worsening security environment. Regarding proposals from some countries to establish a “secure maritime passage,” Iran stressed that as a coastal state of the Strait of Hormuz, it lawfully holds the right to ensure navigation safety and management in relev

April 13 — South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinone faces partial operational suspension and a fine for violating anti-money laundering (AML) obligations, per Korean outlet Edaily. The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) found multiple core violations of the Specific Financial Information Act (Special Act) during an on-site AML inspection, prompting the sanctions. Given the violations’ scale and nature, the FIU ordered a 3-month partial suspension (April 29–July 28) and a 5.2 billion won fine. During the suspension, only new users will be barred from external crypto asset transfers (deposits/withdrawals); existing users can trade normally. Coinone said it will remedy the shortcomings and is weighing whether to file a lawsuit. Market focus is on whether this will lead to legal action against regulators—similar to moves by fellow Korean exchanges Dunamu and Bithumb.

April 13 BGIN Blockchain Limited (Nasdaq: BGIN) announced Wednesday that its U.S. subsidiary, BGIN Infrastructure LLC, has resolved disputes with Mawson Hosting LLC—the landlord of the property where former hosting provider Krypton Technologies LLC operated. Under a confidential settlement, BGIN has recovered all of its mining equipment. The dispute stemmed from a June 14, 2024, hosting services agreement: Krypton was to operate roughly 5,325 mining machines owned by BGIN. Krypton later failed to fulfill its obligations to Mawson, leading the landlord to seize the equipment. BGIN had previously notified Krypton in writing that it was terminating the agreement and demanding the machines’ return, but Krypton could not comply because Mawson already controlled the gear. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

On-chain analyst Ai Auntie (@ai_9684xtpa) noted on April 13 that the top spot profit account “Old Demon” has just opened a spot long position of 5,760 RAVE tokens on Binance. The position uses a $9,995 margin, with an entry price of $8.68 and a liquidation price of $7.44. Additionally, on Binance’s 24-hour smart money futures leaderboard, the account “Pursuit of Freedom” has taken a long position of 49,000 RAVE tokens. The account currently holds an unrealized profit of $375,000, with an entry price of $1.157.

April 13 (The Block) — StarkWare, a zero-knowledge rollup development firm, is laying off employees and restructuring into two business units as it shifts from a pure infrastructure provider to building its own products to drive "meaningful revenue." Co-founder and CEO Eli Ben-Sasson announced the changes during an all-hands meeting Monday. He did not disclose specific layoff numbers or a timeline, but emphasized the streamlining is needed to revert to a "startup mode" mindset and speed up product-market fit. Affected employees will receive an email shortly after the meeting and be invited to one-on-one discussions with their direct managers, Ben-Sasson noted. The company will also offer separation packages exceeding legal and contractual requirements in many jurisdictions.