U.S. CFTC Acting Chairman: Enforcement Division Restructured, Refocused on Combating Fraud

February 12 A Reuters survey finds long-dated U.S. Treasury yields will stay stable in the near term but rise later this year as inflation and Federal Reserve independence concerns mount. Short-dated yields, meanwhile, will edge lower on rate-cut bets. Nearly 60% of bond strategists (21 of 37) say large-scale U.S. Treasury issuance in the coming years to fund Trump’s tax cuts and spending plans will make it unfeasible for the Fed to shrink its $6.6 trillion balance sheet significantly. A separate Reuters survey shows the Fed is expected to cut interest rates twice later this year, with the first cut coming in June when Powell assumes the Fed chair role. The 2-year U.S. Treasury yield—sensitive to interest rate moves—is seen falling from its current 3.50% to 3.45% by end-April and 3.38% by end-July. The survey’s median forecast also sees the benchmark 10-year yield rising to 4.29% in 12 months, up from the prior month’s 4.20% prediction. (FX168)

On February 12, Standard Chartered cut its Bitcoin price forecast for the second time in three months, slashing its year-end 2026 target from $150,000 to $100,000—a 33% reduction. In a report released today, the bank warned Bitcoin could drop to $50,000 before rebounding. Back in December, Standard Chartered had already trimmed its original 2026 target from $300,000 to $150,000.

On February 12, Sina Finance reported that U.S. initial jobless claims for the week ended February 7 came in at 227,000, exceeding the consensus forecast of 222,000. The prior week’s figure was revised upward from 231,000 to 232,000.

**February 12** U.S. investment bank Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. has downgraded Coinbase’s stock rating to **Sell** amid persistent weakness in the cryptocurrency market. The firm also cut its revenue, EBITDA, and EPS projections for Coinbase, forecasting the crypto market will remain sluggish through 2026 and 2027. Coinbase shares have fallen roughly 50% since late 2025. Per Bitget market data, Coinbase is trading down 0.2% in pre-market session at $152.76, with a total market capitalization of approximately $41 billion.

### Feb. 12 Update SBF posted a message tagging Donald Trump, claiming businesses were forced to relocate overseas under the Biden administration—but were welcomed back in the U.S. under Trump. He slammed Democratic regulations as "absurd": requiring licenses yet refusing to issue them, making domestic operations unfeasible. Under Trump, the Justice Department stopped targeting entire industries, he said. For years, all liquid prediction markets operated abroad for this reason; now they’re open to Americans, as is the crypto market. Democrats raised corporate taxes, pushing companies overseas and creating loopholes for them to hoard funds abroad, while Trump expanded tax incentives to draw investment back to the U.S. ### Yesterday’s Post SBF published a post (link: https://www.theblockbeats.info/flash/332128) claiming innocence, seeking to overturn his conviction, and accusing the Biden administration of witness tampering and coercion. ### Background On Dec. 2 last year, Tr

On February 12, Binance Alpha will launch the Story (IP) airdrop claiming process. Users with at least 240 Binance Alpha points can claim tokens on a first-come, first-served basis—until the airdrop pool is exhausted or the event concludes.