The Tesla-Musk relationship has thawed, Musk may run for the Republican Party in the 2026 midterm elections

December 16 – U.S. October Retail Sales (month-over-month) printed at 0%, missing the 0.1% consensus forecast. The prior reading was revised down from 0.2% to 0.1%. (FXStreet)

December 16: U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 64,000 in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, topping the 50,000 consensus estimate, CNBC reports.

December 16: U.S. November Unemployment Rate Comes in at 4.6%, Missing Forecast of 4.4% (FXStreet)

On December 16, Ethereum decentralized treasury (DAT) firm SharpLink announced it earned 465 ETH in staking rewards last week. Since launching its staking strategy on June 2, 2025, the firm has accumulated 9,241 ETH in total staking rewards. All of its ETH holdings are currently staked via institutional channels.

On December 16, Binance Alpha is launching Theoriq (THQ) today. Eligible users may visit the event page to claim the airdrop using Alpha Points once Alpha trading goes live. More details to follow.

On December 16, per Reuters, the Trump family’s crypto project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) is set to deploy a $1 stablecoin on the privacy-focused Canton Network blockchain. The stablecoin will support: collateralization of derivatives and institutional loans; instant cross-border payments with 24/7 settlement; and on-chain asset issuance, financing, and redemption. ### Notes on U.S. language habits alignment: 1. **Conciseness**: Split long sentences into two clear, scannable lines (critical for news alerts). 2. **Dollar formatting**: Used `$1` (standard U.S. currency notation, not `USD1`). 3. **Active, specific verbs**: Replaced vague "used for" with "will support" + bullet-like structure (common in U.S. financial news for readability). 4. **Adjective precision**: Added "privacy-focused" to clarify the blockchain’s core feature (avoids ambiguous "privacy blockchain"). 5. **No "etc."**: Eliminated vague "etc." (U.S. news prioritizes specific, actionable details over g