Bank of Japan Governor: If Wage Growth Transmits to Prices, Interest Rates Could Rise

Per official sources, Binance Alpha has listed RateX (RTX) as of December 19.

On December 19, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui said Friday (Dec. 19) at an event that as of the end of September this year, 36 stablecoin license applications from various sectors have been received. Some licenses are expected to be issued early next year, with priority given to robust reserve management, price stability, and anti-money laundering (AML) measures. He noted these measures not only protect investors but also mitigate potential trading frictions by establishing a clear compliance path, helping resolve potential disputes. The Hong Kong Stablecoin Ordinance took effect this past August. A Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) spokesperson said in October the regulator would review applications and approve them in line with the ordinance and related regulatory requirements. The license application process has a high threshold, with only a handful of licenses expected to be issued in the early stages. Regarding progress on

On Dec. 19, data from Coinglass shows: - If Bitcoin surges above $90,000, cumulative short liquidation intensity across major centralized exchanges (CEXs) will hit $1.08 billion. - Conversely, if Bitcoin drops below $86,000, cumulative long liquidation intensity on these same CEXs will reach $780 million. BlockBeats Note: Liquidation charts do not display the exact number or value of contracts being liquidated. Instead, the bars represent the relative importance of each liquidation cluster compared to neighboring clusters—this is defined as "intensity." As such, the chart illustrates how strongly the underlying asset’s price will be impacted when it hits a specific level: A taller "liquidation bar" means the price reaching that point will trigger a more intense response driven by a liquidity cascade.

On December 19, as Uniswap’s “Unification” proposal entered its final voting phase, on-chain traders began positioning themselves. Per monitoring from HyperInsight, the largest UNI bear whale—dubbed “Shanzhai Bear Front”—has been gradually unwinding its short position since 1 PM yesterday, covering over 40% of its UNI shorts. Its current position size stands at $2.79 million, with an unrealized profit of $1.22 million (437%), an average entry price of $7.46, and a liquidation price of $5.19. Notably, the whale address “0x413c” opened a long UNI position as early as December 17. The whale then added to the position at an average price of $4.9 just two hours before the final vote, briefly hitting a peak unrealized profit of over 50%. However, amid this morning’s price dip, the whale exited at breakeven, wrapping up the trade with a modest $36,000 profit. On-chain data shows that following the news, Polymarket’s prediction market saw the “Yes” option for “Uniswap protocol fee swi

**Goldman Sachs: 2026 to End Global Oil Supply Volatility, Gold Seen Hitting $4,900** In its latest 2025-2026 Commodities Outlook report, Goldman Sachs said 2026 will mark the final year of global oil supply volatility. The market is poised for an average daily oversupply of 2 million barrels, driving Brent crude to an annual average of $56 per barrel in 2026 and hitting a mid-year bottom. Additionally, the bank reiterated its forecast that gold will reach $4,900 in 2026. It identified global central bank gold purchases and Federal Reserve rate cuts as the key dual drivers behind the rally. Analysis notes geopolitical risks and economic uncertainties are spurring emerging market central banks to accelerate gold holdings, while potential private investor inflows could further push prices higher. Goldman Sachs expects global central banks to maintain monthly gold purchases at roughly 70 tons in 2026, with each 1-basis-point increase in private investor allocations seen lifting gold

December 19th — According to Coinglass data, following market fluctuations from early this morning through now, funding rates across major centralized (CEX) and decentralized (DEX) exchanges still point to an overall bearish market sentiment. However, some trading pairs (primarily Bitcoin [BTC]-based on Binance) have seen funding rates return to neutral. Specific funding rates for major coins are shown in the attached image. BlockBeats Note: Funding rates are fees set by crypto trading platforms to keep contract prices aligned with underlying asset prices, typically for perpetual contracts. They facilitate fund exchanges between long and short traders—exchanges do not charge this fee. The mechanism adjusts the cost or profit of traders holding contracts to keep contract prices close to underlying asset values. Rate Interpretation: A 0.01% funding rate is the baseline. Rates above 0.01% signal bullish sentiment, while rates below 0.005% indicate bearishness.