"The Ultimate Shorter" Whale Reduces LIT Short Position, Lowering Entry Price to $2.8

December 31 – As Trump’s second term drives significant shifts in U.S. crypto policy toward friendliness, 2026 is shaping up as a decisive year. Key milestones include: - **January**: Senate expected to hold a hearing on the Crypto Market Structure Act—passage would clarify regulatory boundaries for the SEC and CFTC; the SEC may also roll out an “Innovation Exemption” to ease compliance hurdles for startups. - **May 15**: Fed Chair Powell’s term expires; Trump likely to appoint a more dovish successor, a potential boon for crypto assets. - **July 1**: California Digital Asset Act takes effect, imposing licensing requirements on crypto businesses operating in the state. - **July 18**: Deadline for regulatory details under the Stablecoin “GENIUS Act,” covering issuance, capital, and compliance rules. - **August**: Crypto tax legislation (including stablecoin small-value exemptions) and CFTC blockchain-related rules expected to advance. - **November 3**: U.S. midterm election

Per an official announcement on December 31, Binance Alpha will launch a new token airdrop at 15:00 UTC+8 today. Users holding at least 240 Binance Alpha Points are eligible to claim the airdrop on a first-come, first-served basis. The offer is valid until the airdrop pool is depleted or the event concludes.

December 31: Precious metals saw a sharp intraday sell-off after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) again raised margin requirements for precious metals futures. Silver futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) plummeted over 9%, breaking below $71 per ounce. Spot silver fell $5 intraday, last trading at $71.14/oz. Spot gold pulled back $50 from its daily high, last at $4,323/oz. Spot palladium dropped 7%, last at $1,507/oz. Spot platinum fell more than 12% at one point, last at $1,962/oz. (FX168)

On December 31, spot gold sank sharply, falling below the key $4,300 per ounce level. It marked the metal’s first drop since December 16, with an intraday decline of 0.8%. (Golden Ten)

December 31 – Per the Financial Times, Trump Mobile (the mobile firm launched by the Trump Group) has delayed shipping a gold smartphone originally set to launch by the end of this year. The company initially promised to roll out a $499 U.S.-made smartphone this year to compete with mainstream devices like Apple’s and Samsung’s, but has since revised its target. Trump Mobile’s customer service team noted the prior U.S. government shutdown caused the delivery delay, adding the device is “highly likely” to not ship this month. The “T1” device – announced in June alongside a $47.45 monthly talk-and-text plan – is one of several initiatives the Trump family business launched leveraging his return to the White House. (FXStreet)

**Binance Exposes Staged Scam Targeting Users, Warns of Year-End Fraud Surge** As year-end approaches (Dec 31), fraud activity spikes — and Binance is alerting users to a new, staged scam uncovered this week. Binance customer service rep Sisi revealed the case Tuesday: A user filed a complaint claiming they were scammed by a **purported Binance executive** who promised to resolve their issue but vanished after receiving payment. During its investigation, Binance flagged four critical red flags: - **Simplistic chat**: The alleged Telegram conversation with the "exec" spanned just one page — no details verified, yet the user transferred funds based on "high trust." - **Abnormal transfers**: The initial "scam address" the user provided was **their own wallet** (likely a self-initiated transfer); related records traced to an escrow platform. - **Missing key chats**: The user claimed chats were deleted due to the other party’s privacy mode, only providing screenshots of post-