According to DB News, the DOJ is cleared to sell 69,370 $BTC($6.58B) confiscated from Silk Road.

April 18 — Iraq’s Oil Ministry announced via the Iraqi News Agency that oil exports from all its fields will resume in the coming days. Four energy sources reported Iraq restarted southern oil exports on Friday, ending a month-plus disruption caused by shipping blockages in the Strait of Hormuz — with one crude oil tanker already loading cargo.

April 17 — International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim said some 20,000 seafarers and nearly 2,000 ships are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf. He called on nations to step up diplomatic efforts to back the IMO’s initiative to evacuate stranded Gulf-region seafarers. Lim also urged countries to help clear threats like mines that endanger merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and to provide tangible support to the shipping industry — including access to reasonable-cost insurance — to resume normal operations as soon as possible. Earlier, Iranian media reported on April 18 that an Iranian military spokesperson stated the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status due to the U.S. “repeatedly breaking commitments.” The strait is now under strict management and control by the Iranian armed forces.

April 18 – Iran has not agreed to hold the next round of talks with the United States, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported, per Xinhua. Earlier, former U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S.-Iran negotiation teams could meet this weekend. He added he expected the two sides to finalize a deal to end the conflict, noting an agreement would be reached within one or two days.

April 18th Spot Bitcoin ETFs posted net inflows of ~$996 million last week—their strongest weekly performance in three months—signaling a sharp rebound in market risk appetite. Daily flow breakdown: - Friday: $664 million (week’s highest single-day inflow) - Tuesday: $412 million; Wednesday: $186 million - Thursday: Inflows slowed to $26 million - Monday: ~$291 million net outflow As of Friday, total assets under management (AUM) for spot Bitcoin ETFs topped $101 billion, with daily trading volume hitting nearly $4.8 billion. Market analysts attribute the capital inflows to easing geopolitical risks—namely reduced U.S.-Iran tensions and resumed navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. This has damped demand for traditional safe havens like the U.S. dollar, pushing funds into crypto and other risk assets. Technically, Bitcoin remains range-bound: resistance around $75,000, support near $72,000. The market is in a liquidity redistribution phase and has yet to establish a

**ARK’s Cathie Wood Adjusts Holdings on April 18: Sells Crypto Stocks, Boosts Tech/Biotech** Cathie Wood, founder of ARK Invest, adjusted her portfolio on April 18, offloading approximately $2.57 million in cryptocurrency-related equities while increasing stakes in traditional technology and biotechnology sectors. ### Reductions: - **Circle Internet Group**: Sold 11,465 shares (~$1.21 million). The firm faces class-action lawsuit pressure over failing to freeze assets linked to the Drift Protocol hack. - **Bullish**: Sold 31,417 shares (~$1.36 million). Its stock rose ~5% that day as Middle East tensions eased, lifting market sentiment. ### Increases: - **Netflix**: Bought 26,161 shares (~$2.54 million). Though the streamer reported Q1 revenue of $12.25 billion and profit of $5.28 billion (slightly beating expectations), its stock fell nearly 10% on April 18. - **Alamar Biosciences**: Bought 537,463 shares (~$11.96 million). The biotech surged ~33% on its Nasdaq debut,

April 18th, per Lookonchain monitoring, the well-known trader wallet address J3jfq8—who previously netted over 3,500x returns on MOODENG—executed another trade 4 hours ago: spending 10,000 USDC to purchase roughly 1.12 million SPIKE tokens. Looking back at past trades, this address opened a position when MOODENG’s market cap was just ~$320,000: using 8.1 SOL (roughly $1,072 at the time) to buy 33.4 million tokens. It later sold in batches via DEXs and MEXC, realizing total profits of at least $3.8 million—an over 3,500x return. Analysts note this wallet’s latest move could spark short-term capital inflows from followers. However, such high-volatility assets carry significant risks, with returns heavily dependent on early liquidity access and precise exit timing. BlockBeats Note: Most meme coins lack practical utility and see extreme price swings. Exercise caution to protect your assets and avoid FOMO (fear of missing out).