The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

On April 13, U.S. President Trump proposed a maritime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to pressure Iran into making concessions in negotiations. U.S. Central Command stated the blockade would target vessels entering or exiting Iranian ports and has a set start time. Multiple security and military experts have noted a maritime blockade is effectively an act of war—one requiring massive naval power to sustain long-term, lacking a clear exit strategy, presenting high execution challenges, and raising doubts about its sustainability. Dana Stroul, for instance, said the move would be hard to pull off alone and may not hold up over the medium to long term. Analysts warn the blockade could trigger reciprocal retaliation from Iran. Former U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Gary Roughhead cautioned Iran might attack Gulf shipping or U.S. military installations in the Middle East, escalating regional conflict further. Additionally, the strategy faces complex practical hurdles during implementation:

**April 13 Flash Update** U.S.-Iran talks collapsed Wednesday, with potential Strait of Hormuz blockade risks stoking fears of energy price spikes and renewed inflation—weakening bets the Federal Reserve will cut rates this year. Traders now push back the first rate cut to mid-2027, per current pricing. Latest data: U.S. March CPI rose 0.9% month-over-month (biggest gain since 2022), pushing the 10-year Treasury yield above 4.3% to ~4.35% in recent trading. Japan’s 10-year government bond yield hit a 1997 high, while Australian/New Zealand bond yields rose in tandem—pressuring global bonds broadly. Institutional views: Energy gains are creating a “supply-side inflation shock.” A resilient U.S. labor market leaves the Fed with no short-term rate-cut urgency. Firms like PIMCO, Brandywine Global, and Natixis are taking a wait-and-see stance, waiting for clearer inflation trends. Market shift: From recession worries to inflation dominance. Sustained high oil prices or an extende

April 13th: Per Lookonchain monitoring, the address starting with 0x3386 has opened a 25x short position on 6,700 ETH (roughly $14.71 million). The entry price is $2,209.38, with a liquidation price of $2,218.7 — meaning the position will be liquidated if ETH rises by just ~$9. At press time, the position’s unrealized profit stands at $115,100.

On April 13, Li Xiaohua—founder of Liquid Capital (formerly LD Capital)—noted that peace talks typically shift from discord to consensus. Amid current conditions, incentives for all sides to keep fighting are fading, and the conflict is gradually moving toward resolution. “Whether the conflict drags on until neither side has reason to fight, or parties hold out waiting for a rebound without locking in profits, the moment an agreement is reached will be a bullish candlestick,” he said. He also noted that medium-to-long term, markets are broadly bracing for a potential large-scale financial crisis. Defensive positioning has emerged on the capital side: large investors are holding high cash balances, and sovereign entities are ramping up gold holdings. A fresh crisis in this scenario would be a critical test of Bitcoin’s safe-haven credentials—and could also present key buying opportunities at lower levels. Additionally, Li says AI is unlocking a new wave of opportunities for top

April 13: Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said the city is taking a “small-step-fast-walk” approach to stablecoin regulation—starting with a small number of licenses, which require applicants to have real-world use cases. A second batch of licenses will be issued after rolling out the first and learning from the experience. Chan noted stablecoins and digital assets fall under financial innovation, so the city must balance encouraging growth with managing risks—including anti-money laundering (AML) rules and other regulatory safeguards. He emphasized stablecoins offer decentralization and efficiency benefits but are fundamentally payment tools, not investments. Additionally, Chan said given the current international backdrop and security landscape, Hong Kong must stay highly vigilant, pursuing “active defense” by boosting its financial market competitiveness and global reach. The government and financial institutions have set up a 24/7 cross-market monitoring system to kee

April 13: As BTC saw a slight retracement today, HYPE rebounded above $41, per data from HyperInsight monitoring (via their Telegram channel @HyperInsight). A whale that has long profited from a BTC long strategy—whose “long BTC, resilient to altcoin price drops” play is once again under pressure—has recorded $1.9M in outflows this week. Current holdings for the address (0x939f95036d2e7b6d7419ec072bf9d967352204d2): - BTC Long (40x leverage): Position size = $30.06M, average entry price = $70,557 - HYPE Short (5x leverage): Position size = $23.03M, average entry price = $38.93 The whale began building positions during HYPE’s last surge, completing its full position by March 20 with a total size of ~$53M. Since establishing the positions, the net loss across both is ~$1.32M; the combined position remains unprofitable.