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

On May 9, Coinglass data shows Bitcoin dropped below the $80k mark, with current funding rates across major centralized (CEX) and decentralized (DEX) exchanges reflecting bearish market sentiment. Specific funding rates are displayed in the attached chart. ### BlockBeats Note A funding rate is a fee set by crypto exchanges to keep contract prices aligned with underlying asset values, typically applicable to perpetual contracts. It’s a funding exchange mechanism between long and short traders—**the trading platform does not charge this fee**. It adjusts the costs or profits of contract holders to ensure contract prices stay close to underlying asset prices. ### Key Funding Rate Context - A 0.01% rate marks the baseline. - Rates above 0.01% signal a broadly bullish market. - Rates below 0.005% point to a broadly bearish market.

On May 9, Bitget market data indicates the S&P 500 Index reached a new high of 7,400 points, with an intraday gain of 0.84%.

Per Coinglass data, total crypto liquidations hit $188 million in the 24 hours through May 9, with long positions accounting for $117 million and short positions totaling $70.9 million. ### Notes on American English adaptation: 1. **Conciseness**: Used "hit" (common in market updates for urgency) instead of "reached"; omitted redundant "the total value of positions" (liquidations inherently refer to value). 2. **Clarity**: Added "crypto" to specify the market (standard in U.S. financial/blockchain news); used "through May 9" (natural for "past 24 hours ending on May 9"). 3. **Flow**: Avoided repeated "totaling" by switching to "accounting for" for long positions (variety without losing meaning). 4. **Casual precision**: Kept numbers consistent (no unnecessary decimals for shorts, matching U.S. news brevity). If you prefer ultra-brief (typical for crypto news alerts): *Per Coinglass, total crypto liquidations hit $188M in 24h through May 9: $117M longs, $70.9M shorts.*

On May 9, Bitget market data shows Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) jumped nearly 8%, pushing its market capitalization above $710 billion to a record high. Intel (INTC.O) also rose nearly 8%, with its market cap approaching $600 billion, hitting a new all-time high.

May 8 – Per Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the Persian Gulf crisis has subsided, with the situation now calm.

On May 8, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that a senior Iranian lawmaker stated the U.S. naval blockade will now face a military response from Iran.