Balance (EPT) will be listed on Binance Alpha and Binance Futures

On December 9, Decrypt reported that Bitcoin’s performance has worsened in the fourth quarter, with its uptrend stalling—prompting Standard Chartered, a UK-based multinational bank and wealth manager, to slash its multi-year price target for the leading cryptocurrency. In a Tuesday report, the bank now projects Bitcoin will hit $100,000 by the end of 2025, down from its prior $200,000 target. While its long-term target remains $500,000, the timeline has been pushed back from 2028 to 2030. The bank cited a reassessment of demand prospects for the downward revision. Standard Chartered analyst Geoffrey Kendrick noted that fading major demand sources and slower-than-expected institutional adoption via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) drove the adjustment to its Bitcoin price forecast.

On December 9, White House Press Secretary Levitt said President Trump will deliver a pro-economy speech in Pennsylvania today.

On December 9, Bitcoin Magazine reported that Binance founder CZ has stated the traditional four-year Bitcoin cycle may now be obsolete, and we could be entering a "super cycle."

On December 9, Wall Street Journal reporter Nick Timiraos—known as the “Fed Whisperer”—wrote that Federal Reserve officials will kick off their final two-day policy meeting of the year on Tuesday. As many as half the officials in the meeting room may not back a rate cut, but the final call rests with Chair Jerome Powell. Despite facing rare dissents, Powell appears ready to push for a rate cut. A key focus of this week’s meeting is whether Powell can line up enough consensus to minimize dissenting votes. One potential path: Cut rates by 25 basis points to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%, then signal a higher bar for future easing via a revised post-meeting statement. Of the Fed’s 12 voting policy committee members, up to 5 have said in speeches or public interviews they see no strong case for a rate cut—along with 10 of the 19 total committee members. At the October rate-cut decision, only one member formally dissented (another board member opposed the move but advocated for a larger cu

December 9th (The Block) — BRN Research Director Timothy Misir said fund inflows into U.S. crypto ETFs reflect “selective positioning rather than broad risk-taking.” While Bitcoin (BTC) continues to lag, altcoins are drawing investor attention. The market is showing early recovery signs, though confidence remains unestablished. “Active address counts are stabilizing and transfer volumes are rising—signs the market is recovering, though it still lags far from true health,” Misir noted in a Tuesday report. “Early recovery signs have emerged, but market confidence remains lacking.” Misir called this week a “macro binary week,” with traders largely opting to wait for Wednesday’s FOMC meeting outcome before acting. Rate-cut expectations are surging, backed by soft ADP employment data and sliding consumer confidence—but U.S. household pessimism and record consumer credit levels have clouded the demand outlook.

On December 9, Bloomberg reported that German automaker BMW Group has begun using a blockchain-based system to automate part of its foreign exchange transactions. This comes as enterprises increasingly look to leverage cryptocurrency's underlying technology to speed up and simplify the multibillion-dollar cross-border payment process. The company is utilizing JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Kinexys platform. When its dollar account balance in New York drops below a set threshold, the system automatically reallocates euros from its Frankfurt account.