Expert Opinion: Stablecoins are not considered "prohibited items" in the criminal law sense

December 2nd — **Macro & Policy Updates** The U.S. ISM Manufacturing PMI for November hit 48.2, marking its ninth straight month in contraction territory. Market hopes for a rebound failed to materialize, reinforcing expectations of Fed rate cuts. Meanwhile, recession fears flared again as economic outlook uncertainty deepened. Trump is accelerating internal transitions, and the “shadow effect” of his incoming Fed chair pick is already emerging early. Markets fear monetary policy guidance could face dual-signal confusion over the next six months, potentially triggering sharp swings in the dollar and rate expectations. **Crypto Market Volatility** Amid macro and policy noise, the crypto market hit another bout of volatility overnight. Bitcoin (BTC) rebounded from lows to near $87,000, though its overall structure remains in a weak repair phase. Short-term focus centers on whether BTC can break above the $88k liquidation level. A failure to clear this smoothly could send

On Monday, December 2, Tom Lee told CNBC’s *Squawk Box* the S&P 500 is primed for a year-end “melt-up.” He stressed 7,200–7,300 points isn’t a fantasy—it’s a target “very likely to be achieved in December.” To cut through ambiguity, he flatly stated: “I am very bullish.” Lee argues traders are overlooking three critical factors: liquidity, capitulation selling, and the current time window. The market’s biggest tailwind has arrived, he noted: “Quantitative tightening (QT) is now ending.” With the Fed poised to cut rates this month and its balance sheet contraction halting after nearly three years, Lee believes a liquidity surge could be explosive. He added that institutional sentiment has cracked in closed-door meetings: many fund managers are “throwing in the towel” and planning to coast until January. If December delivers strong momentum, Lee expects a wave of FOMO (fear of missing out) buying—driven by fear of career-threatening underperformance—to kick off. This classic “perfo

December 2nd, Web3 robotics firm XMAQUINA announced it has closed a new funding round. The round was led by Borderless, with participation from Waterdrip Capital, vVv, Clairvoyant Labs, and strategic angel investors from Arkstream Capital, LD Capital, and KuCoin Ventures. Its terms align with those of the third wave of the prior Genesis Auction. XMAQUINA added it will host a community presale with strategic partners ahead of its final Token Generation Event (TGE). Full details will be released in the coming weeks.

On December 2nd, renowned German financial journalist Holger Zsch?pitz noted that amid Japan’s rate hike, investors have started rethinking yen-funded arbitrage trades—with Bitcoin now nearly perfectly correlated to the yen.

On December 2, Franklin Templeton Digital Assets posted on X (formerly Twitter) that its Franklin Crypto Index ETF has added ADA, LINK, DOGE, SOL, XLM, and XRP tokens. Previously, the fund only held ETH and BTC.

December 2nd. On a Sunday episode of the *People by WTF* podcast, Elon Musk emphasized that AI and robotics technology will grow increasingly critical—with the goods and services output from these fields set to overshadow all other sectors. When asked which stock he’d still invest in at current prices, Musk named two "Big Seven" companies: Alphabet (GOOGL.O), Google’s parent firm, and NVIDIA (NVDA.O). He highlighted Alphabet’s massive foundation for AI value creation: last month, the company launched the well-received Gemini 3 AI model, and its chips have earned growing praise. For NVIDIA, Musk called it a "clear" choice, noting its leadership in the AI race and partnerships with nearly all major industry players. Beyond AI and robotics, Musk added that space travel-focused companies are worth considering as potential investments. His private firm SpaceX leads the launch industry, though public players like Rocket Lab are seeking to challenge its dominance.