Analysis: Yen Carry Trade has significantly shrunk, Bitcoin may strengthen after the Bank of Japan's policy pressure is released

On December 14, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said: “Cryptocurrencies help establish property rights for all, a sound monetary system, and free trade. That said, they’re not a panacea and still need institutional reforms—including regulation and anti-corruption measures.”

On December 14th, per Onchain Lens data, a newly created wallet withdrew 300 BTC—valued at $26.7 million—from Binance.

December 14 — A Financial Times analysis noted that, given European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde’s view the bank is in a “good place,” investors widely expect the ECB to hold its benchmark interest rate steady at 2% next week, shifting focus to its economic forecasts instead. Lagarde said this week rate-setters may again raise their eurozone growth projections at the meeting. These upgraded growth outlooks, paired with persistent inflation, have recently led traders to boost bets on an ECB rate hike next year. Still, with debate lingering over a potential shift in monetary policy direction and forward market pricing changes only emerging in recent weeks, traders will closely watch for clues on the timing of rate hikes. Any policy signal adjustments are expected to be subtle. George Mollard, eurozone economist at Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets (RBC CM), said he does not expect the ECB to raise rates before 2026, as “the cyclical tailwind may prove temporary.”

December 14th — The UK’s Financial Times noted that the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report due next Tuesday will include October and November data, finally giving policymakers and investors a more complete view of the U.S. labor market and ending months of incomplete visibility. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates to a three-year low following a contentious meeting this week, with several officials dissenting. The debate centered on whether to prioritize tackling high inflation or a weak labor market. Citigroup economists flagged that the upcoming employment report may send mixed signals. The bank projects a drop of roughly 45,000 jobs in October but a gain of 80,000 in November. Citi economists noted this rebound likely stems more from seasonal data adjustments than a “genuine pickup in worker demand.” They also project the unemployment rate will tick up from 4.4% to 4.52%, while a Reuters survey of economists forecasts a 4.4% rate. The Fed’s own quarterly projections peg the media

On December 14, CoinDesk reported that YO Labs—the development team behind crypto yield optimization protocol YO Protocol—has closed a $10 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Foundation Capital, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Scribble Ventures and Launchpad Capital. To date, the company has raised a total of $24 million across all funding rounds. YO Labs plans to allocate the new capital toward expanding the YO Protocol to additional blockchains and upgrading its infrastructure.

On December 14, market data shows RAVE briefly surged more than 26% following news of its listing on Binance’s Coin-Margined Perpetual Futures. It is currently trading at $0.4866, with a market capitalization of approximately $112 million.