ByteDance Plans to Invest $23 Billion in Artificial Intelligence

April 2nd — Per CoinDesk, crypto asset manager Grayscale says Middle East geopolitical tensions have pushed crypto investors into a wait-and-see stance, dimming the previously improving macro backdrop. “The Iran conflict nearly overshadowed all other market dynamics in March,” the report noted. Before tensions escalated, global economic growth had positive momentum and central banks were leaning toward rate cuts. But a sharp rise in oil prices stoked inflation concerns, lifted rate-hike expectations, and pressured risk assets. Since the Middle East conflict flared, the crypto market has seen sharp swings but remained range-bound, with trends closely tied to oil price headline volatility and risk sentiment. Bitcoin dropped to around $60,000 amid initial escalation, then rebounded to near the lower end of $70,000 before pulling back as tensions persisted and macro conditions tightened. The latest round of escalation saw Bitcoin shed roughly 10% from its March peak. Still, Bitcoin h

April 2 — Prediction market platform Pumpcade has closed a $1 million pre-seed funding round, with Pump.fun leading the round and participation from Foundation Capital and angel investor RadioSolace, per The Block. The funds will fuel the development of an arcade gaming experience integrated into Pump.fun’s real-time chat platform.

U.S. stocks opened lower on April 2: the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) fell 1.01%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.93%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.40%. Crypto-related stocks were broadly lower, with notable movers including Gemini (GEMI) down 6.78%, Sharplink Gaming (SBET) 6.04% lower, Bitmine (BMNR) off 5.92%, Bit Digital (BTBT) down 5.49%, Circle (CRCL) 5.30% lower, Robinhood (HOOD) off 4.66%, Coinbase (COIN) down 4.61%, and Bullish (BLSH) 4.11% lower.

Citi said on April 2 that global oil supply could face a shortfall of 440,000 barrels per day (bpd). If some Gulf states reject Iran’s so-called “transit fee,” the shortfall could widen to 800,000 bpd. (Golden Ten)

On April 2, per MLM Monitor, crypto whale "Loracle" transferred 450k HYPE tokens (valued at ~$15.5M) from HyperEVM to HyperCore and began selling them roughly 20 minutes ago.