U.S. Initial Jobless Claims for the Week Ending December 20th totaled 214,000, with an expectation of 224,000.

On December 24, crypto firm Circle’s CircleMetals division announced it’s expanding its platform into tokenized precious metals, per Decrypt. The new service lets users seamlessly swap USDC for tokenized gold (GLDC) and silver (SILC) at real-time market rates, with deep liquidity tied to COMEX reference pricing. ### Notes on American English adjustments: 1. **Conciseness**: Used "per Decrypt" (common in U.S. news briefs) instead of "according to Decrypt"; swapped "convert" for "swap" (industry-standard for crypto asset exchanges). 2. **Clarity**: Added "crypto firm" to contextually identify Circle; specified "division" for CircleMetals (avoids ambiguity). 3. **Flow**: Restructured to lead with key news (announcement) before details; used "tied to" (natural for linking liquidity to reference markets) instead of "from". 4. **Colloquial precision**: "Real-time market rates" (preferred over "prices" for asset swaps) and "lets users" (casual, brief for briefs) align with U.S. b

December 24th: The S&P 500 Index hit an intraday all-time high, gaining 0.16%, per market data.

**U.S. Markets, Federal Agencies Set for Christmas Holiday Closures** U.S. stock markets will close early on Wednesday, December 24, due to the Christmas holiday. Trading will conclude at 2:00 AM Beijing time on Thursday, December 25, and markets will remain closed for the full day on Thursday. Trading in CME precious metals, energy, forex and stock index futures contracts will wrap up early today, while ICE Brent crude futures will also close early. Additionally, former President Trump signed an executive order directing U.S. federal government agencies to observe a three-day holiday from December 24 through December 26. (Source: FXStreet)

On December 24, CoinDesk reported that the European Union’s latest digital asset tax transparency regulations will take effect on January 1, 2026—marking a major shift in how the bloc regulates crypto activities. Known as DAC8, the rule builds on the EU’s longstanding framework for tax administrative cooperation, expanding its scope to cover crypto assets and service providers. Under the new rules, crypto service providers (including exchanges and brokers) must collect and submit detailed user and transaction data to their national tax authorities, which will then share this information with other EU member states’ tax agencies. For crypto users, the enforcement implications are more stringent. If tax authorities uncover tax avoidance or evasion, DAC8 allows local regulators—with support from their counterparts in other EU countries—to take action. This cross-border collaboration grants the authority to freeze or seize crypto assets tied to unpaid taxes, even if those assets or p

December 24th — Per Arkham Monitoring, a whale trader has secured $12.5 million in combined realized and unrealized gains from a 2-month-old BTC short position. Due to the unusually long holding period, the trade’s funding fees alone total a notable $9.6 million. The trader also holds $3.5 million worth of BTCB on the BNB Chain.

On December 24th, The Information reported that OpenAI is considering running ads within ChatGPT.