The U.S. Senate Banking Committee Advances the "Financial Transparency and Regulatory Compliance Act"

**March 15: Market Brief** The U.S.-Iran-Israel conflict has entered its third week, with ongoing energy market volatility emerging as a critical concern. Rising oil prices are stoking inflation, eroding corporate profitability—and setting the stage for a challenging market environment ahead. Next week, seven major central banks will release interest rate decisions, leaving markets navigating high uncertainty. ### **Market Spotlight: Federal Reserve** - **Thursday, 2:00 AM ET**: Fed FOMC releases interest rate decision + Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) - **Thursday, 2:30 AM ET**: Fed Chair Jerome Powell holds a monetary policy press conference Markets widely expect the Fed to hold rates steady. Recent macro data have upended the Fed’s rate outlook, and this is Powell’s second-to-last meeting, so a balanced, cautious tone is likely. All eyes will be on the **SEP and dot plot**: expectations for two rate cuts have dimmed amid the latest oil price surge. ### **O

On March 15th, Santiment released a report noting that **whale wallets holding 10 to 10,000 bitcoins shifting to accumulation is a bullish signal**. Per Santiment’s data, this group of whales currently controls **68.17% of the total bitcoin supply**—up from 68.07% seven days ago. Santiment adds that if whales keep accumulating bitcoin while retail investors’ share begins to decline, bitcoin may be forming a **local bottom**.

March 15 – Per ChainInfo, the whale that opened an $84 million BTC/ETH long position on Hyperliquid on March 9 has closed that position, shifting instead to spot ETH on the platform. The whale purchased 12,027 spot ETH for $24.87 million, at an average price of $2,068 per ETH.

On March 15, GSR Content Lead Frank Chaparro posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Tether has disclosed at least $1.6 billion in investments over the past few months, including: - Right-wing social platform Rumble: $785 million - Gold royalty project Elemental Royalty: $250 million - Iconic Italian soccer club Juventus FC: $150 million - Gold asset manager Gold.com: $150 million - **Crypto asset manager Anchorage Digital: $100 million** - Gold Royalty: Over $90 million - **Robotics project Generative Bionics: $82 million** - **Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoin payment infrastructure firm Speed1: $8 million** - Digital asset infrastructure platform Parfin: Undisclosed amount - Agriculture company Adecoagro: Undisclosed amount Note: Adjusted "football" to "soccer" (standard U.S. terminology for the sport) and formatted links/platforms for natural U.S. English readability.

March 15 — Two Indian LPG carriers, the *Shivalik* and *Nanda Devi*, have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, carrying 92,700 tons of cargo to India. The move follows high-level diplomatic talks between India, Iran, the U.S., and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), avoiding the need for U.S. military escort. Analysts note China and India account for over 52% of all oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz. If Tehran grants safe passage to its top two clients, over half the strait’s normal traffic could resume immediately. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline can transport 7 million barrels of crude oil daily, bypassing the strait. This news may have pressured crude oil futures: Hyperliquid’s contract fell below $100 in early trading and was last at $98.1.

On March 15, The Kobeissi Letter cited JPMorgan data showing the G7’s coordinated release of strategic oil reserves will only deliver roughly 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd). Historically, the peak emergency oil release hit about 1.4 million bpd. However, ongoing oil field modernization and lower inventories mean the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s operational flexibility may now fall below its 2022 level of 1 million bpd. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz blockage has stranded some 16 million bpd of crude in the Persian Gulf daily. The 1.2 million bpd release covers just 7.5% of that 16 million bpd supply shortfall. Analysts emphasize emergency reserves can only buy time—they cannot replace lost supply or resolve supply bottlenecks.