April 21: Fed Chair nominee Powell said the cost of living may be an even more pressing issue. (FXStreet)

April 21 — Federal Reserve Chair nominee Powell delivered his prepared opening statement at the Senate confirmation hearing. (FXStreet)

On April 21, per Bitget market data, the Nasdaq extended its gains, hitting a new intraday all-time high of 24,537.58 points.

On April 21, monetsupply.eth—Strategy Officer at Spark—raised concerns about Aave’s decision to unfreeze its Ethereum core WETH market, arguing the move could be heavily exploited under the current interest rate model and market conditions. He noted the adjustment may enable LST/LRT holders to build high-leverage loop positions, worsening withdrawal challenges for aEthWETH during periods of market liquidity stress. Using the weETH loop strategy as an example, he pointed out the asset trades at an ~0.5% discount. This could generate ~8% in composite base yield when it reverts to parity, and still deliver ~2.85% in spread income even under Aave’s ~5.15% borrowing rate cap. Combined with a maximum leverage of ~14x, the strategy’s theoretical returns could be significantly amplified and nearly immune to liquidation in a high-utilization environment. monetsupply.eth added the mechanism may also create extra revenue opportunities for arbitrageurs against market discounts, exacerbati

April 21 — Market sources report that Ramp, backed by top Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, will enable payments and spending through stablecoin channels using Plasma.

FX168: Maersk said on April 21 that vessels should avoid the Strait of Hormuz.