US Stock Futures Dive Further

April 28th — Oil prices climbed again as U.S.-Iran negotiations remained deadlocked and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted, with WTI crude topping $100 a barrel and both WTI and Brent rising more than 2% intraday. The White House said U.S. President Trump and his national security team reviewed Iran’s latest proposal. Iran is seeking to resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting port blockades and ceasing hostilities. However, Trump stated sanctions will only be eased once the agreement is “100% implemented,” and the two sides have yet to reach consensus. PVM Oil Associates senior analyst Tamas Varga warned that if the conflict persists, oil hitting $150 is “not impossible.” He noted the global lack of sufficient alternative energy sources to fill supply gaps; if disruptions prolong, supply losses will outpace demand contraction’s impact. Lipow Oil Associates President Andy Lipow added that even if the conflict ends immediately, cleari

April 28 (Monday) — U.S. stocks extended their rally, with the S&P 500 closing up 0.12% at 7173.91 to notch another all-time high. Tom Lee, Fundstrat founder and widely known as the “Wall Street Oracle,” said the market has largely absorbed the impact of the Iran conflict—and he’s sticking to his 2024 S&P 500 target of 7700 points. In a CNBC interview, Lee cited the U.S. economy’s “amazing resilience,” noting the market has passed the latest round of geopolitical stress tests. Even amid ongoing Middle East tensions, he said investor sentiment has become significantly “desensitized.” Lee highlighted three core drivers fueling U.S. stocks now: - Strong corporate earnings: More than 89% of reporting companies have topped estimates; - AI-driven productivity gains starting to materialize; - Private credit market recovery outpacing expectations. Historical data, he added, shows U.S. stocks typically price in major geopolitical conflicts quickly early on and then gradually r

April 28 – Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has asked some crude oil buyers to switch delivery ports from locations inside the Strait of Hormuz to Fujairah Port (on Oman’s Arabian Sea coast), according to market sources, to reduce the impact of regional tensions on energy shipments. Fujairah Port lies outside the Strait of Hormuz, letting oil tankers sail directly into the Arabian Sea without transiting sensitive waters. It’s viewed as a key backup export route for the UAE to prepare for potential strait blockades. The shift is backed by the fully operational ADCOP (Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline to Fujairah), which delivers Abu Dhabi crude directly to an east-coast export terminal, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts say amid ongoing Middle East tensions, the UAE is proactively adjusting its crude export routes to boost supply stability and market appeal via offshore shipments. As more buyers switch to Fujairah for deliveries, the port is evolving from a traditional

On April 28, Binance announced the addition of USD.AI to the 63rd round of its HODLer Airdrop program. Eligible users will qualify for CHIP airdrop rewards based on their BNB holdings in Simple Earn (Flexible/Savings) and On-Chain Yields from March 13 to March 15, 2026. Per the announcement, CHIP is a permissionless lending protocol focused on AI infrastructure financing—allowing GPU operators to tokenize their hardware and use it as collateral for loans. The total airdrop reward for this round totals 25 million CHIP, equivalent to 0.25% of CHIP’s 10 billion total supply. At launch, the token will have a 2 billion circulating supply (20% of the total) and is deployed on both Ethereum and Arbitrum. Binance noted eligible users can expect their airdrop rewards to be credited to their spot accounts within 5 hours of the announcement.

On April 28, Block Inc.—Jack Dorsey’s payment company—released its Q1 2026 Bitcoin Reserve Proof of Reserves (PoR) report, disclosing it held 28,355 BTC as of March 31, worth roughly $2.2 billion at current market prices. Of that total, ~19,357 BTC (valued at ~$1.5 billion) are user custody assets, while the company’s own holdings stand at 8,997 BTC (~$692 million). These reserves have been audited by a third-party firm and cover operations including Square and Cash App. Block emphasized users “should not rely solely on trust but should be able to independently verify Bitcoin reserves,” adding anyone can confirm holdings via on-chain signatures. Notably, since FTX’s collapse, more crypto firms have adopted PoR to boost transparency—though Michael Saylor previously publicly opposed disclosing on-chain reserve addresses, arguing it could create security risks. Per its financial update, Block will release its official Q1 earnings report on May 7. The company posted a Q4 2025 n