Edgen Crypto·Dec 02 2025, 19:27
[1] Stock Price For Crypto Firm American Bitcoin—Founded By Trump’s Son—Plummets 40% - Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025 ...)[2] Bitcoin Price Tumbles as Cryptocurrencies Come Under Pressure Again; Strategy Stock Plunges - Investopedia (https://www.investopedia.com/bitcoin-price-tu ...)[3] Stocks fall to their first loss in six days as bitcoin tumbles - Los Angeles Times (https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-1 ...)
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Dec 02 2025, 19:33
AI Investment Boom Forecast to Drive Global GDP and Reshape Digital Infrastructure Market
## Executive Summary Financial institutions, led by a bullish forecast from Bank of America, anticipate that sustained capital investment in Artificial Intelligence will be a primary driver of global economic growth through 2026. This wave of spending is not only projected to elevate the GDP of major economies like the U.S. and China but is also creating a robust secondary market for digital infrastructure. The demand for data centers, power, and specialized hardware is creating significant opportunities for chipmakers, infrastructure funds, and even cryptocurrency mining firms, signaling a structural shift in the market. ## The Event in Detail Bank of America projects that the AI-driven capital investment cycle will be a key factor in boosting global economic output into 2026. This sentiment is echoed by other institutions; **Standard Chartered** recently upgraded its 2026 GDP growth forecast for China to 4.6%, citing gains in productivity. The scale of this investment is substantial. According to research from Goldman Sachs and Fidelity, the largest data center operators, including **Amazon**, **Alphabet**, **Meta**, and **Microsoft**, are on a trajectory to spend approximately $405 billion in 2025. This figure is expected to climb to $533 billion in 2026. This spending is overwhelmingly directed at building out AI-optimized data centers, a trend supported by a Goldman Sachs survey indicating that 44% of institutional investors expect technology, media, and telecom stocks to outperform in 2026. ## Market Implications The primary beneficiaries of this capital influx are the "picks and shovels" providers of the AI gold rush. **NVIDIA (NVDA)**, which commands an estimated 90% of the AI data center GPU market, remains a core holding for technology-focused funds. Fidelity's Select Technology Portfolio, for example, allocates over 25% of its assets to the chipmaker. The demand extends to physical infrastructure, with investment firms like **DigitalBridge Group** raising massive funds, such as its recent $11.7 billion vehicle, to finance the construction of data centers. This has also created unconventional beneficiaries. Bitcoin mining operations, including **IREN** and **Cipher Mining**, have successfully pivoted to leasing their powerful data center infrastructure to AI companies, leading to triple-digit percentage gains in their stock values. Furthermore, the boom is causing a ripple effect in the real economy, with a shortage of skilled labor leading to wage jumps of 25-30% for construction workers on data center projects. ## Expert Commentary Industry experts view this trend as a long-term cycle rather than a temporary surge. Adam Benjamin, portfolio manager at Fidelity, stated, "I expect the ‘picks and shovels’ that have brought the AI train this far — graphics processing units, high-speed memory, and data centers — to continue to be integral to successive improvements in 2026 and beyond." He also noted that while this benefits infrastructure players, traditional software companies "could be at risk of major disruption." However, the path is not without challenges. Leslie Golden, Global Head of Capital Formation at **DigitalBridge**, identified the two biggest hurdles as "access to capital and access to power." To mitigate long-term risk, her firm focuses on building multipurpose data centers that can be repurposed from AI workloads to general cloud services if demand shifts. This cautious approach underscores the potential for future market corrections or overbuilding. ## Broader Context The scale of AI investment is now large enough to have macroeconomic implications, influencing GDP forecasts and highlighting the critical role of digital infrastructure in the modern economy. While investor sentiment is overwhelmingly bullish, as confirmed by Goldman Sachs' client survey, the same report identifies a potential "AI downshift" as a major risk to equities. The intense demand for capital and power may also become gating items for growth, with some financial underwriters becoming more stringent on complex deals. The current boom, while powerful, hinges on continued growth in AI model complexity and the ability of the market to finance and power its expansion.
Dec 02 2025, 19:30
Bitcoin Volatility Premium Over VIX Widens, Signaling Pair Trade Opportunities Amid Market Rout
## The Event in Detail The spread between the **Bitcoin Volatility Index (BVIV)** and the **CBOE Volatility Index (VIX)**, which measures the S&P 500's expected volatility, has widened to a notable degree. This divergence follows a sharp downturn in the digital asset market, where **Bitcoin (BTC)** prices fell from a weekend high of approximately $91,000 to below $85,000. The broader **CoinDesk 20 (CD20) Index** declined by nearly 6% in 24 hours. Volmageddon's BVIV, which tracks 30-day implied volatility for Bitcoin, surged to over 55% during Asian trading hours before settling around 53%. The sell-off triggered over $637 million in liquidations across the crypto market, with more than $430 million originating from altcoins. Tokens such as **Zcash (ZEC)**, **Ethena (ENA)**, and **Celestia (TIA)** experienced significant losses of 20%, 16%, and 14%, respectively. ## Market Implications The widening volatility premium has opened the door for sophisticated pair trading strategies. This involves traders taking opposing positions in the two indices to capitalize on their relative movements. For example, a trader might short BVIV futures while going long on VIX futures, betting that the spread will narrow. Such strategies require significant capital and continuous monitoring, making them more suitable for institutional investors and hedge funds. The market rout has also heavily impacted crypto-related equities. Shares of **Coinbase (COIN)** and **Robinhood (HOOD)** fell more than 6%, while **Strategy (MSTR)**, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, saw its stock plunge by 11%. This reflects growing investor anxiety and a broader risk-off sentiment. ## Expert Commentary Analysts at **Deutsche Bank** attribute the crypto sell-off to a combination of institutional selling, profit-taking by long-term holders, and a more hawkish outlook from the U.S. Federal Reserve. The uncertainty is compounded by stalled crypto regulation in the United States. In contrast, investment bank **Benchmark** reiterated a "buy" rating for **Strategy (MSTR)**, rejecting what it calls a "doom narrative." Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer noted that Bitcoin's price would need to fall below $12,700—a decline of approximately 86% from current levels—before the company would be unable to service its convertible debt obligations. This commentary came even as **Strategy CEO Phong Le** acknowledged the possibility of selling Bitcoin if the company's market value relative to its Bitcoin holdings falls significantly. ## Broader Context The recent market volatility is not occurring in a vacuum. Hawkish remarks from **Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda**, hinting at a potential interest rate hike, have put pressure on global risk assets. A stronger yen could force hedge funds to unwind the "yen carry trade"—a strategy of borrowing yen at low interest rates to invest in higher-yielding assets like Bitcoin. This macro headwind is contributing to a flight to safety, evidenced by a $3.6 billion outflow from spot Bitcoin ETFs in November, while traditional safe-haven assets like gold have seen futures rise nearly 7%. The current conditions are testing Bitcoin's integration into diversified investment portfolios, raising questions about whether this is a short-term correction or a more sustained market adjustment.
Dec 02 2025, 19:23
Unlimit Launches Stable.com Amidst Growing Competition in Stablecoin Infrastructure
## Executive Summary Unlimit's launch of Stable.com introduces a new non-custodial platform for stablecoin swaps and global off-ramps, intensifying competition in the digital asset payment sector. The move positions the company in a rapidly evolving market where regulated banks and established fintech firms are also deploying significant resources to build the infrastructure for stablecoin-based finance, signaling a broader convergence of blockchain technology and traditional banking. ## The Event in Detail **Unlimit** has debuted **Stable.com**, a platform designed to simplify stablecoin-to-fiat conversions and swaps between different stablecoins. The service operates on a non-custodial basis, which means it does not take possession of users' funds during transactions. This model is a key differentiator, appealing to users who prioritize security and direct control over their digital assets. The platform's stated goal is to provide seamless global off-ramps, enabling users to convert their stablecoin holdings into traditional currency more efficiently. ## Market Implications The introduction of **Stable.com** comes as the stablecoin market, with reported annual transaction volumes exceeding $20 trillion, sees a surge in infrastructure development from both crypto-native companies and traditional financial players. **Cross River**, a regulated U.S. bank, recently launched a **USDC** payments platform that integrates directly with its core banking system. Cross River's offering, which supports both the **Ethereum** and **Solana** blockchains, is aimed at enterprise use cases like merchant payouts and treasury management, unifying fiat and stablecoin flows within a single, compliant system. Unlimit's non-custodial approach presents a clear alternative to such bank-integrated models. While banks offer regulatory certainty and unified treasury management, non-custodial platforms appeal to a segment of the market that is wary of institutional control and counterparty risk. ## Expert Commentary The strategic decisions surrounding stablecoin infrastructure are becoming critical for all financial participants. According to Mark Nichols, a Principal at **EY**, both banks and corporations must formulate clear strategies to avoid being left behind. > "The banking community and the corporate community both need to have really clear, coherent stablecoin strategies... The battle here for me is who's going to own that wallet, but also who's going to own that infrastructure layer." Experts note a divergence in strategy. Large money-center banks are treating stablecoins as an additional payment rail to boost internal efficiencies, whereas smaller institutions are more focused on simply enabling clients to send and receive funds via these new channels. For corporations, the strategic question is whether to build proprietary digital wallets to own the customer relationship or to rely on banks as their financial hub. ## Broader Context The development of stablecoin platforms is a core component of a wider payment modernization trend. As financial services become increasingly digitized, the underlying infrastructure, or "rails," that moves money is becoming commoditized. The strategic focus is shifting from controlling the rails to owning the user-facing application—the digital wallet. As one expert noted, owning the wallet means owning the customer relationship, which is considered the ultimate strategic prize. > "Once you own that wallet, you own that relationship. That's a strategic win." This competition is unfolding amid an evolving regulatory landscape. The passage of legislative frameworks, such as the recently enacted "Genius Act," is setting new standards for stablecoin issuance and reserves. Such regulations are forcing market participants to adapt their business models, particularly those that relied on generating yield from stablecoin reserves. The launch of platforms like **Stable.com** underscores the industry-wide push to build compliant, user-friendly bridges between the traditional and digital economies.