Stocks

Bitcoin and Ether revisited more-than-two-week lows as markets reacted to US President Donald Trump's new tariff threats. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 fell 1.9%, gold hit a record, and total crypto capitalization slipped to $2.71 trillion, down from nearly $3 trillion the prior Wednesday.

At 00:25, Bitcoin fell $2,000 in minutes to $86,888 on Coinbase after over $360 million in leveraged longs were liquidated, a 9% slide over 48 hours. Gold futures reached $4,820, edging toward $5,000. U.S. stocks posted their worst day since October 10, while futures later showed modest gains.

NYSE said it is developing an on-chain platform to trade and settle tokenized U.S. equities and ETFs, and will seek regulatory approvals for a proposed venue built on that infrastructure. According to ICE, the system targets 24/7 operations, instant settlement, dollar-sized orders, and stablecoin-based funding, with post-trade systems capable of supporting multiple chains for settlement and custody.

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (DJT) said it will distribute a new digital token to shareholders, setting a record date of February 2, 2026. Eligible recipients include ultimate beneficial owners and registered holders with at least one DJT share, and the tokens will be minted with Crypto.com and held in custody before distribution.

Delaware Life Insurance Company will offer a BlackRock-built index across three fixed indexed annuities, blending U.S. equities with a risk-managed Bitcoin allocation sourced via the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, so investors do not own BTC directly. The approach targets roughly 12% volatility while preserving principal under annuity terms, and the company reported topping $40 billion in cumulative annuity sales as of November 2025.

On January 20, 2026, Delaware Life Insurance Company, a Group 1001 subsidiary with $60B in assets under management, introduced BlackRock's U.S. Equity Bitcoin Balanced Risk 12% Index into three fixed indexed annuity products. The strategy uses the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF to provide Bitcoin price exposure while maintaining principal protection features and targeting 12% volatility. This move makes Delaware Life the first U.S. insurer to integrate cryptocurrency-linked exposure into its annuity structure.

Chainlink announced on Tuesday that it is rolling out 24/5 U.S. Equities Streams to supply onchain market data for tokenized stocks and ETFs. The solution, tied to the Chainlink Data Standard integrated with 40 blockchains, will be adopted by platforms such as Lighter and BitMEX to extend trading beyond regular hours.

On January 15 in Las Vegas, BitMine Immersion Technologies secured 81% shareholder approval to boost its authorized share count, backing its equity-funded plan to grow its Ethereum holdings. The firm now holds 4,203,036 ETH, or about 3.48% of the 120.7 million ETH in circulation, while BMNR shares closed 8% lower at $28.35 on January 20 with heavy, though below-average, trading volume. BitMine also detailed a $200 million investment agreement in Beast Industries linked to Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, which is expected to close this week.

In 2025, the U.S. labor market added about 580,000 jobs, the smallest annual increase since the COVID-19 pandemic and far below the 2 million positions created in 2024. Unemployment stood near 4.4% in December 2025, with roughly 7.5 million people jobless and millions more either wanting work or stuck in part-time roles for economic reasons. Analysts point to inflation, tariffs, corporate cost-cutting, AI-driven automation and a low quit rate as key forces behind the hiring freeze, and expect labor conditions in early 2026 to resemble 2025 even if unemployment gradually stabilizes later in the year.

On January 20, 2026, Chainlink introduced 24/5 U.S. Equities Streams to deliver stock and ETF market data across more than 40 blockchains. The feeds include bid/ask prices and volumes, mid and last trade, staleness checks, and status flags, enabling DeFi protocols to build equity perps, prediction markets, and other products beyond standard U.S. trading hours.