Stocks

Bitcoin has underperformed U.S. tech stocks in H2 2025, with the Nasdaq up 17% while BTC fell about 15%, and last week slipping from $94k to below $90k. CPI arrives Thursday (18th) and the BoJ decision Friday (19th December), with Glassnode highlighting a $85.5–$87k liquidation zone and $83k as U.S. spot ETF cost basis, as $94k stands as heavy resistance.

As of December 16, 2025, President Donald Trump's preferred candidate for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Hassett, is meeting resistance from senior advisers, lawmakers, and markets. According to reports, concerns over Fed independence have coincided with Kalshi odds shifting: Hassett at 51% versus more than 80% earlier this month, while Kevin Warsh has risen to 44% from around 11%.

Bitget has opened a private beta that lets a group of users trade forex, gold, commodities and stock derivatives using USDt as margin and settlement. The exchange says positions are collateralized with stablecoins and remain in a restricted testing phase while it monitors performance and risk controls. As other platforms like Kraken and Bybit also add traditional assets, crypto exchanges are increasingly positioning themselves as unified venues for both digital and TradFi markets.

American Bitcoin, backed by Eric Trump, has moved ahead of Anthony Pompliano's ProCap Financial in total corporate Bitcoin holdings after adding over 1,000 BTC since the start of December, bringing its stack to 5,044 BTC worth about $443 million. While both firms continue accumulating BTC and the top 100 public companies now hold more than 1.08 million BTC, their share prices and other Bitcoin proxy stocks have come under heavy pressure amid heightened market volatility.

Microsoft, valued at $3.59 trillion, is projected to reach about $5 trillion in market capitalization by 2026 as it expands artificial intelligence across Azure, Office, Windows and other products. The company has invested roughly $13 billion in OpenAI and holds a 27% stake, yet most of its AI revenue already comes from Azure AI services rather than reselling OpenAI models. Microsoft is also spending heavily on AI infrastructure, including a planned $80 billion outlay through fiscal 2025 and a $5 billion commitment to Anthropic.

On December 15, a Form 8-K showed Strategy acquired 10,645 BTC between December 8 and December 14, spending $980.3 million at an average price of $92,098, funded via equity and preferred stock offerings. The firm's holdings rose to 671,268 BTC, and it recently set up a $1.44 billion cash reserve to cover dividend and debt interest obligations.

Tesla's long-serving directors realized more than $3 billion from legacy option awards as shares surged. The board halted new stock grants in 2020 and froze compensation in 2021 amid litigation. Reported pay from 2018–2024 remained far above peers, while a spokesperson said directors attended 58 meetings in 2024.

Rocket Lab stock advanced in premarket at 7:29 AM EST on December 15, 2025, to $62.80, up $1.31 or 2.13% from the prior close of $61.49. The move followed the company's first dedicated JAXA mission, RAISE And Shine, which lifted off from New Zealand on December 14 and deployed the RAISE-4 satellite.

On December 15, 2025, markets prepared for a backlog of U.S. data delayed by a prolonged government shutdown. The week's schedule features October retail sales and the November jobs report on Tuesday, November CPI and the December Philly Fed index on Thursday, and October PCE, November existing home sales, and Michigan surveys on Friday.

Metaplanet will hold an online extraordinary general meeting on December 22, where shareholders will vote on proposals shaping its Bitcoin strategy and capital structure. The stock has been consolidating around ¥430–440, with RSI in the upper‑50s and MACD turning positive as investors wait for clarity.