Flash In The Pan Already Burned Out: German Economy Loses Its Hormuz Boost

Hungary Backs Away From Crypto Criminalization In Regulatory U-Turn Authored by Micah Zimmerman via BitcoinMagazine.com, Hungary is dismantling the restrictive digital asset framework introduced under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a policy overhaul that will decriminalize crypto trading and eliminate the prison sentences that had driven major platforms from the country, government spokesperson Anita Kobol said Thursday, according to Bloomberg.  The rollback marks a full reversal of legislation that took effect July 1, 2025, after parliament passed rules criminalizing the use of unlicensed exchanges and certain unauthorized high-value crypto transactions.  Those transactions — ranging between 50 million...

Futures Fall, Oil Rises As Mideast Violence Flares Up US futures are but well off session lows, as part of a weaker risk tape after the US and Iran exchanged strikes, fueling doubts whether an end to the war is imminent and crushing hopes for a Hormuz deal (gasp). Overnight, US forces carried out airstrikes on an Iranian military site which Centcom described as "purely defensive" and designed to maintain the ceasefire; it also imposed new sanctions to prevent Tehran from profiting from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz....

California Bans Government Officials From Using Insider Knowledge To Bet On Prediction Markets Authored by Dylan Morgan via The Epoch Times, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday issued an executive order banning state officials from using insider knowledge to profit, or assist another person in profiting, on prediction markets, effective immediately. The governor’s office said there have been mounting reports of individuals in the federal government with access to sensitive government information placing well-timed bets ahead of major Trump administration actions. These reports are currently allegations and have yet to be verified. “Public...