Germany: Industrial slump deepens with Middle East shock – ING

ING‘s Carsten Brzeski highlights that German industrial production weakened further in March, with a 0.7% monthly decline leaving first-quarter output more than 1% below late 2025 levels. He notes that the war in the Middle East, soaring energy prices and a sharply narrower trade surplus increase the risk of a downward revision to Germany’s first-quarter GDP growth.  Industrial data signal renewed growth risks  “German industrial production weakened further in March as the war in the Middle East started to take its toll. The just-released industrial data for March illustrate the struggle of German industry to gain momentum in the first quarter of the year. Not only was the February drop revised downwards, with a 0.7% month-on-month decline in March, but industrial production in the full first quarter was more than 1% weaker than in the final quarter of 2025.”  “The March drop was mainly driven by falling production in manufacturing. On a more positive note, activity in the construction sector rebounded somewhat in March. At the same time, export growth slowed to 0.5% MoM, from 4.7% in February.”  “As industrial production is down on the quarter and the trade surplus narrowed significantly in March, a downward revision to the first estimate of first-quarter GDP

05-09

Tether Freezes $500M in USDT in 30 days, BlockSec Data Shows

Tether has also disclosed larger aggregate totals and detailed some of the cases behind them. In February, the company said it had frozen about $4.2 billion in tokens in three years over links to illicit activity, with some $3.5 billion of that amount locked since 2023 as authorities increased efforts to curb crypto-related crime.  In April, Tether said it worked with the US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control and law enforcement agencies to freeze more than $344 million in USDT across two Tron addresses that US officials said were linked to suspected sanctions evasion involving Iran, while in February, Tether helped authorities to seize over $61 million in USDT linked to so-called pig butchering scams.  Stablecoin blacklists fuel wider freeze debate  The growing scale of blacklisting and related seizures has fed into a broader debate over how far crypto issuers and protocols should go in stopping suspect flows.  Some projects in decentralized finance, for example, have used upgradeable contracts and admin controls to halt or recover funds in major exploit cases, raising questions about who decides when such powers are used.  In stablecoins, where issuers such as Tether retain direct control over minting and burning mechanisms, onchain data and enforcement disclosures show that blacklisting

05-09

Outshot By 20? In The NHL Playoffs, That’s Not Always A Problem

The push notification looked like a glitch. The Montreal Canadiens had beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series despite being outshot 29-9. Montreal had only nine shots on goal, went nearly 27 minutes without one, failed to register a single shot in the second period, and still won 2-1 on Alex Newhooks third-period goal. It was the lowest shot total by a winning playoff team since shots on goal became an official statistic in 1959-60.  That would be strange enough as a one-off. But it was not even the first time in this postseason that a team won a playoff game while being outshot by 20. On April 24, the Utah Mammoth beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 3 of their first-round series. Karel Vejmelka made 30 saves for Utah, while Vegas goalie Carter Hart made only eight, and Utah won its first home playoff game in franchise history despite being outshot by the same 20-shot margin.  NHLI via Getty Images  Shot differential is one of hockeys most intuitive numbers. More shots usually suggest more possession, more offensive-zone time, more pressure, and more chances to force a goalie into mistakes. But the Canadiens and Mammoth

05-09

USD/CAD climbs after Canada jobs data surprises to the downside.

USD/CAD edges higher on Friday as softer-than-expected Canadian employment data weighs on the Canadian Dollar (CAD), even as the US Dollar (USD) remains on the back foot following mixed US labor market data and hopes for a US-Iran deal to end the war. At the time of writing, the pair is trading around 1.3694 after briefly testing the 1.3700 mark, its highest level since April 29.  Data released by Statistics Canada showed that Net Change in Employment fell by 17.7K in April, sharply missing market expectations for a 15K increase and reversing the 14.1K gain recorded in March. The Unemployment Rate edged higher to 6.9% from 6.7% previously, while Average Hourly Wages slowed to 4.8% YoY in April from 5.1% in the previous month.  The growing slack in Canadas labor market could force the Bank of Canada (BoC) to reassess its monetary policy outlook, potentially limiting its ability to tighten policy if Oil-driven inflation pressures intensify.  USD/CAD is also on track to end a four-week losing streak as a sharp pullback in Oil prices pressures the commodity-linked Loonie. The Canadian Dollar tends to be highly sensitive to movements in crude Oil, as Canada is one of the worlds largest Oil exporters.  Meanwhile, the US

05-09

ECB President Questions Whether Europe Really Needs Euro Stablecoins

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde used a speech in Spain on Thursday to deliver one of her clearest warnings yet about the rise of stablecoins, arguing that policymakers are increasingly mistaking the instrument for the outcome and failing to separate the role stablecoins play in payments from the broader question of what modern financial infrastructure actually needs.  Speaking at the inaugural Banco de España LatAm Economic Forum at Castillo de Bará, Lagarde said stablecoins have moved from a niche corner of the crypto world to the center of the policy debate at remarkable speed. Once a market worth less than $10 billion six years ago, stablecoins have now grown to more than $300 billion, with the vast majority denominated in U.S. dollars and nearly 90% of the market controlled by Tether and Circle.  That growth, she said, has forced regulators to confront a new set of risks, particularly as stablecoins become more tightly linked to the real financial system. The concerns have been especially visible in Latin America and Africa, where stablecoins are increasingly used as a store of value or a practical payment rail in countries with weaker currencies. But Lagarde said the debate has now spread well beyond emerging

05-09

ECB’s Lagarde Pushes Back on Euro Stablecoins, Warns of ‘Structural Weaknesses’

ECB President Christine Lagarde said euro stablecoins are “not an efficient way” to boost the euros global role, warning their risks outweigh short-term gains.She flagged two “material” risks: financial instability from sudden redemptions and weaker monetary policy transmission if deposits shift out of banks.Industry leaders pushed back, warning Europe risks dollar dominance and sending a negative signal to private investors building euro stablecoins.  ECB President Christine Lagarde pushed back Friday on calls for euro stablecoins, saying the instrument is “not an efficient way” to strengthen the euros international role—and that Europe should stop trying to copy the U.S. playbook.  Speaking at the Banco de España LatAm Economic Forum in Roda de Bará, Spain, Lagarde acknowledged that the global market, now worth over $317 billion and nearly 98% denominated in U.S. dollars, has forced a policy reckoning across advanced economies.  The GENIUS Act, advancing through the U.S. Congress, is touted by the Trump administration as a tool to ensure “the continued global dominance of the U.S. dollar” and to cement demand for US Treasuries, Lagarde noted in her remarks.  “The terms of the debate have shifted,” she said. “It is no longer about whether stablecoins should exist, but whether jurisdictions can afford to be without

05-09

LDO Price Prediction: Retail Short Squeeze Setup Targets $0.45 Breakout

The Immediate Setup  Lido DAO trades at $0.39 within a tight consolidation range that masks significant underlying tension. The RSI reading of 55.33 indicates neutral momentum, while the MACD histogram sits at zero – a condition that historically precedes sharp directional moves. Daily volume of $4.7 million on Binance spot exchanges shows sustained interest despite the sideways price action.  The current 2.22% daily gain represents meaningful progress given LDOs recent compression between $0.38-$0.40. This type of range-bound accumulation often builds pressure for breakout moves exceeding 15% in established DeFi tokens, particularly when Blockchain.news sentiment data reveals contrarian positioning opportunities.  Critical Support and Resistance Zones  LDO has established robust support at $0.38, which aligns precisely with both 7-day and 20-day moving averages. This convergence creates a technical floor that has successfully absorbed selling pressure over multiple sessions. The Bollinger Band position at 0.62 places price in the upper portion of the trading range, indicating buyers maintain control despite apparent consolidation.  The immediate resistance barrier sits at $0.40, followed by stronger resistance at $0.41 that represents the true breakout level. Below current levels, the 50-day moving average at $0.35 provides deeper support, while the 200-day moving average at $0.50 serves as the primary upside target. The current

05-09

XRP Momentum Fades As Bulls Fail To Hold Breakout Zone

XRPs latest breakout attempt appears to be losing steam as bulls struggle to maintain price action above the key resistance zone near $1.45. The rejection has pushed XRP back toward an important support area despite ongoing bullish developments surrounding Ripple and the XRPL ecosystem.  Failure To Hold Above $1.45 Resistance  In a recent analysis, crypto analyst EllaWeb3 noted that XRP struggled to maintain momentum above the $1.45 level and has since started drifting back toward the same breakout zone that traders had been closely monitoring in recent sessions. The rejection near resistance has slowed bullish momentum and placed the market back into a wait-and-see phase.  What makes the situation more notable is that the pullback occurred despite Ripple continuing to expand institutional tokenization use cases on the XRPL network. Major names such as JPMorgan, Mastercard, and Ondo have reportedly been involved in this move. Yet, the market appears to be reacting more to technical structure than to bullish headlines.  At the moment, traders are closely watching several key price levels. The $1.40–$1.41 range is currently acting as the primary support zone, while the $1.45–$1.47 area continues to cap upside attempts. Momentum weakened significantly following the rejection near $1.45, and thinner-than-usual liquidity conditions could lead

05-09

XRP Ledger and RLUSD: A Faster Alternative to SWIFT Payments

Why XRP Ledger and RLUSD Are Quietly Solving the Global Payments Problem SWIFT Never Fixed  For decades, global money transfers ran on a system few people questioned, until they actually needed to move money abroad.  Users usually send funds internationally, get hit with steep fees, and then wait days for the payment to clear. Sometimes it‘s delayed without warning. Sometimes it’s frozen for compliance checks while your money vanishes through a maze of intermediary banks.  This , the aging financial network still powering most cross-border payments today.  Launched in 1973, SWIFT became the foundation of global banking, but it was built for an era long before instant payments existed. The network doesnt actually move money, it simply sends payment instructions between banks.  The funds themselves still travel through a chain of correspondent institutions, with every intermediary adding extra fees, delays, and friction.  A single cross-border payment can pass through several banks before reaching its destination. Each stop increases costs, slows settlement, and creates another potential point of failure. For businesses handling international transactions and families relying on remittances, those inefficiencies can quickly become expensive.  According to research by RippleXity, the XRP Ledger and RLUSD are as one of the first real-world alternatives built to solve the inefficiencies

05-09

Robert Plant Hits New Solo Career Peaks For The Second Week In A Row

Last week, Robert Plant scored a new bestselling project in the United Kingdom. The former Led Zeppelin frontman delivered , one of dozens of titles connected to Record Store Day. The set, which is actually an EP but which ranks on several songs tallies in the U.K. based on how short it runs, became a quick bestseller.  Many Record Store Day offerings have completely disappeared from the charts in the U.K., but not . In its second turn on various tallies, the short album declines on one list while climbing to new peaks on a number of other rosters.  Robert Plants Climbs Again  On both the Official Vinyl Singles and Official Physical Singles charts, pushes north in its second week. Last frame, the project debuted at No. 15, and now its up to No. 12 on the vinyl-only rundown and No. 13 on the list of the bestselling songs on any physical format, including CD, cassette, and vinyl.  Robert Plant‘s Newest Release Passed “Hurting Kind (I’ve Got My Eyes On You)”  When launched just days ago, it brought Plant to a new all-time peak on both the Official Physical Singles and Official Vinyl Singles charts. The collection beat the No. 17 high established by “Hurting

05-09
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