According to Odaily, the U.S. Central Command stated that the military will begin supporting "Operation Freedom" on May 4 to restore freedom of navigation for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. This mission, ordered by President Trump, aims to provide support for merchant ships seeking free passage through this vital international trade route.

Per CCTV International News, on May 2 local time, Ali Nikzad, Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly, said in an interview along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz: "The Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war state, and Iran will never take a step back from the Strait of Hormuz."

Stephen Innes, Managing Partner at SPI Asset Management, commented on the shipping plan in a note: "This could shift the situation from confrontation to controlled stability. Of course, it is not without risks, as threats from (Iran) persist and uncertainties remain over Trump's plan, particularly regarding whether the U.S. will ultimately provide naval cover." (Jinshi)

OdailyOdaily reported that Bitcoin has broken through the $80,000 mark, rising approximately 2.6% in 24 hours to $80,150, driving the overall crypto market higher. ETH rose 3.6%, and XRP rose 2%. Nick Ruck, Director of LVRG Research, stated that this breakthrough shattered the key resistance zone that had been suppressing prices over the weekend, with short-term momentum clearly turning stronger. Meanwhile, Dominick John, an analyst at Zeus Research, noted that the upward price movement was accompanied by a technical short squeeze.

On the capital front, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs have recorded net inflows for the fifth consecutive week, attracting approximately $154 million last week, indicating continuously strengthening institutional allocation demand. Analysts believe that if the capital inflow trend continues and is compounded by macroeconomic uncertainties, Bitcoin may maintain strong volatility in the short term. The market will closely monitor the impact of subsequent economic data and shifts in risk sentiment on the price trend. (The Block)

Odaily Odaily reports that data from Predictefy shows that since Hyperliquid launched its event contract (prediction market) products, the trading volume of Bitcoin price-related event contracts on the platform within the same timeframe has exceeded that of similar markets on Kalshi, Polymarket, and all other prediction platforms.

Previously, Hyperliquid launched its event contract market yesterday, with the first market being a daily settlement BTC price performance market.

Odaily Seer Channel monitors that the probability of Polymarket's "WTI crude oil falling to $95 by May 2026" briefly rose to 88% this morning, currently at 81%, an increase of 8% in 24 hours.

The event contract rules are as follows: If during any 1-minute K-line in May 2026, the "highest price" of the active WTI crude oil futures month is equal to or higher than the listed price, the market will be judged as "Yes"; otherwise, the market will be judged as "No". The price will be based on Pyth's quoted price, without rounding. Previously, the rules for the WTI crude oil March price prediction event contract were: If the official settlement price of the current active month (near month) of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange crude oil futures contract on any trading day is equal to or higher than the listed price as of the last trading day of March 2026, the market will be judged as "Yes"; otherwise, the market will be judged as "No".

Trump has pledged to escort the Strait of Hormuz and announced the launch of "Project Freedom," which will begin this Monday to help ships leave the Strait of Hormuz for active negotiations with Iran. Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command forces have also announced support for "Project Freedom," aiming to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, providing assistance to merchant vessels seeking to freely traverse this vital international trade corridor.

Odaily Seer Channel continues to monitor the prediction market, seeing changes before the pricing.

Odaily Odaily reports that industry analysts point out that stablecoins and fintech companies still have about $112 billion in growth potential in the Latin American remittance market. The industry is currently overly concentrated on the $61.8 billion US-Mexico corridor, neglecting faster-growing remittance channels from the US to Central America and within Latin America itself. Cross-border routes such as Venezuela to Colombia, Argentina to Bolivia, and Spain to Ecuador are rapidly heating up, yet most institutions have not optimized their operations for these markets. Overall, the Latin American remittance market is estimated at around $174 billion.

It is noted that Latin America is not a single market; countries differ significantly in regulations, payment infrastructure, and demand for stablecoins. Leading companies are adopting a "country-specific customization" strategy rather than a regional one-size-fits-all approach. In terms of trends, the core demand for stablecoins in Latin America is not for payments but for "holding dollars." Users tend to hold funds in stablecoins for the long term rather than just for transfers.

Regarding the competitive landscape, traditional institutions like Western Union and MoneyGram are building stablecoin infrastructure, while crypto-native companies such as Binance are also accelerating their entry into this market. Overall, a closed-loop model (remittance-holding-consumption-yield) that combines local payment channels, stablecoin liquidity, and user trust is likely to dominate future competition. (Cointelegraph)

Odaily reports that, according to on-chain analyst Ai Yi's monitoring, address 0x55e…3DF26 has deposited a total of 6,200 ETH (worth $14.54 million) to Binance over the past 24 hours, with an average deposit price of $2,346. The address still holds ETH worth $17.84 million in Spark.

Odaily reports that, according to Iran's Fars News Agency, the 14-point proposal put forward by Iran is a response to the 9-point proposal from the United States. Contrary to the reports by Al Jazeera, the proposal does not include Iran freezing uranium enrichment activities for 15 years or opening the Strait of Hormuz. (Jinshi Data)

Odaily Strategy founder Michael Saylor posted on X yesterday stating that the company will suspend its routine weekly Bitcoin purchase plan this week, marking the second time this year it has paused weekly accumulation.

To date, Strategy holds a total of 818,334 BTC, representing approximately 3.9% of Bitcoin's total supply. Data from Saylortracker shows that as Bitcoin staged a strong rebound today, breaking through the $80,000 mark, the total market value of BTC held by Strategy has returned to above $65 billion, currently standing at $65.74 billion. The average cost price is $75,537, with an unrealized profit of $3.926 billion.

Strategy is expected to announce its Q1 earnings on Tuesday, with the market anticipating a loss per share of $18.98, higher than the loss of $16.38 per share in the same period last year. Its ongoing coin purchases are primarily financed through stock (MSTR) and perpetual preferred stock. Among these, the high-dividend product STRC (annualized yield approximately 11.5%) has raised concerns among some analysts regarding structural risks, though others argue that this model can convert yield demands into long-term Bitcoin exposure. (The Block)

Odaily Planet Daily News: Ali Nikzad, Vice Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, emphasized in an interview along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz that “the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war state, and Iran will absolutely not take a single step back from the Strait of Hormuz.” Nikzad stated that the parliament will approve a “Strait of Hormuz Management Law,” which includes: a permanent ban on Israeli vessels passing through this critical waterway; vessels from “hostile nations” must pay “war reparations” to obtain passage permits; other vessels need authorization from Iran to pass. (CCTV International News)

Odaily reported that according to Gate data, SK Hynix's stock price rose 9.8%, reaching an intraday high of 1,412,000 won, and its market capitalization surpassed 100 trillion won for the first time.

Odaily reported that Asian stock markets surged on Monday, driven by robust earnings from major U.S. tech companies and Trump's statement that the U.S. will begin guiding some neutral vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, with tech stocks rebounding accordingly. The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index excluding Japan rose as much as 2.7%, reaching a record high.

Tech-heavy benchmark indices in South Korea and Taiwan both soared over 3.5%. SK Hynix shares surged nearly 10%, while TSMC jumped more than 6%. Dilin Wu, a research strategist at Pepperstone Group, stated that markets like South Korea are currently performing well due to this AI-driven trading or hype. She noted that she is "cautiously optimistic about Asian markets overall," as geopolitical uncertainties and high oil prices could constrain the stock market. (Jinshi)

Odaily reports that Ryoo Sangdai, Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Korea, stated that since economic growth appears unlikely to fall significantly below the central bank's earlier forecasts, and inflation may exceed previous expectations, it is time to consider raising interest rates. Ryoo is also a member of the Bank of Korea's Monetary Policy Committee. He cited the economy's greater-than-expected resilience following the outbreak of the Middle East war and rising inflationary pressures. The Bank of Korea has kept its benchmark policy rate unchanged since July last year. In February, the central bank predicted economic growth of 2% and inflation of 2.2% for this year. Although policymakers initially expected turmoil in Iran to weigh on economic growth and push up prices, recent data shows that strong semiconductor shipments have prevented the growth outlook from deteriorating as feared, while inflation risks have increased.

Regarding the South Korean won's exchange rate, Ryoo stated that from an economic fundamentals perspective, the won remains weaker than in the past, although the market does not seem to view the current level as a major problem. The won's exchange rate against the US dollar recently touched its lowest level since the global financial crisis. Addressing concerns about the economy's reliance on semiconductors, Ryoo noted that the key risk lies in whether the cycle will turn or if spillover effects will be weaker than expected, rather than the sector's rising share itself. (Jin Shi)

Odaily Planet Daily News According to Nick Timiraos, known as the "Fed whisperer," who cited informed sources, Powell plans to remain as a Fed governor after stepping down as chair in May 2026. This practice is historically rare, and his decision is believed to be related to a series of recent institutional and legal uncertainties. Sources say Powell’s primary goal in staying on is to maintain monetary policy continuity during a critical phase, ensuring the Fed can operate independently within its existing framework. Insiders noted that related investigations and institutional controversies have, to some extent, strengthened his willingness to continue serving.

Analysts believe that while this move helps stabilize policy expectations, it may also have certain implications for the transition to a new chair and the internal decision-making mechanism. There remains uncertainty regarding the length of his tenure and his specific role going forward. (Jinshi)

Odaily reports that according to Hyperbot data, as the crypto market rebounds, Machi Big Brother Huang Licheng's long positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and HYPE have seen unrealized gains exceed $1.64 million, with the return on investment currently at 70.91%.

Odaily reported that informed sources have revealed Anthropic is finalizing an agreement to establish a new joint venture with Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs, and several other Wall Street firms. The venture aims to sell artificial intelligence tools to companies backed by private equity. (Jinshi)

Morgan Stanley’s Head of Digital Asset Strategy, Amy Oldenburg, stated that Bitcoin could eventually be included on U.S. bank balance sheets. However, it still faces multiple regulatory and capital rule obstacles before that becomes a reality, including Federal Reserve policies, Basel requirements, and global regulatory coordination issues.

Oldenburg noted that as the regulatory environment gradually improves and client demand rises, Morgan Stanley is continuously expanding its digital asset business. The bank recently launched MSBT, the first Bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) issued by a U.S. licensed bank. Within just six days of its launch, it attracted over $100 million in inflows, all from self-directed trading clients. It has not yet been opened to advisory channels, indicating strong market demand.

She also pointed out that a significant gap currently exists between client demand and advisor allocation. Morgan Stanley recommends clients allocate 2% to 4% of their assets to Bitcoin, but advisor adoption has been slow, primarily constrained by a lack of knowledge and education. Currently, approximately 80% of ETP investments on the platform come from self-directed trading.

On the industry level, BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, has amassed over $61 billion in assets under management since its launch in January 2024, making it one of the fastest-growing ETFs in history and further validating institutional demand.

Additionally, Morgan Stanley is applying for a digital trust charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which could potentially enable self-custody of crypto assets and spot trading services in the future. Currently, the MSBT product uses Coinbase and BNY Mellon as dual custodians. (CoinDesk)