Economic Outlook - The Bank of England is urged to implement quick interest rate cuts to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis and boost consumer spending and business confidence [1][2] - Trade unions support interest rate cuts, citing easing inflation as beneficial for working families, with expectations of further softening due to government support for energy bills and other costs [2] - Firms are looking for inflation easing to be accompanied by measures to reduce business costs, such as business rates reform, to stimulate economic growth [3] Inflation and Interest Rates - The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has dropped to 3.0%, the lowest level in nearly a year, indicating potential for interest rate cuts by the Bank of England [25][28] - Analysts predict a 25 basis point cut in interest rates at the next Bank of England meeting, with further cuts anticipated if inflation continues to decline [19][21][20] - Despite the drop in headline inflation, services inflation remains sticky, suggesting caution from the Monetary Policy Committee [22] Market Performance - The FTSE 100 index has reached new record highs, driven by gains in sectors such as mining, defense, and banking [6][15][28] - BAE Systems has reported a 10% increase in sales to £30.7 billion and a record order book of £83.6 billion, reflecting strong demand in the defense sector [23][10] - Glencore's revenue for 2025 increased by 7% to $247.54 billion, with adjusted EBIT falling less than expected, indicating resilience in the mining sector [16][17] Company-Specific Developments - BAE Systems has increased its dividend by 10% and expects sales growth of 7-9% for the current year, supported by rising global defense spending [23][13] - Glencore's performance improved significantly in the second half of the year, aided by stronger metals prices and higher copper output [17] - BAE's free cash flow is projected to exceed £1.3 billion, contributing to a reduction in net debt by 22% [13][24]

RT Naga Avan-Nomayo (@JeSuisNaga)Tokenized real-world assets on Ethereum have surpassed $17B 💼That’s nearly +300% YoY growth 📈Stablecoins on mainnet? Over $175B 💵BlackRock. JPMorgan. Franklin Templeton; they’re all building on Ethereum.Zooming out 👇Traditional giants and crypto-heavy investors see massive growth potential for RWAs on public blockchains.Standard Chartered estimates tokenized RWAs could hit $2T by 2028, with most issued on Ethereum 📈ARK Invest sees tokenized assets reaching ~$11T by 2030 📈@wi ...

Crypto things you might have missed:-CFTC fights states on prediction markets-StanChart drops XRP target to $2.80-Grayscale: XRP 2nd most talked about after BTC-@vechainofficial StarGate VET staking upgrade-ETH RWA market surpasses $17B-Polygon flips ETH in daily tx fees ...

BIG: Standard Chartered bank cuts its end-of-2026 XRP price target by 65% from $8 to $2.80 ...

🚨NEW: BITCOIN'S CHANCE OF HITTING $80K THIS MONTH COLLAPSES TO BELOW 10% ON POLYMARKETPolymarket traders are now pricing in less than a 10% chance that $BTC reclaims $80,000 before February ends.$BTC has shed 28% over the past month, crashing to a low of $60,000 before a partial recovery, but with February rapidly running out of days, the window for a $80K reclaim is closing fast, and the market's collective wisdom is betting heavily against a miracle bounce.The bearish signal comes as Standard Chartered sl ...

Core Viewpoint - The price of Bitcoin has decreased by 48% over the past four months, negatively impacting speculative altcoins like Solana, which is down 37% year-to-date and currently trades at $78, a 73% discount from its all-time high of $294 [1] Group 1: Solana's Current Situation - Solana recently reached a two-year low of $67, leading to a bearish outlook with a price target of $50 being more likely than a recovery to $250 due to significant downward momentum [3] - Market sentiment around Solana is overly negative, with some analysts suggesting it could potentially triple in value this year if conditions improve [1] Group 2: Contrarian Perspectives - A new investment thesis from Standard Chartered suggests that Solana is transitioning from a meme-coin centric blockchain to a stablecoin-centric network, which could drive significant growth [4] - Solana has recently surpassed Ethereum as the fastest-growing blockchain for stablecoins in terms of transaction volume and velocity, making it more attractive for micro-size stablecoin payments [5] Group 3: Future Projections - Standard Chartered forecasts that Solana could reach $200 this year, $400 next year, and potentially $2,000 by the end of 2030, indicating that current bearish sentiment may be exaggerated [6] - Prediction markets indicate a 44% chance of Solana hitting $150 this year, a 23% chance of reaching $200, a 14% chance of hitting $250, and a 10% chance of reaching $300 [7][8]

🗞️ Need to catch up on the news? Here's our top 10 from today:🔸 CFTC Chair Michael Selig says the agency will no longer sit idly by while overzealous states undermine federal jurisdiction over prediction markets.🔹 Meta secures patent for AI technology that mimics deceased users' social media activity and continues posting and messaging on their behalf.🔸 Germany's central bank president advocates euro-pegged stablecoins and retail CBDC to reduce EU reliance on US dollar payment systems.🔹 Standard Chartered s ...

🚨 LATEST: Standard Chartered slashes $XRP end-of-year price target by 65% from $8 to $2.8, citing challenging market conditions. https://t.co/7AbTIs9y6F ...

🚨BREAKING: STANDARD CHARTERED REDUCES $XRP PRICE TARGET BY 65%British banking giant Standard Chartered has slashed its end-of-year $XRP price target from $8.00 down to just $2.80, warning investors to expect "further declines" across the entire crypto market following February's devastating selloff.$XRP ETF inflows have collapsed 40% since January's record $1.6 billion, now sitting just above $1 billion, signaling that institutional money is pulling back fast. ...

Standard Chartered cut its 2026 XRP price target by about 65% to $2.80 and lowered forecasts for other major cryptocurrencies, citing ETF outflows and macro headwinds. The bank expects further near-term downside before any potential recovery. https://t.co/yAtm9Z4sMR ...