The National Cryptocurrency Association says more than 67 million Americans—about 1 in 4 adults—now hold cryptocurrency, with 12 million entering the market in one year. The survey-based report says 90% of holders expect to buy crypto within the next year, while 77% said crypto has had a positive impact on their lives.

President Donald Trump said on May 18, 2026, that he is angry the federal government must return $149 billion in tariff proceeds after a Supreme Court decision narrowed his IEEPA-based tariffs. The Court ruled 6-3 in February 2026 that the 2025 “reciprocal” tariffs exceeded executive authority, triggering refunds through CBP’s CAPE portal and ongoing interest estimated at $650 million per month.

Binance saw a net USDT outflow of $46.15 million over the past hour, a measure that compares withdrawals against deposits for the same period. The one-hour snapshot has drawn attention from traders watching near-term exchange liquidity and positioning, though a single data point does not confirm a broader trend.

Options activity in IBM surged after news it could receive $1 billion from the U.S. Commerce Department to support quantum computing. Nearly 200,000 contracts traded, about 15 times the 30-day daily average, with calls leading puts by almost 8:1. One large trade spent $2.7 million on more than 500 Dec. 15, 2028 260-strike calls, implying a move above $312 by expiry.

Prediction-market traders are betting that SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic could enter public markets at trillion-dollar-plus levels, potentially topping Berkshire Hathaway's roughly $1.03 trillion market cap. SpaceX filed to list on Nasdaq on Wednesday, while reports the same day said OpenAI may seek a confidential IPO filing as soon as Friday and that Anthropic could post a first profitable quarter.

Grok AI forecasts gold could trade in a $5,500 to $6,300 per ounce zone by the end of 2026, after a sharp run-up and a subsequent pullback. The model frames continued central-bank buying of over 800 tonnes annually, along with constrained mine supply, as key supports, while outlining a downside consolidation scenario around $4,000 to $4,400.

On May 21, 2026, the CFTC and the National Hockey League said they signed a memorandum of understanding to set up an information-sharing and cooperation framework tied to professional hockey and related event contract markets. The agreement names points of contact for ongoing coordination, confidential exchanges, and communications on market integrity and oversight, and it can be ended by either party with 30 days' written notice.

Bithumb said it has terminated its partnership with Heleket, citing anti-money laundering and terrorism-financing risk concerns. The move comes as the South Korean exchange tries to strengthen compliance after regulators earlier dropped a 36.8 billion won ($24.6 million) penalty tied to transactions routed through unregistered foreign platforms.