ChainCatcher news, according to The Block citing Business Insider, after the unannounced release of an interview between FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and Tucker Carlson on Thursday, SBF's crisis PR manager has resigned. Mark Botnick started representing SBF after the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November 2022, and he resigned on Thursday after learning about the interview. This is the second interview SBF has given since breaking his two-year public silence after being incarcerated. These interviews seem to be part of his attempt to seek a presidential pardon. In both interviews, SBF praised President Trump, criticized the previous Biden administration, and argued that he began to take the Republican Party more seriously after failing to engage with former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler.SBF was perhaps best known before his arrest as a billionaire practicing "effective altruism," having donated large sums to Democratic politicians. From the billions in funds collapsing at FTX to the year he faced court proceedings, SBF has given countless media interviews, sometimes getting himself into trouble. On one occasion, he even showed a reporter his ex-girlfriend's diary, which led to his imprisonment to prevent potential witness tampering. Botnick reportedly worked with SBF during this time. It is said that the PR manager was also caught off guard when SBF posted on X about the Trump administration's attempts to fire federal employees.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, options traders expect the S&P 500 index to fluctuate by 1.3% this Friday, which will be the largest fluctuation on a non-farm payroll data release day since the regional bank crisis in March 2023. Citigroup data shows that the S&P 500 index is expected to have a two-way fluctuation of 1.4% on Wednesday, marking the highest implied volatility since the day after the U.S. presidential election on November 6, 2023.The increase in market volatility is mainly influenced by two factors: the uncertainty of the Trump administration's tariff policy and the upcoming non-farm payroll report. Trump recently warned of potential future economic fluctuations and defended his plan to significantly raise tariffs, but U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo indicated that Trump is considering some tariff relief measures, which has slightly eased market sentiment.The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) is currently at its highest level since December of last year, breaking through the 20-point mark. Economists expect that U.S. employment will increase by 160,000 in February, the unemployment rate will remain at 4%, and average hourly earnings will rise by 4.1% year-on-year. UBS equity derivatives strategist Grinkov stated, "Macroeconomic factors are becoming more important; this is a higher volatility environment."

ChainCatcher message, Arthur Hayes posted on the X platform: "In times of crisis, just print money. Germany almost overnight amended its constitution to greenlight financing for national defense. Whatever the new world order ultimately looks like, this will become a guideline for how governments choose to finance."

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the European Central Bank (ECB) recently revealed that it is assessing the impact of a more deregulated cryptocurrency ecosystem on financial markets.In a memorandum from the January monetary policy meeting, the ECB mentioned that the Trump administration's lenient stance on crypto assets could pose long-term risks, including issues related to leverage and overvaluation. The ECB pointed out that the deregulation of the U.S. financial system, particularly in the realm of crypto assets, could exacerbate financial stability risks and even lay the groundwork for future financial crises.Recently, there has indeed been a relaxation of regulations in the U.S. crypto market, such as the SEC withdrawing multiple lawsuits against cryptocurrency exchanges. Despite the rapid development of the cryptocurrency market, the ECB remains cautious about its risks and regulatory issues, believing that it could pose a long-term threat to global financial stability.

ChainCatcher news, according to official social media announcements, Huobi HTX will hold a themed live broadcast today at 20:00 titled "Treating Retail Investors as ATMs? A Look at the Trust Crisis in the Crypto Market and Future Opportunities from Argentina's President $LIBRA."At that time, crypto KOLs including MEJ Mao Mao Jie, Zpp.Eth, 0xCloud, HarryChien, and 527 will attend to review the entire process of the Argentine president's token issuance and discuss how to uncover potential investment opportunities amid the "celebrity token issuance" crisis. This live broadcast will be simultaneously conducted through Huobi Live and Huobi HTX Twitter Space, with a massive airdrop to look forward to.

ChainCatcher message, encrypted KOL @Ed_x0101 posted on platform X: "Clear out $JUP, most of the major meme projects that are cutting韭菜 are related to it, and there may be legal crises when it explodes later.$Libra is a scam, insider trading losers are compensated, while other retail investors and those who lost money get nothing.Kelsier may be the frontman, with M pool and JUP orchestrating behind the scenes."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, THORChain governance proposal No. 6 has been approved by a majority of validators, aimed at addressing the platform's nearly $200 million debt crisis. According to the proposal, THORChain will convert the defaulted debt into equity by issuing equity tokens TCY (Thorchain Yield).The total supply of TCY is 200 million tokens, distributed to creditors at a rate of 1 TCY = 1 USD, with holders permanently enjoying 10% of THORChain's revenue sharing rights. To ensure the liquidity of TCY, the core team will draw $5 million from the treasury to establish a RUNE/TCY liquidity pool at a price of $0.1 per token, with initial liquidity of $500,000.Previously, due to uncertain financial conditions, THORChain suspended THORFi services, including "savings and lending," on January 23 and initiated a 90-day restructuring plan.

ChainCatcher news, according to X user TCB, THORChain is currently in a state of insolvency. Data shows that THORChain's current liabilities include $97 million in loans (ETH and BTC) and approximately $102 million in savings and synthetic assets, while available assets are only $107 million in external liquidity.TCB stated that THORChain's borrowing obligations are fulfilled by minting and selling RUNE tokens, a design that has led to high reflexivity, exacerbating the problem. After repaying $4 million in RUNE liabilities yesterday, the protocol has accrued additional millions in RUNE debt. Validator nodes have paused network operations and are voting on a restructuring plan.THORChain faces two options: first, to maintain the status quo, where about 5-7% of the value will be withdrawn by the first exiters, causing RUNE to continue to decline; second, to declare a debt default, retaining valuable parts through bankruptcy restructuring, and gradually repaying creditors without affecting the protocol's viability. TCB recommends adopting the second option, protecting liquidity providers' rights, maintaining network value, and achieving long-term development.

ChainCatcher News, President Biden delivered a farewell speech in the Oval Office of the White House on January 15, covering topics such as artificial intelligence, the climate crisis, and social media regulation.He emphasized that the United States must maintain its leadership in the field of artificial intelligence and establish safeguards for its development, while expressing concerns about the concentration of power in the tech industry. He pointed out that climate change poses a survival threat and called for avoiding compromises with powerful interests that undermine efforts to combat the climate crisis.Additionally, Biden criticized social media platforms for abandoning fact-checking, which has led to the proliferation of false information, and emphasized the need to hold social platforms accountable. In the political and judicial arenas, he proposed limiting Supreme Court justices' terms to 18 years and argued that no president should have immunity for crimes committed while in office.Finally, he wished the new Trump administration success and called for a collective response to key challenges.

ChainCatcher news, according to Nobsbitcoin, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has suddenly closed cryptocurrency exchange payment channels without prior notice, restricting citizens' use of digital assets. This move comes against the backdrop of the Iranian rial depreciating by 37% against the dollar in 2024, after many Iranians turned to digital assets like Bitcoin as a safe haven.The Central Bank of Iran is developing a "centralized cryptocurrency management system" similar to the banking system Shaparak to strengthen regulation of the crypto market. The bank's "Cryptocurrency Policy Regulatory Framework" released last month established its position as the main regulatory authority in the industry. The Human Rights Foundation pointed out that for the Iranian people, who are experiencing severe inflation and financial isolation, Bitcoin is one of the few avenues for financial freedom, and the authorities are blocking this channel.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, data from S&P Global Market Intelligence shows that the number of corporate bankruptcy filings in the United States will reach 686 in 2024, an increase of 8% year-on-year, marking the highest level since 2010 (828 filings). Among them, at least 30 companies have debts exceeding $1 billion at the time of bankruptcy, including well-known companies like Party City, Tupperware, and Red Lobster.Specific data shows that there were only 777 corporate bankruptcy filings in the United States from 2021 to 2022, which surged to 636 in 2023. Fitch Ratings data indicates that the ratio of out-of-court restructurings to bankruptcies in 2024 is about 2:1, with the recovery rate for senior loans of issuers with total debts exceeding $100 million dropping to the lowest level since 2016.Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY, pointed out that rising costs of goods and services continue to suppress consumer demand, leading to cautious spending across all income groups. Although the Federal Reserve has begun to cut interest rates, it plans to lower rates by only an additional 50 basis points by 2025. Experts at Academy Securities believe that the current corporate bankruptcies pose limited risks of a chain reaction to the overall economy and banking system, but it is necessary to continue monitoring corporate debt conditions in a high-interest-rate environment.

ChainCatcher news, this week, the Federal Reserve finally confirmed the long-anticipated "pivot" by the market. The central bank's statement and update on economic forecasts this week had a significant impact on the market. Market participants currently expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by about 40 basis points by December 2025, leading to a rise in U.S. Treasury yields. Earlier this week, Bitcoin fell from its historical high, and on Friday during the European session, Bitcoin continued its downward trend, approaching $95,000 at one point. Earlier, Bitcoin had just set a new historical high of over $108,000, and this round of decline in the crypto market has had a greater impact on altcoins such as Ethereum and Dogecoin.Additionally, U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that directly invest in Bitcoin also ended a 15-day streak of inflows this week, recording an outflow of $680 million, highlighting the shift in market sentiment.