Crypto Morning Brief: Spot Gold Hits New High Again, Gnosis Hard Fork Recovers Hacked Balancer Funds

marsbitPublished on 2025-12-24Last updated on 2025-12-24

Abstract

Cryptocurrency & Market Morning Brief: Spot gold hits a new all-time high, surpassing $4,500/oz. U.S. Treasury Secretary supports reconsidering the Fed's 2% inflation target. Russia plans to allow retail investors to trade cryptocurrencies under new regulations. Gnosis Chain executed a hard fork to recover $116M from the Balancer hack. a16z highlights privacy as a key competitive advantage in crypto. Wintermute reports Bitcoin and Ethereum dominance rising, with altcoins under pressure. A $50M virtual currency robbery occurred in Hong Kong. SOL treasury firm Upexi files to raise up to $1B. Former FTX US president raises $35M for his new venture. Other updates include ZKsync Era support ending on Etherscan and market analysis.

Author: Deep Tide TechFlow

Yesterday's Market Dynamics

Spot Gold Broke Through $4,500 This Morning, Reaching a Record High

According to Jinshi Data, spot gold broke through the $4,500 per ounce mark for the first time this morning, accumulating a gain of over $1,870 this year and is currently quoted at approximately $4,508.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Besant Supports Reconsidering the Fed's 2% Inflation Target

U.S. Treasury Secretary Besant supports reconsidering the Federal Reserve's 2% inflation target. Besant stated that related discussions might revolve around adjusting the inflation target to a range of 1.5%-2.5% or 1%-3%.

Trump: Most Economists Misjudged Q3 GDP Data, "The Best is Yet to Come"

U.S. President Trump posted on social media: Third-quarter GDP growth reached 4.3%, far exceeding the expected 3.2%. 60 out of 61 Bloomberg economists predicted incorrectly, but "Trump" and a few other geniuses accurately predicted. This success is attributed to good governance and tariff policies. Consumer spending is strong, net exports have risen sharply, imports and the trade deficit have decreased significantly, and there is no inflationary pressure! Thanks to my tax reform bill and tariff measures, investment is hitting record highs. The Trump economic golden age is advancing at full speed, and the best is yet to come!

Bloomberg: Russia Plans to Allow Retail Investors to Participate in Domestic Cryptocurrency Trading

According to Bloomberg, the Russian central bank has developed a framework to regulate the domestic cryptocurrency market, planning to allow retail investors to purchase cryptocurrencies under specific conditions.

Under this framework, non-qualified investors can purchase the most liquid cryptocurrencies after passing a knowledge test, but with an annual transaction limit of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,800) conducted through a single intermediary. Qualified investors can purchase any cryptocurrency except anonymous tokens without limit after passing a risk awareness test.

Etherscan to Cease Indexing and Support for ZKsync Era from January 7, 2026

ZKsync officially announced that Etherscan will cease indexing and support for ZKsync Era from January 7, 2026. Subsequently, users will need to use the native ZKsync block explorer to view block, transaction, and contract data. Developers relying on the Etherscan API must complete migration before the deadline.

Gnosis Chain Has Executed a Hard Fork, Recovering $116 Million in Hacked Balancer Funds

According to Financefeeds, Gnosis Chain has executed a hard fork, successfully recovering funds related to the $116 million hack suffered by Balancer in November.

Gnosis confirmed via platform X on Tuesday that the hard fork was completed, and the stolen funds are now "out of the hacker's control." Previously, most validator nodes had implemented an emergency soft fork measure in November to control losses. Gnosis infrastructure lead Philippe Schommers stated that the recovered funds will be deposited into a DAO-controlled wallet, and the community will decide the subsequent distribution plan.

Previous news reported that Balancer disclosed an attack on its decentralized exchange and automated market maker on November 3, resulting in losses exceeding $116 million. White hat hackers and internal rescue operations successfully recovered approximately $28 million in assets.

a16z Partner: Privacy Will Become the Most Important Moat in the Cryptocurrency Space

According to a post by a16z General Partner Ali Yahya, privacy will become the most important moat in the cryptocurrency space. Ali stated that because secret information is difficult to migrate, privacy features are sufficient to differentiate new chains from others and create on-chain lock-in effects. When users are on a public blockchain, they can easily transact with users on other chains, but on a privacy chain, the chain a user chooses is more important because once they join a chain, they are less likely to risk exposing themselves by moving to another chain.

Ali believes this will create a winner-take-all situation. Since privacy is crucial for most real-world use cases, a few privacy chains will capture the majority of the market in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Wintermute: Bitcoin and Ethereum Dominate the Market by End of 2025, Altcoins Under Pressure

Wintermute released its market report today, stating that the crypto market experienced severe volatility last week, with BTC once falling below $85,000 and ETH below $3,000, triggering approximately $1.4 billion in liquidations. Market structure narrowed further, Bitcoin's dominance continued to rise, while altcoins performed poorly due to supply pressure.

Data shows that institutional funds have been consistently buying mainstream coins since the summer, and retail investors are also shifting from altcoins to BTC and ETH. Despite obvious short-term volatility, the trend of traditional financial institutions steadily entering the crypto space is expected to provide mid-term price support.

Analysts expect that as the year-end holidays approach, market activity will calm down, prices will remain range-bound, and investors will continue to prefer highly liquid assets.

Hong Kong's 1 Billion Yen Virtual Currency Exchange Robbery: Victim is Mainland Chinese, 15 Arrested, Some Suspects Have Triad Backgrounds

According to Hong Kong media HK01, a Japanese company operating in virtual currencies and luxury handbags was robbed in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, losing 1 billion yen (approximately HK$50 million). The incident occurred on the morning of December 18, where 4 knife-wielding robbers stole 4 suitcases containing cash in just 30 seconds.

Hong Kong police have arrested 15 people, some suspects have triad backgrounds, and 7 have been charged with "conspiracy to commit robbery." Police stated that all involved individuals have been captured, including the mastermind, but the whereabouts of the stolen money are still under investigation.

It is understood that the 39-year-old male victim is a mainland Chinese citizen who came to Hong Kong on a two-way permit. He was assisting a driver with transporting the luggage at the time. The two were employees of a Japanese company dealing in virtual currencies and luxury handbags. They originally planned to exchange the business revenue brought from Japan into virtual currencies and Hong Kong dollars through a Hong Kong exchange but were robbed on the way to their destination.

SOL Treasury Company Upexi Files Application with SEC to Raise Up to $1 Billion

According to CoinDesk, U.S.-listed SOL treasury company Upexi (UPXI) has filed a shelf registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company plans to raise up to $1 billion by issuing common stock, preferred stock, debt instruments, warrants, or other securities.

Upexi currently holds approximately 2 million SOL tokens (worth about $248 million), making it the fourth-largest publicly traded company by Solana holdings. The company stated that the proceeds will be used for general purposes such as working capital, R&D, acquisitions, and debt repayment.

Notably, Upexi's stock price fell about 7% to $1.85 on Tuesday and has cumulatively fallen about 50% year-to-date, while the SOL price has fallen 34% over the same period. Besides crypto assets, the company also manages several consumer brands, including Cure Mushrooms medicinal products and Lucky Tail pet care products.

Former FTX US President's New Venture Architect Financial Technologies Raises $35 Million

According to The Information, former FTX US president Brett Harrison has raised $35 million for his newly founded Architect Financial Technologies, valuing the company at approximately $187 million. Its exchange, AX, focuses on traditional asset perpetual contracts (stocks and forex) rather than crypto perps. The platform is regulated in Bermuda and is only open to non-U.S. institutional investors because the U.S. has not approved perpetual futures products.

Market Dynamics

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This article reviews the main events and trends in the cryptocurrency market in 2025, analyzing market changes month by month from January to December, including important cryptocurrency dynamics, policy changes, market sentiment fluctuations, and the performance of various crypto assets. The article also mentions some noteworthy news events and market hotspots.

This American Earns $250 Million a Year from Podcasting, Luo Yonghao is Learning from Him

This article tells the story of Joe Rogan's podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience," which has redefined media power through long-form, unedited interviews, becoming one of the most influential podcasts globally. The show has attracted guests including Musk and Trump and won the trust and affection of a large audience with its unique "sense of authenticity" and non-traditional media style. However, the show has also been criticized for spreading controversial information and conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, China is also trying to replicate this model but faces multiple challenges related to the traffic ecosystem, commercialization, and public opinion environment.

Annual Review of the Pump.fun Lawsuit: Mysterious Informant, Internal Records, and Answers Yet to be Revealed

This article discusses the collective lawsuit filed against the Pump.fun platform for alleged unregistered securities sales, market manipulation, fraud, and other issues. The case involves multiple parties, including the Solana ecosystem and Jito Labs. The lawsuit reveals potential fraudulent activities on the platform and discloses important internal chat records as evidence. The case is currently ongoing, with new developments expected in January 2026.

From Game Distribution to AI Economy: How is XWorld Rewriting Value Distribution with Web3 Incentives?

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Gold Prices Have Soared Again and Again, Can Ordinary People Still Get On Board?

This article discusses gold as a保值 (value-preserving) and避险 (safe-haven) asset, whose investment value has been further highlighted against the backdrop of increasing global economic uncertainty. The article explores the historical value of gold, its current market performance, its strategic role in personal and institutional investment, and introduces the advantages of "gold+" investment products.

Related Questions

QWhat new all-time high did spot gold reach according to the report?

ASpot gold broke through $4,500 per ounce, reaching a new all-time high of approximately $4,508.

QWhat action did Gnosis Chain take regarding the Balancer hack, and what was the outcome?

AGnosis Chain executed a hard fork to successfully reclaim the $116 million in funds that were stolen in the November Balancer hack. The funds are now out of the hacker's control and will be deposited into a DAO-controlled wallet for the community to decide on distribution.

QAccording to a16z partner Ali Yahya, what will be the most important moat in the cryptocurrency field?

AAccording to a16z partner Ali Yahya, privacy will become the most important moat in the cryptocurrency field, as it creates on-chain lock-in effects and can lead to a winner-take-all scenario for a few privacy-focused chains.

QWhat major regulatory development for cryptocurrency in Russia was reported by Bloomberg?

ABloomberg reported that the Russian central bank has drafted a framework to regulate the domestic cryptocurrency market, which would allow retail investors to purchase cryptocurrencies under specific conditions, such as passing a knowledge test, with an annual transaction limit of 30,000 rubles (about $3,800) per intermediary.

QWhat significant funding application did SOL treasury company Upexi file with the SEC?

AUpexi (UPXI), a publicly traded company and major SOL holder, filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC seeking to raise up to $1 billion through the sale of various securities like common stock, preferred stock, debt instruments, or warrants.

Related Reads

$9.4 Billion: The Largest Robotics Funding This Year Has Emerged

Munich-based humanoid robotics company Neura has completed a $1.4 billion (approximately RMB 94.9 billion) Series C funding round, valuing the company at around $7 billion and positioning it among the global leaders in the sector. The investment round is notable not just for its size—reportedly the largest in robotics this year—but also for its strategic backers, which include tech giants like NVIDIA and Amazon, alongside established industrial players such as German engineering firms Bosch and Schaeffler. This mix of investors signals a significant shift in the industry's focus from technological demonstrations and general-purpose narratives toward practical, industrial deployment and commercialization. Neura's approach centers on developing humanoid robots for defined, high-value industrial tasks rather than pursuing a general-purpose model. Its early validation comes from a partnership with BMW, where its robots are being tested on actual production lines. The involvement of Bosch and Schaeffler, companies deeply embedded in global manufacturing, underscores a growing belief that humanoid robots are transitioning from labs to viable factory-floor solutions. The article highlights two converging trends driving investment: advancements in AI and large language models, which enhance robots' perception and decision-making in unstructured environments, and mounting pressure from labor shortages and rising costs in major manufacturing regions. The funding landscape is now bifurcating between companies like Figure AI, focusing on versatile general-purpose robots, and firms like Neura, targeting specific vertical industrial applications with clearer, shorter paths to ROI. While technical hurdles remain, the core challenges for widespread adoption are increasingly seen as engineering and commercial in nature: managing the high integration and customization costs for different factory environments and establishing robust, localized maintenance and service networks. The record investment in Neura, particularly from industrial capital, indicates the industry's growing confidence in moving from proving feasibility to solving the practical problems of scalability, reliability, and building sustainable business models around humanoid robots in real-world settings like automotive manufacturing and hazardous labor environments.

marsbit12h ago

$9.4 Billion: The Largest Robotics Funding This Year Has Emerged

marsbit12h ago

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