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The Biggest Macro Event Since March

According to the bright minds of FinTwit, the biggest event isn’t the U.S. presidential election but today’s Pfizer vaccine update.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 10:28 a.m. Published Nov 9, 2020, 8:00 p.m.
Breakdown 11.9 Pfizer covid vaccine announcement

According to the bright minds of FinTwit, the biggest event isn’t the U.S. presidential election but today’s Pfizer vaccine update.

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This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com and Nexo.io.

Today on the Brief:

  • GRIN gets 51% attacked
  • Crypto trading volume down 25.8% in October
  • How the market is receiving Joe Biden

Our main discussion: The stock market soars on promising Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trials.

The S&P 500 and DJIA hit new all-time highs after Pfizer announced its experimental vaccine had prevented COVID-19 in 90% of patients. Travel stocks soared, work from home stocks suffered and safe havens fell. In this episode, NLW explores the shifting market sentiment, as well as what it means for bitcoin.

See also: Markets Spike as Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Shows 90% Success Rate

For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.

Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.

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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

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Macro fears mask Ethereum’s momentum, SharpLink CEO says

Joseph Chalom

SharpLink CEO Joseph Chalom argues that macro uncertainty is hiding a massive institutional shift toward Ethereum-based tokenization.

What to know:

The context: Former BlackRock Head of Digital Assets Strategy, and SharpLink CEO, Joseph Chalom says institutional giants are betting heavily on Ethereum to serve as the global infrastructure for asset tokenization, ignoring current price stagnation.

He outlines three key drivers for a projected 10x surge in Ethereum activity this year:

  • BlackRock’s Larry Fink has signaled strong conviction that Ethereum will be the "toll road" for tokenized assets.
  • Over 65% of all stablecoins and tokenized assets live on Ethereum, dwarfing Solana by a factor of ten.
  • High-value projects prioritize Ethereum's decade-long record of security and liquidity over faster, cheaper alternatives.