Stephen Alpher

Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk’s disclosure threshold of $1,000.

Stephen Alpher

Latest from Stephen Alpher


Policy

Kalshi gets temporary Nevada ban in dispute over sports betting

A Nevada court issued a 14-day ban on a wide range of contracts from prediction market firm Kalshi as the firm continues battling with state regulators.

Kalshi website on a laptop.

Markets

Bitcoin's latest fear unlocked as rate hike bets rise and bond markets crumble

For now, surging oil prices and persistent geopolitical tensions are driving inflation fears and weakening traditional safe-haven assets.

Eggs with hand-drawn anxious faces symbolizing market fears

Finance

Crypto wallet maker Ledger taps former Circle exec as CFO to help lead IPO push

The crypto security firm is expanding its U.S. footprint and strengthening its leadership team as it prepares for a potential public listing.

(Photo: Ledger Media/Modified by CoinDesk)

Finance

Iran war volatility is driving oil trading boom on Hyperliquid, says JPMorgan

Round-the-clock oil trading on Hyperliquid is drawing investors beyond crypto as geopolitical shocks expose gaps in traditional markets, the bank said.

The Iranian flag flutters above a cityscape. (Shutterstock)

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Policy

Appeals court clears way for Nevada to temporarily ban prediction market Kalshi

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a legal effort by Kalshi to stave off an expected temporary restraining order from the state of Nevada.

Kalshi website on a laptop.

Finance

Coinbase's bitcoin yield fund goes onchain with Apex's tokenization push

The Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund's tokenized share class runs on Base as the $3.5 trillion fund services giant Apex applies tokenization across its business.

Coinbase app on a mobile phone screen (appshunter.io/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)

Markets

Bitcoin holds $69,000 as gold tumbles and oil spikes, but one analyst says stay on sidelines

While bitcoin has shown relative strength against gold since the war in Iran broke out, investors are better off holding off "dry powder" while prices swing wildly on headlines, said Wintermute's Bryan Tan.

Bitcoin (BTC) price on Thursday (CoinDesk)

Finance

As crypto trading platforms race to deploy AI agents, here's what a Nasdaq engineer is seeing

The exchange is expanding AI use across surveillance, compliance and trading as machines take over decision-making, leaving humans as the final checkpoint.

AI (Credit: (Aidin Geranrekab/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)

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Markets

Bitcoin $20,000 put option is third most popular strike ahead of quarterly expiry

Nearly $600M in deep out-of-the-money puts highlights tail-risk positioning, though flows point more to volatility strategies than to outright bearish bets.

OI By Strike Price (Deribit)

Finance

Browser maker Opera seeks 160 million CELO stake to become key network stakeholder

The proposed allocation represents a major share of Celo's circulating supply and 16% of its maximum supply.

opera browser on smartphone (Zulfugar Karimov/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)