Odaily Planet Daily reports that SEC Chairman Paul Atkins warned at a roundtable discussion of the SEC's Cryptocurrency Working Group on December 15th that cryptocurrencies could become a tool for financial surveillance if not properly regulated. Atkins stated that blockchain's efficient ability to link transactions and individuals has raised concerns about excessive government intervention. He cautioned that treating every cryptocurrency wallet and transaction as a surveillance target could lead to the creation of a financial surveillance system. Atkins also pointed out that a balance can be struck between national security needs and individual privacy. As traditional finance enters this field, the debate over cryptocurrency privacy has gained increasing attention, and recent criminal cases have highlighted the regulatory challenges.

Huoxun Finance reported on December 16th that, according to Jinshi, Charu Chanana, Chief Investment Strategist at Saxo Bank, stated that the market views this week as a small "reset" of the US macroeconomic narrative. Employment and inflation data will be released within a very narrow window, potentially leading to a rapid repricing of interest rates. The Federal Reserve cut rates last week and projects another cut in 2026, but the market expects at least two more cuts next year. "If the data is mixed or slightly weaker than expected, the soft landing narrative will remain intact, but this may not be enough to trigger a large-scale risk appetite rally. The real risk is a hawkish surprise. If inflation or employment data is strong, yields will rise, and risk assets, especially long-term growth stocks, will feel it first."

According to Lookonchain monitoring, a trader named BxNU5a turned $180,000 into $3.6 million in less than two months, a return of 20 times. He spent $180,000 on October 24 to purchase 8.16 million Pippin tokens and has held them ever since—currently worth $3.6 million.

In the past hour, total liquidations across the network reached $10.61 million, with $9.62 million from long positions, with $993,068.44 from short positions. BTC liquidation $550,527.32, ETH liquidation $2.88 million.

According to a report by Cointelegraph on December 16th, Grayscale analysts, in their 2026 outlook report released Monday, predict a recovery in the cryptocurrency market, with surging demand driving Bitcoin to a new all-time high in the first half of 2026. Grayscale stated that at the macro level, the risk of fiat currency devaluation is increasing due to rising public sector debt and its potential impact on long-term inflation. As long as this risk continues to rise, investor demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum is likely to continue to increase. Meanwhile, the regulatory tone in the United States has shifted significantly in recent years, and Grayscale expects Congress to pass bipartisan legislation on cryptocurrency market structures in 2026, consolidating the position of blockchain finance in the US capital market and promoting institutional investment. Grayscale's report also commented on the top ten investment themes for 2026, "reflecting the broad range of use cases emerging in the public blockchain technology field." The list covers the following key themes: stablecoin market growth driven by the GENIUS Act, a turning point in asset tokenization, major DeFi growth dominated by the lending market, and investors defaulting to seeking staking yields. Earlier today, Grayscale reported that quantum computing is unlikely to have an impact on cryptocurrency prices in 2026.