President Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Canada Over Potential China Trade Deal

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

President Donald Trump cautioned Canada that a trade agreement with China would impose a 100% tariff on goods sold in the US. “Canada will immediately face a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods and products entering the United States if it strikes a deal with China. The president stated in a post on Truth Social.

Additionally, Trump hinted on Saturday that China might try to use Canada to avoid paying the United States. Trump declared, “Governor Carney is gravely mistaken if he believes he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney declared earlier this month that Canada and China had reached a preliminary agreement to lower tariffs and remove trade barriers. In accordance with the provisional agreement, Ottawa raised the quotas for imports of Chinese electric vehicles using the most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent, and Beijing reduced tariffs on several Canadian agricultural products.

Trump increased the tariff on Canadian goods to 35 percent in August 2025. Under the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), most Canadian exports are exempt from duties; however, some products, such as steel, copper, and some cars and auto parts, are subject to US tariffs.

Following Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which warned against economic coercion by the world’s superpowers, Trump withdrew Canada’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace,” and the new tariff threat follows. Carney stated in his speech that in order to fend off pressure from the world’s biggest powers, the “middle powers” must unite.

Carney stated last week that although the specifics had not yet been finalized, he planned to join the board. A $1 billion fee would be required for states to apply for a permanent board seat.

Japan Signals Intervention as Yen Spikes Amid Speculation Fears

Posted on January 25, 2026January 25, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated on Sunday that her government will take the appropriate action against speculative market movements, following a yen surge that increased traders’ concern about the possibility of currency intervention.

Concerns that Takaichi’s expansionary fiscal policy and the Bank of Japan’s sluggish interest rate hikes could result in more debt issuance and excessive inflation have caused Japanese government bonds and the yen to sell off in recent weeks.

The New York Federal Reserve’s rate checks on Friday caused the yen to spike sharply after it had fallen close to the psychologically significant line of 160 to the dollar. Some traders interpreted this as increasing the likelihood of joint US-Japan intervention to stop the faltering currency’s decline. When questioned about the bond selloff and the yen’s declines, Takaichi said on a Fuji Television talk show, “I won’t comment on specific market moves.” “The government will take the appropriate action to combat highly abnormal or speculative markets.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed Washington’s dissatisfaction with the consequences of the rising Japanese yields by stating that it was “extremely difficult to disaggregate the market reaction from what’s going on endogenously in Japan.” On Friday, BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated that the central bank is prepared to collaborate closely with the government to curb sharp increases in yields, including through emergency bond purchases. Market fluctuations are becoming a major subject of discussion during the election.

Several opposition parties have suggested investing the BOJ’s holdings of exchange-traded funds and government reserves designated for currency intervention and using the proceeds to finance a consumption tax cut, although most parties are advocating for a reduction in the tax.

According to Makoto Hamaguchi, a senior official of the opposition Democratic Party, the BOJ could expedite the sale of ETFs so that the proceeds can be used more quickly to fund government spending.

China’s $7 Trillion Savings Shift: The Fuel Behind Gold Boom

Posted on January 25, 2026January 25, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Chinese households are searching for higher-yielding investments, with $7 trillion in time deposits due this year. This shift could energize the country’s financial markets further.

Millions of people have sought the safety of bank deposits due to years of poor stock performance and a prolonged real estate crisis, which left behind a mountain of savings. That capital is increasingly seeking a new home as interest rates are now falling toward 1%.

Investors are contemplating switching to stocks, insurance, or wealth management products, aligning with Beijing’s efforts to promote long-term market growth and boost the overall economy.

According to a December report by Huatai Securities Co., approximately 50 trillion yuan in deposits with maturities longer than a year will mature in 2026, up 10 trillion yuan from the previous year. Zhang Jiqiang led the analyst group. The report states that large state-owned banks hold about 30 trillion yuan, with a larger share maturing in the first half of the year.

Sources familiar with the matter say the trend is already underway, with demand for participating insurance policies at some of the biggest insurers exceptionally high as investors seek steady returns in a low-interest-rate environment. Some are also investing in stocks, driven by a strong recovery that has increased their market value by more than $1 trillion in just the past month.

Since April, Chinese stocks have been climbing, demonstrating resilience during periods of international tariff tensions, as the nation’s AI advancements continue to attract investors. Gains in the technology sector have been particularly notable.

Wall Street Insider Turns Crypto Prophet: XRP Could Skyrocket to $1,000

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

A former Goldman analyst’s audacious prediction that XRP will reach $1,000 by 2030 has sparked a firestorm on the X social media platform. The cryptocurrency supported by Ripple would need to rise more than 52,000 percent from its current levels to reach those levels.

Former Goldman Sachs analyst Dom Kwok projected an ambitious $1,000 per XRP for the end of 2030. In January, Kwok, a co-founder of EasyA, a Web3 education platform with direct XRPL grants, doubled down on his prediction. 23 times. Kwok wrote on X, “FYI, I did not go grey at the age of thirty for $XRP to be worth any less than $1,000 by 2030.” The analyst’s position supports the idea that short-term price spikes should not be used to evaluate XRP’s growth trajectory.

The native cryptocurrency on the XRP Ledger, a blockchain created to facilitate quick and inexpensive cross-border transactions, is called XRP. Ripple uses XRP to give banks, payment service providers, and cryptocurrency companies quick payment options. As of the time of writing, the price of XRP was approximately $1.91, keeping it as the fifth-largest cryptocurrency with a $116.3 billion market capitalization.

. A market capitalization of more than $100 trillion, or five times the current global GDP, would result from this price tag.

However, supporters of XRP think that token burns, institutional demand driven by spot ETF inflows, cross-border volume, strategic alliances, ongoing ecosystem development, and improved regulatory clarity will generate the demand shock and liquidity surge needed to cause a sharp price eruption toward quadruple-digit levels. As you may remember, Ripple formally resolved a protracted legal dispute.

Ethereum Thrives at Record Levels While Gas Costs Collapse – Path Cleared to $4,000?

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Ethereum gas fees have significantly decreased despite on-chain data indicating a rise in network activity. An impending breakout from a triangle pattern indicates a potential rally to $4,000 despite continued market volatility.

Ethereum was trading at $2.95K at the time of writing, up 0.59 percent from the previous day. According to on-chain data, the Ethereum network may have resolved the long-standing problem of exorbitant gas costs. Gas prices have decreased to an average of $0.0027, the lowest amount in years, according to Etherscan. This decline occurs despite an increase in network activity, which has long been associated with high blockchain fees.

Ethereum daily transactions have surged to 2.39 million, the highest level in over 5 years, according to YCharts data. Furthermore, during the past two weeks, the number of daily active addresses has doubled to over 800,000. Additionally, the number of new users has increased.

Markets expressed a bullish outlook for X, speculating that the price could rise to $4,000 as the Ethereum network demonstrates resilience. Such gains could result from the breakout of a bullish ascending triangle pattern, according to the analyst’s forecast. The crucial barrier that Ethereum must overcome to hit $4,000 is $3,413. The analyst points out that this breakout rally might be feasible if the price can rise above this level and surpass $3,660. But for the bullish leg to happen, the bullish thesis depends on ETH maintaining the $3,085 support level.

Bitcoin “Very Bullish” as Fed Yen Support Could Trigger Massive Liquidity Boost

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Arthur Hayes, a former CEO of BitMEX, claims that a potential intervention to support the Japanese yen may benefit Bitcoin.

His remarks come after reports that the New York Fed checked the dollar-yen exchange rate in January. However, there is no indication of liquidity expansion in the Federal Reserve’s current balance sheet data. Hayes stated in a post on X that the Fed would probably need to buy yen and sell dollars in order to provide support for the yen, which would increase financial system liquidity.

According to him, the Fed would be expanding its balance sheet if the line item for “foreign currency-denominated assets” increased. Bitcoin has historically performed better during times of balance sheet expansion. Following reports that the New York Fed checked dollar-yen rates yesterday, January 23, speculation increased.’

This month, Japanese officials have also repeatedly cautioned against making excessive currency movements. After a period of persistent weakness, the yen strengthened in response to these developments, momentarily trading close to 155.90 per dollar. Despite the signals, there has been no formal announcement of US or coordinated intervention.

. Foreign currency-denominated assets are stable at about $19 billion, with no discernible rise, according to 4.1 releases.

The Fed’s overall balance sheet is still shrinking and stands at about $6.58 trillion. According to Brain AI, the balance sheet estimate is declining by about $75 billion every month. The most recent data also showed a significant decline in bank reserves, suggesting a net drain rather than an increase in liquidity. The most recent report showed a slight increase in Treasury holdings, but the balance sheet did not grow overall

From Aunties to Avalanche: China’s Retail Silver Rush Empties Shelves in Shenzhen

Posted on January 24, 2026January 24, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Banks and refiners are rushing to meet the unprecedented demand from retail investors amid silver’s dizzying rally, as evidenced by Chinese aunts waiting in line at Shenzhen markets, Turkish refineries running out of stock, and a Korea Mint offer that sold out in an hour.

The white metal has taken it up a notch in 2026 as the Trump administration ushers in a new era of imperialism and attacks on the Federal Reserve, jumping by about a third in a few weeks after surging nearly 150 percent last year. The consumer craze for silver coins and bars began in China, but as prices continue to break records, it is spreading.

Firat Sekerci, a bullion dealer in Dubai, stated, “It’s the highest demand I’ve ever seen.” For the past 10 days, the majority of refineries in Turkey have been out of stock of the smaller bars, 10 and 100 ounces. “Turkish retail investors are now willing to pay up to $9 more per ounce than the global benchmark price

This is causing international banks to prioritize shipments to the nation and region, with less metal reaching India and leaving demand there unmet.”

Particularly for a less-liquid metal like silver, a short squeeze in October of last year demonstrated how local supply constraints can quickly spread worldwide.

At the time, London’s liquidity was depleted, and benchmark silver prices reached their highest level since the 1970s due to Indian stockpiling ahead of the Diwali celebration and tariff concerns that kept supplies locked up in the US.

According to Samit Guha, CEO of MMTC-PAMP India Pvt, investor demand for silver is greater in India now than it was in October, with smaller bars and coins being popular. is the biggest precious metals refiner in the nation. Although the company’s imports of silver dore more than doubled from October to December of last year, it is still having difficulties.

Intel Plunges 17% as CEO Lip-Bu Tan Flags Manufacturing Woes and Weak Outlook

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Intel’s stock fell as much as 17.5% after CEO Lip-Bu Tan issued a poor forecast and cautioned that the chipmaker was having manufacturing issues.

Revenue and earnings forecasts for the first quarter were significantly below Wall Street expectations. Additionally, Tan’s statement during a conference call with analysts that it would require “time and resolve” to turn around the business caused the shares to drop.

Investors who were hoping for a greater boost from new products are disappointed by production issues. “We are on a multi-year journey,” the CEO declared. Low manufacturing yields, or the proportion of usable chips that leave its factories, are a problem for Intel, the biggest producer of personal computer processors. This has made fulfilling orders more difficult. This is yet another setback for the once-dominant semiconductor company, which has been working for years to recover from market share losses and regain its technological advantage.

Tan stated in an interview that the company is making efforts to address its manufacturing issues and that demand is “quite strong.” However, he noted that Intel depleted a large portion of its stock during the fourth quarter. Tan declared, “Our production, manufacturing, and yield are not up to my standards.”

Chief Financial Officer Dave Zinsner stated during the conference call with analysts that the company won’t have more supply until the end of the first quarter, especially of profitable server computer chips. He clarified that it will take several months to produce more products because Intel has depleted its inventory.

According to Zinsner, supply will rise every quarter this year. In contrast to Intel’s recent attempts to reduce its budget, spending on new plants and equipment in 2026 will be comparable to that of the previous year. However, he stated that any increase in output from new equipment won’t occur until 2027.

Another difficulty, according to Zinsner, is that even though there is a strong market for server chips, the company cannot move production too quickly in that direction without endangering its PC clients.

According to Tan, there is also worry that rising memory chip costs will result in more costly laptops and decreased demand. Intel had been enjoying a surge of enthusiasm from Wall Street. In recent months, investors have poured money into the stock, wagering that new products would strengthen finances. Additionally, Nvidia Corp. and the US government made prominent investments in Intel. and SoftBank Group Corp.

XRP Bridges the Old and New: SWIFT Ties Fuel 2026 Optimism

Posted on January 24, 2026January 24, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Crypto Sensei” pieced together several developments that, when considered collectively, depict a far more permissive environment for XRP, tokenization, and bank-led crypto services than many investors may be aware.

Gottfried Leibbrandt, a former CEO of Swift, made the headline claim when he recently stated that once regulatory volatility and legal uncertainty subside, Swift could integrate “native currencies like XRP.”

Without clear regulations, “the benefits do not outweigh the costs” for institutions that might otherwise use volatile cryptocurrency assets for settlement, according to Sensei, who emphasizes that the problem is not technology but rather bank risk appetite.

He saw this as structural pressure rather than a “crypto roadmap,” since ISO-native payment systems like RippleNet will be in a better position once legacy formats and paper checks are phased out.

He reiterates a point that is frequently overlooked in online discussions: payment systems, not tokens themselves, are subject to ISO compliance.
A recent clip of Fed Chair Jerome Powell declaring that US banks are “perfectly able to serve crypto customers” as long as operations are safe, sound, and compliant is heavily referenced in the video.

According to Sensei, the Fed, FDIC, and OCC replaced their earlier, more stringent joint crypto statements with principles-based guidance in 2025. Sensei contends that instead of developing intricate crypto rails internally, banks are more likely to “white-label” infrastructure from companies like Ripple, Circle, Fireblocks, or Coinbase.

He believed that a sizable portion of institutional traffic could be discreetly routed through XRP-enabled systems without ever being advertised by brands.

Silver’s Explosive Surge: Why It’s Outrunning Gold by a Mile in 2026

Posted on January 24, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Gold experienced a sharp increase as central banks and investors sought out safe-haven assets because of the unconventional economic policies of the US Trump administration.

Silver is taking center stage. Silver’s price surged above $100 per troy ounce, more than tripling its value a year earlier and dwarfing even gold’s meteoric rise of over 80% due to a collision between limited supply and surging investor demand.

Demand for both precious metals has increased as investors look to protect themselves from inflation, currency depreciation, and political unrest.

However, silver has numerous qualities that make it a useful component in a wide range of industrial applications, unlike gold.

The profitability of manufacturers who use it could be negatively impacted by persistently high prices, which could also encourage efforts to replace silver components with other metals.

Silver is an electrical conductor utilized in batteries, electric cars, circuit boards, and switches.

In addition to being a vital component of solar panels, silver paste is also utilized in medical device coatings. Silver is still a common component of coins and jewelry, much like gold.

extensive industrial bases because of their sizable populations, and the significant role that silver jewelry continues to play as a store of value passed down through the generations, China and India continue to be the world’s largest buyers of silver.

Governments and mints also use large quantities of silver to make bullion coins and other goods. Its price fluctuates more sharply during precious metal rallies, and as a tradable asset, it is far less expensive per ounce than gold, making it more accessible to retail investors.

Silver’s price fluctuates more violently, but it frequently moves in tandem with gold. The valuation difference between the two metals was pushed to the limit by a spike in gold prices in the first few months of the year.