China Urges Banks to Scale Back US Treasuries on Concentration Risk

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Chinese regulators have recommended that financial institutions reduce their holdings of US Treasuries, citing worries about market volatility and concentration risks. According to people who asked not to be named to discuss private discussions, officials told banks to reduce their purchases of US government bonds and told those with significant exposure to reduce their holdings.

China’s state holdings of US Treasuries are exempt from the directive. According to the people, the guidance, which was verbally conveyed to some of the largest banks in the country in recent weeks, reflects officials’ growing concern that holdings of US government debt could expose banks to volatile fluctuations.

The concerns are similar to those expressed by governments and fund managers abroad, in the midst of a developing controversy regarding the dollar’s appeal and the safe-haven status of US debt

US treasuries fell in response to the news, with yields gradually rising across maturities. The dollar’s value declined marginally in relation to its major peers. As early as April, Donald Trump, who spoke with Xi Jinping over the phone last week, intends to meet the Chinese leader at a presidential summit in Beijing.

The regulatory guidance on Treasuries for Chinese banks was issued before last week’s call. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange reported that as of September, Chinese banks held approximately $298 billion in dollar-denominated bonds. How many of those were Treasuries is unknown.

Bitcoin Whales Buy Aggressively Amid Widespread Retreat

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Bitcoin recently received new support from some of its biggest investors, but demand recovery remains so limited that it is unclear whether this is a recovery or just damage control.

Bitcoin swung down fast after a quick climb to $90K.

In the past week, after weeks of intense selling, so-called whale wallets amassed roughly 53,000 coins, their largest buying binge since November.

Even though most other investors stayed out of the market, those kinds of purchases helped stabilize prices following a sharp decline.

While months of divestment have left Bitcoin about 40 percent below its October peak, data from industry research firm Glassnode shows that wallets holding more than 1,000 Bitcoin added more than $4 billion in value over the period.

According to Glassnode, major Bitcoin holders have been net sellers over the past year, with over 170,000 coins, valued at about $11 billion, leaving their wallets since mid-December, excluding exchange-traded funds and exchanges. That erratic support is reflected in the price movement of Bitcoin.

The token fell to about $60,000 last week after hitting a record high in October, but it later rose to about $70,000. At 9 a.m., it was trading above $69,100. m. on Wednesday in Singapore. Many investors who purchased Bitcoin through recently launched exchange-traded funds are now sitting on losses, which makes them less likely to add aggressively.

This stop-and-start behavior among large holders has heightened a well-known question that has been hovering over the market: Who exactly is left to power the next sustained rally? Publicly traded businesses that had adopted Bitcoin as a reserve asset at the same time.

Goldman Sachs Bets on XRP: $153M Holdings Revealed in Q4 Filing

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Goldman Sachs revealed substantial exposure to cryptocurrency, disclosing holdings of over $2.36 billion in digital assets in its Q4 2025 13F filing. According to the filing, $11 billion of its reported investment portfolio is in Bitcoin, $10 billion in Ethereum, $153 million in XRP, and $108 million in Solana.

The disclosure puts Goldman among the largest US banks most exposed to crypto-linked assets, worth a small portion of total holdings. A closer examination of the document reveals that Goldman’s exposure to XRP is primarily through XRP exchange-traded funds, which are worth about $152 million.

The total net assets of US Spot XRP ETFs are currently over $1.04 billion. After 56 days of trading, there have only been 4 days of outflows from XRP ETFs. One of the most significant investment banks in the world, Goldman Sachs counsels governments and businesses on capital markets, mergers, and restructuring.

Goldman had previously expressed skepticism about Bitcoin. Its research teams and executives characterized Bitcoin as a speculative asset with no inherent cash flows and little use as money. The company constantly highlighted volatility and regulatory risk while framing cryptocurrency as inappropriate for conservative portfolios.

In addition to expanding access to derivatives and resuming its cryptocurrency trading desk, Goldman produced research that acknowledged Bitcoin’s potential as an inflation hedge but refrained from recommending it as a core asset class. The company once more emphasized counterparty and infrastructure risks after the 2022 crypto winter.

Goldman has moved toward cautious participation in more recent times. While insisting that cryptocurrency is still speculative, it has participated through ETFs, structured products, and tokenization initiatives.

Silver’s Next Big Squeeze? Fundamentals Point to a 1980-Style Mega Rally Ahead

Posted on February 11, 2026February 11, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Fundamental action suggests that a larger Silver rally, similar to the 1979–1980 event, might be coming. A significant gap between paper contracts and physical inventory has worsened the COMEX default, especially in the silver market.

The “default” scenario is based on a large difference between the amount of metal promised in future contracts and the actual metal in exchange vaults. Some analysts say silver prices could “reset,” possibly rising toward or above $200 per ounce, if the exchange cannot meet physical delivery demands.

COMEX is said to have between 103 and 120 million ounces of “registered” silver (metal ready for delivery) in stock. Open interest stands at about 429 million ounces.

The “Run” on the Bank indicates that the exchange could run out of silver if even 25% of contract holders demanded physical delivery instead of cash. Recent activity shows that in January 2026 alone, an unusual 40 million ounces were ordered for delivery.

The Bull Case (Robert Kiyosaki and Clive Thompson): Kiyosaki expected silver to hit $200 in 2026, citing a weakening fiat system and industrial demand from solar and AI. Clive Thompson warns that by March 2026, COMEX might run out of deliverable silver. Since gold is the ultimate “anti-dollar” hedge, a silver default could also impact gold, influence credit markets, and the broader financial system, as suggested by Bill Holter’s Systemic Risk Case.

The Skeptical Case (CPM Group): Traditional analysts often say that exchange rules prevent a full collapse by allowing Force Majeure or cash-only settlements, making a true “default” impossible

Ripple’s XRP Ignores the Bloodbath, ETFs Inflow Strong, Price Stuck at $1.42

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

XRP spot ETFs saw net inflows of $39 million during the last week, despite the massive losses in the broader cryptocurrency market. Capital pulled out of Bitcoin and Ethereum products during one of the year’s most aggressive risk-off periods, which coincided with the inflows.

Ethereum ETFs lost about $166 million during the week, while Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of $318 million. It is significant to remember that the only significant asset with consistent inflows was XRP. Bitwise’s XRP ETF was the most popular. Canary’s XRPC brought in $2.93 million, while Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ added $3.94 million with $8.29 million in daily inflows.

The inflows followed the token’s nearly 70% decline from its most recent peak, which made it the worst-performing cryptocurrency among the top 100 during the correction. Since then, XRP has leveled off at around $1.42.

The fact that XRP is trading below the descending channel, as indicated by the chart, confirms a breakdown and strengthens the overall bearish trend. Any upside is likely to encounter resistance close to the lower boundary of the descending channel, even though there may be a brief relief bounce. The MACD is still negative, and the RSI is getting close to oversold territory.

A relief bounce might be triggered by a successful hold above the $1.35–$1.40 support zone. A break above the declining channel could allow for a move toward $2.30-$2.60, where strong resistance previously formed, even though the initial upside targets are located close to $1.80-$2.

China Signals Pullback: Banks Urged to Limit US Government Bond Holdings

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

The concerns are similar to those expressed by governments and fund managers abroad, in the midst of a developing controversy regarding the dollar’s appeal and the safe-haven status of US debt

AstraZeneca Forecasts Stronger Profits in 2026 on Cancer Drug Momentum

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

AstraZeneca Plc expects profit to grow further this year, boosted by sales of its cancer drugs as it works to offset the patent expiry of a blockbuster diabetes drug.

Earnings per share, excluding some items, are expected to rise by a low double-digit percentage, the UK drugmaker said Tuesday. That’s in line with analysts’ expectations. Astra also reported fourth-quarter profit and revenue that roughly met estimates.

Under Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot, Astra has become a cancer-drug powerhouse and one of the top two largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. The viability of Soriot’s ambition to reach $80 billion in revenue by the end of the decade will become clearer this year as the drugmaker seeks to almost double sales from 2023 levels.

Astra is working to increase the number of weight-loss medications in its pipeline.

It signed a deal with the Chinese company CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. for up to $18.5 billion. As pharmaceutical companies vie for the next generation of treatments in a booming market dominated by Eli Lilly and Co., the agreement gives Astra access to CSPC’s long-acting peptide technology, which could enable monthly dosing. and Nordisk A/S, Novo.

TSMC Beats Expectations: 37% Revenue Growth in January Amid AI Surge

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Taiwan Manufacturing Semiconductor Co. Sales in January increased at the fastest rate in months, indicating that global AI spending is continuing despite ongoing worries about an industry bubble.

NVIDIA Corp.’s contract chipmaker. revealed that January revenue increased by 37% to NT$401.3 billion ($12.7 billion), exceeding the 30% revenue growth that TSMC anticipates for the entire year. However, the Lunar New Year holidays, which fell in January in 2025, might have impacted the comparison with the previous year.

Additionally, TSMC, which manufactures chips for Apple Inc., has benefited greatly from investment in artificial intelligence because of its production of cutting-edge AI accelerators.

TSMC has allocated up to $56 billion in capital expenditures this year, a quarter more than in 2025, because of increased demand for data center chips in particular. Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, referred to the capital expenditure binge as a “once-in-a-generation infrastructure buildout” last week.

However, the enormous expenditures of big tech firms such as Amazon and Meta Platforms Inc. are concerning investors as well, who question whether artificial intelligence will help those who place the most bets. People who have previously suffered from boom-and-bust tech cycles are also wary of the circular nature of many data center agreements.

China’s Central Bank Buys Gold for 15th Straight Month

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Dip buyers returned to the market following a week of unusually high volatility in precious metals, and gold rose above $5,000 an ounce.

Resilient official demand, a key element of the extended bull run that preceded the recent rout, was highlighted by data released over the weekend, which showed the Chinese central bank extended gold purchases for a 15th month.

The People’s Bank of China will make these kinds of acquisitions, with comparatively modest buys in asset diversification without raising prices.

Bullion recovered some ground following a historic thrashing at the end of last month, rising as much as 1.7 percent in Asian trading on Monday. It has recovered about half of the losses since the metal fell from an all-time high hit on January 28. Silver also made progress.

Concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence, the devaluation trade, and increased geopolitical risks had all contributed to the record-breaking rise in precious metal prices.

A surge of speculative buying fueled the run before gold and silver crashed at the end of last month. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed last week’s erratic price fluctuations on “unruly” trading in China

Banks and asset managers such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG have experienced erratic trading for the past week following the historic reversal.

Gold Surges Past $5,000 as China’s PBOC Extends Buying Streak to 15 Months

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Dip buyers returned to the market following a week of unusually high volatility in precious metals, and gold rose above $5,000 an ounce.

The People’s Bank of China will make these kinds of acquisitions, with comparatively modest buys in asset diversification without raising prices.

Concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence, the devaluation trade, and increased geopolitical risks had all contributed to the record-breaking rise in precious metal prices.

Banks and asset managers such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG have experienced erratic trading for the past week following the historic reversal.