[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | 9 Fed Officials See Need for Rate Hikes in 2026, Dot Plot Shows

9 Fed Officials See Need for Rate Hikes in 2026, Dot Plot Shows

In the Federal Reserve's dot plot, 9 of the 18 participants who submitted projections indicated that rate hikes will be needed in 2026.

According to Odaily, 18 of 19 officials submitted dot plot projections. Of those, 1 projected a total of 75 bps of hikes in 2026, 5 projected 50 bps of hikes, and 3 projected 25 bps of hikes.

Meanwhile, 8 projected rates would remain unchanged, while 1 projected a 25 bps rate cut. The Fed's dot plot is a key indicator for gauging the future path of monetary policy, and a higher-rate outlook could weigh on sentiment toward risk assets.

Fed Holds Benchmark Interest Rate at 3.50%-3.75%

The U.S. Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75%.

According to Odaily, the Fed has now maintained rates for four consecutive meetings, and the decision was in line with market expectations.

Watcher.Guru: Fed Chair Warsh Formally Scraps Forward Guidance

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has formally scrapped the Federal Reserve's use of forward guidance, according to Watcher.Guru.

Forward guidance is a tool by which a central bank signals the future direction of interest rates and monetary policy in advance. Its removal could increase uncertainty over the future policy path.

Trump: Deal With Iran Could Be Signed Tomorrow or the Day After

President Trump said a deal with Iran could be signed tomorrow or the day after, possibly as early as Friday.

According to Odaily, Trump said bombing would resume if an agreement is not reached within 60 days. He said he does not want to bomb Iran again but may have to if necessary, and added that he sent a copy of the memorandum to Israel and that Iran agreed not to produce or procure nuclear weapons.

U.S., Iran May Move MOU Signing Ceremony Up to Wednesday

The U.S., Iran, and mediators are discussing moving up the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony, originally scheduled for Friday, to as early as Wednesday, according to Odaily.

A source said that since both sides have already agreed on the Strait of Hormuz issue, the aim is to reopen the strait more quickly.

If the schedule is moved up, the MOU would be signed electronically, provisions related to the Strait of Hormuz would take effect, and the U.S. government could also release the text of the agreement.

However, the delegations of both countries are still scheduled to meet in Switzerland on Friday as originally planned to discuss the start of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

Earlier, a senior U.S. government official said the agreement had been electronically signed by President Trump, Vance, and Ghalibaf, but diplomatic sources said no signing had taken place.

Strategy's Bitcoin Holdings Surpass BlackRock's

According to Bitcoin Magazine, Strategy, led by Michael Saylor, now holds 846,842 BTC, surpassing BlackRock's 811,291 BTC.

Strategy is widely known as a company that has accumulated bitcoin as a corporate treasury asset, while BlackRock is an issuer of spot bitcoin ETFs.

Satori Finance Suspends Operations and Begins Shutdown Process

Satori Finance, a multichain decentralized exchange backed by Polychain Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and others, is suspending operations and entering a shutdown process, according to Odaily.

Satori Finance said prolonged adverse market conditions have made platform revenue insufficient to cover ongoing operating costs. Users must withdraw their assets by 23:59 UTC on July 16, after which the platform will no longer be available.

Previously, Satori Finance raised a $10 million seed round in 2022 led by Polychain Capital, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Jump Crypto, and others. It was deployed across multiple networks including Arbitrum, Optimism, and BNB Chain, and offered up to 25x leverage and a points-mining model.

Coinbase to List RE

Coinbase announced through an official notice that it plans to list RE.

Deposits for RE will be available once the token issuer enables transfers.

Source: Odaily

UXLINK Attacker Swaps 14.6 Million DAI for ETH, Then Deposits to Tornado Cash

According to Odaily, blockchain security firm PeckShield said the UXLINK attacker address swapped about 14.6 million DAI for 8,298.6 ETH.

The attacker then deposited 8,340 ETH into Tornado Cash, while 2.64 ETH (about $4,630) was bridged from Ethereum to a BTC address. The address currently still holds 10.54 million DAI.

3,999 BTC Moved Between Anonymous Wallets

According to Whale Alert, 3,999 BTC was transferred from one anonymous wallet to another anonymous wallet.

The transfer was worth about $261.59 million. As it has not been confirmed whether the transaction involved exchange deposits or withdrawals, it cannot be conclusively interpreted as sell-side pressure.