Headline: AI Frenzy Cools as Crypto Crackdown and Fed Uncertainty Grip Markets
A wave of regulatory action, valuation worries, and policy uncertainty pressured risk assets, with artificial intelligence leaders sliding, Bitcoin slipping below $90,000, and select payments names retreating. At the same time, a single-stock buyback headline offered a rare bright spot in a volatile session.
U.S. authorities intensified enforcement in digital assets, charging the founder of a crypto ATM operation with laundering more than $10 million in illicit funds—a case that underscores the Department of Justice’s continuing crackdown on crypto-related fraud. The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, adding to mounting compliance scrutiny across crypto payments and fintech.
On Wall Street, a reassessment of AI-driven valuations accelerated. A major bank framed the AI boom’s roughly $19 trillion market premium as running ahead of fundamentals, fueling bubble concerns and hitting Big Tech leadership. AI bellwethers including Nvidia, Google, and Microsoft fell, with Nvidia down around 3%. The broader risk-off tone deepened as odds of near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts eased, the S&P 500 pointed to a fourth consecutive decline, and Bitcoin dropped below $90,000. Within payments and fintech, pressure extended to names such as PAY (-6.7%) and Affirm (-2.8%). Elsewhere, CCOI jumped 6.8% on share buyback news, though the stock remains down 74% year to date, highlighting ongoing volatility and selective bargain hunting. Policy risk also rose as political chatter focused on potential changes at the Federal Reserve when Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends in May, pitting hopes for lower rates against concerns over investor confidence.
Key Points: – DOJ charges crypto ATM founder with laundering over $10 million; potential 20-year sentence underscores crypto enforcement momentum. – AI’s estimated $19 trillion market premium triggers valuation and bubble fears; Big Tech leadership questioned. – Tech and fintech slide: Nvidia -3%, Google and Microsoft lower; PAY -6.7%, Affirm -2.8%. – Bitcoin falls below $90,000 as risk appetite wanes; S&P 500 on track for a fourth straight decline; Home Depot misses earnings. – Speculation grows over a potential new Fed chair as Powell’s term ends in May, raising policy and market uncertainty. – CCOI rises 6.8% on buyback announcement but remains down 74% year to date.
