Morgan Stanley's new Bitcoin ETF (MSBT) saw active trading on its first day, with over 1.6 million shares traded and approximately $34 million in inflows. Tracking the CoinDesk Bitcoin benchmark price, the fund boasts a fee of only 0.14%, the lowest among similar products, leveraging its price advantage to compete in the market. In addition to its low fees, MSBT leverages Morgan Stanley's extensive wealth management network, potentially attracting traditional investors to allocate Bitcoin assets through its financial advisory system. However, the market is currently dominated by leading products, such as BlackRock's IBIT, which has assets exceeding $53 billion. Industry insiders predict that MSBT may divert some existing funds in the short term, but its long-term performance will depend on its ability to attract sustained inflows.

Odaily reports that Yuga Labs and artist Ryder Ripps have reached a settlement in a long-standing trademark dispute, marking a near end to the legal battle surrounding Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC). Under the settlement agreement, Ripps and his partners will be prohibited from continuing to use Yuga Labs' images and trademarks. Specific terms have not yet been fully disclosed. The case began in 2022 when Ripps launched a replica NFT series (RR/BAYC) using the same ape image as BAYC, calling it "expressive appropriation art." Yuga Labs subsequently filed a trademark infringement lawsuit. In 2023, a US court ruled that the replica project constituted trademark infringement and initially awarded approximately $9 million in damages. The appeals court subsequently partially overturned the ruling and ordered a retrial, leading to a protracted legal battle.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the appointment of David Woodcock as the new head of its enforcement division, succeeding the outgoing director. Woodcock previously served as the SEC's Fort Worth office director (2011–2015), overseeing enforcement lawyers, reviewers, and accounting teams, and participating in investigations across virtually all major enforcement areas. He recently became a partner at the law firm Gibson Dunn. Notably, Woodcock lacks a clear background in the crypto industry, and this appointment comes at a time of controversy surrounding the SEC's approach to crypto enforcement. Previously, disagreements over case handling and enforcement standards led to the previous head's short tenure and drew congressional attention. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that this appointment will help strengthen the fight against "misconduct that causes the greatest harm to investors."

Odaily Planet Daily reports that Nick Timiraos, often referred to as the "Federal Reserve mouthpiece," wrote that the ceasefire between the US and Iran provides an opportunity to mitigate the serious threat currently posed to the global economy. However, for the Federal Reserve, this may simply be a change of scenery: persistent energy price volatility is enough to keep inflation high, but not enough to severely damage demand, thus prolonging the period of unchanged interest rates. The minutes of the Fed's March meeting emphasized that the war was not the primary reason for the Fed's reluctance to cut rates, but rather it complicated the Fed's already cautious stance. Even before the conflict, the path to rate cuts had narrowed. The labor market had stabilized, alleviating concerns about a recession, and progress toward the Fed's 2% inflation target had stalled. The Fed did not adjust interest rates at its March meeting, partly due to concerns about the risks of a protracted war. The risk that escalating conflict could drag down economic growth and lead to a recession was the last and strongest argument supporting a resumption of rate cuts. Paradoxically, however, the end of the war may, in the short term, make it more difficult, rather than easier, for the Fed to implement easing policies. This is because the ceasefire agreement eliminates the worst-case economic scenario, namely severe price increases that would disrupt supply chains and destroy demand, which is arguably more important than eliminating the risk of new inflationary pressures.

According to Odaily Planet Daily, citing US government officials, the Trump administration is considering a plan to punish some NATO members it believes did not support the US and Israel during the Iran war. The proposal includes withdrawing US troops from non-supporting NATO members and redeploying them to countries more supportive of US military operations. This proposal is far less serious than Trump's recent threats to completely withdraw the US from NATO, as he has no authority to do so without congressional approval. The plan has been circulating and gaining support among senior government officials in recent weeks and is currently in its initial conceptual stage, one of several plans to punish NATO being discussed by the White House. The White House previously stated that Trump believes NATO has failed the "test" and will discuss withdrawal with Rutte. According to two government officials, in addition to redeploying troops, the plan may also include closing US military bases in at least one European country, possibly Spain or Germany. Countries such as Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece could benefit as they are seen as supporters. The plan could lead to a greater deployment of US troops closer to the Russian border, potentially angering Moscow. (Wall Street Journal)