NEWS ALERT Powell Triggered Markets Carnage: VIX Spikes 58%, Stocks Plummet, Dollar Hits 2-Year Highs, Bitcoin Nosedives to 98.6K.

NEWS ALERT Dominique Pelicot, a French national, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the rape of his wife, Gisèle Pelicot. The case took a shocking turn as his daughter came forward with allegations of sexual abuse, claiming he had sedated her before the assaults. A disturbing photograph, taken after one of these incidents, depicted her in a compromising position with her father.   In a dramatic courtroom confrontation, Dominique's son, David, questioned his father about the abuse, asking if he had also harmed his son and his sister. The case is part of a larger scandal involving the rape of Gisèle Pelicot. All 51 defendants in this trial were found guilty, with evidence suggesting they were invited to sexually abuse Gisèle after she was sedated. Court documents indicate that Dominique Pelicot photographed these horrific acts. Full story is found here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/19/world/france-rape-verdict-pelicot - Photo curtsey: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA, via Shutterstock

#NEWS #ALERT #Bitcoin briefly surged to $104k—what triggered the spike? Bitcoin bulls are buying aggressively, holding strong, and pulling coins off exchanges. With Bitcoin's market cap alone hitting $2 trillion, bolstered by $31 billion in net inflows from US Bitcoin ETFs, the total crypto market cap has now surpassed $3.5 trillion. Several altcoins are experiencing significant growth, and NFTs are making a comeback. XRP recently reached its highest price in nearly seven years—though some claim manipulation, the price has since started to decline. In a notable move, Brazil proposed using Bitcoin as a national reserve asset, sending a strong signal to the global market to take notice.

#NEWS #ALERT Bitcoin Hits $100,000, Lifted by Hopes of a Crypto-Friendly Washington. The world’s largest digital currency has staged an extraordinary rally since Election Day, surging more than 40% in just four weeks and setting one record after another.

#NEWS #ALERT French Government Falls as National Assembly Approves No-Confidence Vote The government of President Emmanuel Macron collapsed after the National Assembly voted for the first time in more than a half-century to oust a prime minister from office, a sign of the political gridlock that has paralyzed France.

#NEWS #ALERT Trump Picks Paul Atkins to Run SEC: President-elect Donald Trump picked the conservative lawyer to run the Securities and Exchange Commission, choosing a regulatory skeptic who will be expected to cut red tape and rein in the agency’s enforcement division.

#NEWS #ALERT The fatal shooting of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was a premeditated, targeted attack, NYC police said. The suspect remains at large. The chief executive of UnitedHealth’s insurance arm was fatally shot outside a hotel in New York City Wednesday morning, according to a person familiar with the matter. Brian Thompson was shot in the chest and leg shortly before UnitedHealthcare, a Minnesota-based insurance company, was set to hold its annual investors meeting.

NEWS #ALERT Ukraine Uses U.S.-Provided Long-Range Missiles in Russia for First Time

NEWS ALERT Fed Cuts Rates Again as Election Reshapes Growth Outlook -- The Federal Reserve approved a quarter-percentage-point interest-rate cut, the latest step to prevent large rate increases of the prior 2½ years from weakening the labor market as inflation eases.

NEWS ALERT U.S. Agency Warns Employees About Phone Use Amid China Hack -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a directive to employees to reduce the use of their phones for work matters due to China’s recent hack of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.