Oil prices eased as traders monitored unverified market chatter about a potential U.S. strike on Iran said to fall on February 23–24 and the timing of upcoming nuclear talks in Geneva. Reporting indicates that any U.S. action under discussion is framed as a limited strike while diplomats prepare for a new negotiating round this week. Equity traders also watched Exxon Mobil, which last showed 146.87 in overnight trading during early Asian hours.

U.S. tariff powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act have been curtailed following a Supreme Court decision, while bilateral trade agreements continue in force, according to Bloomberg Law. Other trade statutes such as Sections 232, 301, 201, and 122 remain available, and partners in the EU and across the UK, South Korea, and India are reviewing implications.

According to Google Trends data cited by AOL Finance, searches for "Bitcoin is dead" and "Bitcoin is going to zero" have climbed to record levels while the asset trades around $67,713. Matrixport analysts describe sentiment as extremely weak, and Bloomberg Intelligence's Mike McGlone outlines scenarios ranging from sharp downside risk to potential inflection after fear peaks.

The White House held a second round of discussions on stablecoin yields that participants described as productive but which concluded without an agreement. The focus was on rewards programs and access, with stakeholders asked to submit compromise bill language by the end of February 2026, while current consumer offerings remain unchanged. Coinbase Global's shares were around 161.04, up about 10.21% intraday.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in Taipei that the company is discussing a potential investment in OpenAI that could reach up to $100 billion. The proposal mentions substantial equity and a 10‑gigawatt computing build‑out, with no binding agreement yet. OpenAI's leadership has signaled strong interest in expanding collaboration.

FTX plans to carry out its next creditor distribution on March 31, following an announcement by creditor representative Sunil. The round is based on $9.6 billion in reconciled claims and could add a further $2 billion to creditor recoveries if the proposal is approved. A prior distribution in September 2025 totaled $1.6 billion, shaping expectations for how remaining disputed reserves may be resolved.

On January 31, 2026, the U.S. government entered a partial shutdown after Senate funding votes failed amid DHS reform disputes. A Senate spending bill awaits House review until February 2. Bitcoin traded at $78,552.41, down 6.55% over 24 hours and 11.89% over the past week, with dominance at 58.96% and a market cap of 1.57 trillion.

The Senate Agriculture Committee approved the Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act in a 12–11 vote on Thursday. Democrats opposed the bill, citing concerns over Trump family cryptocurrency interests, while Republicans, led by Chair John Boozman, supported it. The measure now moves toward potential full Senate consideration as markets watch for regulatory implications.

On January 29, 2026, the UK House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee opened an inquiry into stablecoin oversight. The review will examine global issuance since 2014, compare the UK with the US and EU, and analyze how GBP-denominated stablecoins could affect monetary policy and traditional institutions. Outcomes could inform future regulatory frameworks and the UK’s competitiveness in the digital economy.