MF3d/iStock via Getty Images Where We Stand Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) has recently slid to $76K. From the early-May local high near $82K, that is roughly a 7.5% drawdown in two weeks. Five consecutive daily candles have closed red. BTC appears to be slowly bleeding. The Fear and Greed Index reads 40 on May 20, sitting right at the boundary between neutral and fear. Sentiment has not collapsed into extre...
MF3d/iStock via Getty Images Where We Stand Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) has recently slid to $76K. From the early-May local high near $82K, that is roughly a 7.5% drawdown in two weeks. Five consecutive daily candles have closed red. BTC appears to be slowly bleeding. The Fear and Greed Index reads 40 on May 20, sitting right at the boundary between neutral and fear. Sentiment has not collapsed into extreme fear, but the trend is clearly deteriorating. The clearest signal this week came from ETF flows: On May 18, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $649 million in net outflows, the third-largest single-day exit of 2026. For the week of May 11-15, cumulative outflows exceeded $1 billion, the heaviest weekly withdrawal since February. Ethereum ETFs extended their losing streak to six consecutive sessions. Where is the money going? Most likely back to equities. The S&P 500 broke above 7,500 for the first time on May 14, and the Dow topped 50K, driven by strong megacap tech earnings (84% of S&P 500 companies beat Q1 estimates). At the same time, hotter-than-expected inflation data in mid-May (CPI 3.8%, PPI 6%) pushed back rate-cut expectations, triggering broad risk-off flows. On the derivatives side, Bitcoin open interest stands at approximately $56.5 billion. The May 13-14 sell-off triggered a massive spike in long liquidations, followed by continued flushing through May 18-19. Leverage is being cleared, but elevated open interest suggests more deleveraging may follow. BTC perpetual funding rates have been negative since early March, the longest stretch since 2023, meaning shorts have been the dominant force for months, paying fees to maintain bearish positions. The repeated long liquidations are further weakening buy-side conviction. Combined with the ETF outflows above, both on-chain and off-chain capital are bleeding simultaneously. It is worth noting that much of the negative funding reflects institutional hedging (hedge fund redemptions, MSTR arbitrage, miner AI-pivot hedges...
Vice President JD Vance stepped into a political minefield on Tuesday when he was asked to explain more than 3,700 stock trades executed by accounts linked to President Donald Trump during the first quarter of 2026, defending the activity as entirely managed by independent advisors with no input from the White House. The disclosures, which cover hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions over...
Vice President JD Vance stepped into a political minefield on Tuesday when he was asked to explain more than 3,700 stock trades executed by accounts linked to President Donald Trump during the first quarter of 2026, defending the activity as entirely managed by independent advisors with no input from the White House. The disclosures, which cover hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions over three months, have intensified scrutiny over the line between the presidency and private financial interests. Vance did not shy away from the briefing room but rejected any suggestion that Trump participates directly in his own portfolio decisions. “The president doesn’t sit at the Oval Office on his computer on his, like, Robinhood account, buying and selling stocks,” he said. “That’s absurd. He has independent wealth advisors who manage his money. He’s a wealthy person. He has had success in business.” Among the holdings that drew the most attention was Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR), the artificial intelligence and defence analytics contractor. The disclosures record purchases of Palantir shares in March. Weeks later, as the stock endured what analysts described as its sharpest weekly decline in more than a year, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has proven to have great war fighting capabilities and equipment. Just ask our enemies!!! President DJT.” That post, which included the stock ticker, sat uncomfortably alongside the trading disclosures for observers who noted that other securities appearing in the filings had also been publicly endorsed at events or on social media. A reporter put that directly to Vance at the briefing, noting that polling shows a growing share of the American public view the president as corrupt. Vance’s response was brief: “This is a hell of a question.” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told reporters that Trump’s financial assets “are in a trust managed by his children,” adding that “there are no conflicts of...
Dilok Klaisataporn Japan reported a trade surplus of JPY 301.9 billion in April 2026, compared to a deficit of JPY 149.5 billion in April 2025, significantly exceeding expectations for a JPY 29.7 billion deficit. This surplus is the largest since November, with exports growing at 14.8% year-on-year to JPY 10,507.3 billion, faster than the previous month's growth of 11.5%. This indicates strong glo...
Dilok Klaisataporn Japan reported a trade surplus of JPY 301.9 billion in April 2026, compared to a deficit of JPY 149.5 billion in April 2025, significantly exceeding expectations for a JPY 29.7 billion deficit. This surplus is the largest since November, with exports growing at 14.8% year-on-year to JPY 10,507.3 billion, faster than the previous month's growth of 11.5%. This indicates strong global demand despite disruptions from the war in Iran. Meanwhile, imports increased by 9.7% year-on-year to JPY 10,205.4 billion, a slower pace than March but still surpassing expectations. This marks three consecutive months of import growth, supported by domestic demand and government stimulus measures. While external trade data showed robust strength, concurrent domestic indicators painted a more cautious picture of Japan's economic momentum: Japan’s core machinery orders, which exclude volatile sectors such as ships and electric power, dropped 9.4% mom to JPY 1,010.9 billion in March 2026. The S&P Global Japan Manufacturing PMI ticked down to 54.5 from April's 55.1. More notably, the Services PMI slipped to 50.0 from 51.0, signaling flatlining activity, while the Composite PMI eased to a five-month low of 51.1 down from 52.2. The Nikkei 225 Index rose 3.24% to above 61,600, while the broader Topix Index gained 1.6% to 3,850, and the Japanese yen strengthened past 159 per dollar. More on Japan economy EWJ: The Land Of The Rising Sun Is Set For Continued Growth JPY Intervention - Unilateral Or Joint Will Be Key The Yen Recovers On Verbal Intervention Asian tech stocks rally following Nvidia blockbuster and Samsung strike reprieve Asian markets retreat as high oil prices and Wall Street tech softness weigh on sentiment
A retirement village Scooby gang of heroes take on a horrific creature in a series that is funny, tender, wise – and executive produced by the Duffer Brothers I’m sure this isn’t the intended takeaway from The Boroughs, a supernatural murder-mystery set in a New Mexico retirement community, but I am transfixed by what is on offer to the ageing demographic across the pond. It’s like watching an epi...
A retirement village Scooby gang of heroes take on a horrific creature in a series that is funny, tender, wise – and executive produced by the Duffer Brothers I’m sure this isn’t the intended takeaway from The Boroughs, a supernatural murder-mystery set in a New Mexico retirement community, but I am transfixed by what is on offer to the ageing demographic across the pond. It’s like watching an episode of The White Lotus and vowing in your next life to come back as an affluent white American, but more realistic. God willing, we’ll all get old – and with a bit of careful planning, maybe we could stretch to a berth in one of the villages that a country with the space to house them provides for a reasonable sum? Protagonist Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) doesn’t know how lucky he is, any viewer native to these cramped isles might think, as his daughter and son-in-law drop him off at his new home in The Boroughs. There he will find like-aged neighbours, multiple shops, sports and exercise classes, a community centre and numerous other facilities, including a lavishly appointed care home (The Manor) for if and when the time comes. A skittering monster extracting a modicum of body fluids from you every now and again seems a small price to pay. But we’ll get to that. Continue reading...
What exactly is the Enhanced Games? A controversial new sports event that allows athletes to take performance enhancing drugs that are outlawed in official competitions – and also offers huge prizes to participate and “break” world records. When is it happening? This Sunday, 24 May, at a specially built 2,500-seater arena at Resorts World in Las Vegas. As things stand, 42 athletes will compete in ...
What exactly is the Enhanced Games? A controversial new sports event that allows athletes to take performance enhancing drugs that are outlawed in official competitions – and also offers huge prizes to participate and “break” world records. When is it happening? This Sunday, 24 May, at a specially built 2,500-seater arena at Resorts World in Las Vegas. As things stand, 42 athletes will compete in the following events: Swimming: 50m and 100m freestyle, 50m and 100m butterfly. Track & field: 100m. Weightlifting: snatch, clean & jerk. Strongman: deadlift. There will then be a post-event show from the Killers. View image in fullscreen The Killers will play a show after the Enhanced Games, which takes place in the band’s home city of Las Vegas. Photograph: Jim Dyson/Getty Images How many stars are involved? More than a dozen Olympic swimmers have signed up, including Britain’s Ben Proud, who won a silver medal in 50m freestyle at the Paris Games; Ukraine’s Andriy Govorov, who holds the world record for the 50m butterfly; and the Australian former 100m freestyle world champion James Magnussen. In track and field, the biggest name by far is the 2022 world 100m champion, Fred Kerley of the United States, whose personal best is 9.76sec. Two other British athletes are competing: the 100m sprinter Reece Prescod, whose personal best is 9.93sec, and the swimmer Emily Barclay. What banned substances are athletes allowed to take? The Enhanced Games says that only drugs approved by America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be taken. They include the following – which, it is important to note, are all outlawed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada): Testosterone and anabolics such as methenolone and nandrolone. Hormones and growth factors, such as human growth hormone and EPO. Metabolic modulators, such as meldonium, and stimulants, including Adderall. The Enhanced Games says that 37 of its 42 athletes have been involved in an International Review Board (IRB) trial in Abu Dha...
Arsenal have done it. Finally. After 22 years, they are champions of England once again. Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday night means Arsenal hold an unassailable lead at the top of the Premier League with one game remaining. It’s their 14th top-flight crown overall, their fourth Premier League title, and their first since the Invincibles campaign of 2003-04. The defining numbe...
Arsenal have done it. Finally. After 22 years, they are champions of England once again. Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday night means Arsenal hold an unassailable lead at the top of the Premier League with one game remaining. It’s their 14th top-flight crown overall, their fourth Premier League title, and their first since the Invincibles campaign of 2003-04. The defining number for that team was zero. Zero defeats across an entire league season. But what numbers best define this Arsenal side? Here are 10 that tell the story of their title-winning campaign. A defining characteristic of Arsenal under Mikel Arteta has been their dominance from set pieces. It has always been a focus of their play, but it has been particularly pronounced this campaign. They have scored 28 of their 68 league goals from dead-ball situations, three more than any other side. They have been most dangerous from corners, scoring 18 goals from them in 2025-26, which is a new Premier League record. It says a lot about the direction of the Premier League that the record – overtaking the 16 scored by Oldham Athletic in 1992-93 – has been broken twice this season. First by Arsenal, who have the outright record, and then by Tottenham, who have scored 17 goals from corners this season. Arsenal’s effectiveness from corners has, at times, been used as a stick with which to beat them. Critics say their reliance on set pieces makes their football predictable and overly functional. There may be some truth to that perception, but elite sides have long understood the value of marginal gains. Arsenal have simply become better than everyone else at exploiting them. With his clean sheet against Burnley on Monday night, David Raya moved on to 19 shutouts for the season. That drew him level with the most ever recorded by an Arsenal goalkeeper in a Premier League campaign, matching David Seaman’s totals from 1993-94 and 1998-99. If he manages another one on the final day against Crystal Palace...
When her sibling died in an accident the singer-songwriter sought comfort in music. But after finding that the most celebrated records about loss were angry, loud and male, she set about creating something very different In the months after her sister’s death, singer-songwriter Liz Lawrence couldn’t even listen to music, let alone play it. “I was very much, ‘That’s in the past and I don’t know wha...
When her sibling died in an accident the singer-songwriter sought comfort in music. But after finding that the most celebrated records about loss were angry, loud and male, she set about creating something very different In the months after her sister’s death, singer-songwriter Liz Lawrence couldn’t even listen to music, let alone play it. “I was very much, ‘That’s in the past and I don’t know what’s going to be asked of me now,’” she says. “I didn’t think about my work. I wasn’t interested. I didn’t have any appetite for it.” After slowly gravitating back to music via female vocalists such as Lisa O’Neill, Adrianne Lenker and Joanna Newsom, and as the time afforded to grieving was squeezed out by a life still ongoing, Lawrence realised she needed songs that allowed her to return to that “space of contemplation, reflection and sadness”. She quickly searched out a Reddit thread of the best grief albums of all time, only to find a lengthy list of very specific rock and metal records chiefly made by men. “I was just looking for open and frank sadness,” she says, as opposed to the anger broiling within the suggested albums. That plain-speaking despair permeates Lawrence’s beautiful fifth album, Vespers, an unvarnished tribute to elder sister Jessie, who died suddenly in 2024 following an accident while on holiday with her partner and two small children in Ireland. Continue reading...
Pensioners vote and young people don’t, so the truism goes. That’s no longer any reason to avoid dealing with the triple lock Nothing makes you feel more like a de-developing nation than being reprimanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rachel Reeves can take solace in trace amounts from the fact that the IMF advised her only to “ stay the course ” on spending limits – whatever energy or...
Pensioners vote and young people don’t, so the truism goes. That’s no longer any reason to avoid dealing with the triple lock Nothing makes you feel more like a de-developing nation than being reprimanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rachel Reeves can take solace in trace amounts from the fact that the IMF advised her only to “ stay the course ” on spending limits – whatever energy or inflation crises are down the line, she shouldn’t cave to demands for government support. Basically, “when the facts change, do not change your mind” – the opposite of the economists’ classic, but then, haven’t we all had enough of classics? It’s a milder rebuke than the one delivered to the then chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, in 2022, about which the BBC’s economics editor, Faisal Islam, admitted “ even I was taken aback ”, creating a ripple effect: other, lesser economy-watchers were taken aback at the abackness that had taken the unflappable Islam. But it still has a sting in its tail, enjoining Reeves to keep her focus on “controlling the rising welfare bill, as well as delivering further efficiency measures in public services, while protecting the most vulnerable”. Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
The prosecution: Deirdre double quotation mark What gets to me is that whenever I get the mop out, instead of helping, Martin criticises me My husband of five years, Martin, and I have different views on how to best keep our floors clean. We have a cat and a dog so naturally the floors get dirty. There’s hair, dust and whatever gets walked in from outside. Vacuuming helps, but it doesn’t actually ...
The prosecution: Deirdre double quotation mark What gets to me is that whenever I get the mop out, instead of helping, Martin criticises me My husband of five years, Martin, and I have different views on how to best keep our floors clean. We have a cat and a dog so naturally the floors get dirty. There’s hair, dust and whatever gets walked in from outside. Vacuuming helps, but it doesn’t actually clean the floor – it just removes the visible bits. At some point, you need to wash the floor with a mop. I mop once a week. I don’t enjoy it, but I watched my mother do it every week growing up and it feels like a basic point of hygiene. What frustrates me is that Martin treats this like an optional extra, or something silly that doesn’t work. We split chores and he does the cooking, but mopping has somehow become a running joke, because he’s decided it doesn’t work. His main argument is that mopping just spreads dirty water around. Sure, if you do it badly – if you don’t wring the mop or replace the water regularly – it can be inefficient, but that’s not what I’m doing. I wring out the mop, I go over the floor evenly, and it makes such a difference. double quotation mark He says he doesn’t want to get involved, but he does get involved – from the sofa We have sparkling floors, which I love – even if it’s only for 10 minutes because of the animals. What really gets to me is that whenever I get the mop out, instead of helping, Martin criticises me. He explains why it’s ineffective or how it should be done differently, but he won’t do it himself. When he did, he tipped a whole bucket of water on the floor and mopped it up, saying that was more efficient. But he just made a mess. He says vacuuming is enough. I’ve suggested we invest in a fancy bucket that keeps the clean and dirty water separate, but he says he doesn’t want to get involved. The thing is, he does get involved – from the sofa. Don’t dismiss the entire chore if you can’t do it yourself. This isn’t about loving o...