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BlockBeats reported on May 15 that a New York Times op-ed pointed out that artificial intelligence and energy prices are becoming the two core variables driving global capital markets, with market performance showing a highly concentrated characteristic. The article stated that although NVIDIA has risen more than 20,000% over the past decade, the strongest-performing chip company since 2026 has shifted to Intel, whose stock price surged 114% in April alone and has risen by over 214% year-to-date, significantly outperforming NVIDIA during the same period. Analysis believes that the main line of this round of the AI sector is expanding from “training chips” to “inference chips,” driving a repricing of related semiconductor companies. In addition to Intel, both the South Korean and Taiwan markets have also performed well, with companies like Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and TSMC benefiting from expanding AI computing power demand, boosting the overall strength of local stock markets. The article also noted that the AI trend is no longer confined to the US market, but is now forming a global capital concentration effect, further intensifying the structural divergence between major assets. Fluctuations in energy prices, coupled with geopolitical conflicts, have made market trends increasingly reliant on the growth momentum of a handful of industries. Overall, AI and crude oil are jointly shaping the logic of global asset pricing, but true diversification in the current market environment remains relatively difficult.

BlockBeats News, May 15th, an article in Forbes Digital Assets pointed out that as the total market value of stablecoins rises to around $323.4 billion, the global financial system is entering a key structural differentiation stage: the future of the digital dollar may have to choose between "bearer stablecoins" and "tokenized deposits of bank reserves." The article contrasts the two models as a core divergence: One type is represented by stablecoins, known as "bearer digital cash," emphasizing instant settlement and atomic-level clearance on public chains, reducing intermediaries and counterparty risks, and being closer to the attributes of "on-chain cash." The other type consists of bank-issued tokenized deposits, closer to the traditional banking liability system, requiring stricter KYC and settlement constraints. Its advantage lies in compliance with regulatory capital requirements but is limited in cross-chain interoperability. The article points out that the EU's MiCA framework and the US GENIUS Act are accelerating this differentiation from an institutional perspective: the former divides the regulatory path through electronic money tokens and asset-referenced tokens, while the latter requires stablecoins to be 100% backed by cash and short-term US Treasury bonds, and strengthens the bankruptcy priority payment mechanism. The analysis believes that this structural choice not only determines the payment attributes of stablecoins but also will affect their long-term position in cross-border payments, corporate treasury management, and the global dollar system. At the same time, while "bearer stablecoins" are improving efficiency, they are also suggested to bring about redemption pressure and systemic liquidity risks.

BlockBeats News, May 15, according to a video commentary from The New York Times, political disputes surrounding “official data and statistical standards” are deepening in the United States, with increasing tension between some policy statements and key statistical systems such as those of the economy, employment, and inflation, forming what is being described as a “war on numbers.” The commentary suggests that, in a context where macroeconomic decisions rely heavily on data models and government statistics, any influence of political factors on data release mechanisms or interpretation could weaken the trust of markets, businesses, and the public in economic signals, and amplify uncertainty in policy expectations. Analysts point out that such controversies not only impact the financial market’s judgment on inflation and growth trajectories but may also further increase asset pricing volatility, making “data credibility” one of the key variables in macro trading. Overall, the commentary emphasizes that modern economic systems are highly dependent on statistical data as a “shared factual basis,” and if this foundation becomes divided, it will have a chain effect on policy making and market pricing mechanisms.