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In today’s post:
Seize First. Negotiate Later. 🤝
11 Reasons You’re Still Broke
Did You Miss the 9.5% Surge? 📈
They Know About Your Bitcoin 😬
What happens when the S&P moves 3% during your commute?
We are living in volatile times. While you cannot control the state of international affairs, you can position your portfolio accordingly.
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Seize First. Negotiate Later. 🤝
The Trump administration has frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency allegedly linked to Iran.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions on multiple wallets tied to the country, with Tether stepping in to do the actual blocking across two addresses.
Tether's role here is worth paying attention to. The stablecoin giant confirmed it worked directly with U.S. authorities after receiving intel on "unlawful conduct" tied to those wallets. That's $344M in USDT that isn't going anywhere.
So the U.S. seized Iran's crypto with one hand...
...and extended the other for a handshake.
Trump is sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad this weekend for talks with Iran's foreign minister. The goal? A potential deal on Tehran's nuclear material, something Witkoff and Kushner have been quietly working on for months.
JD Vance is sitting this round out, though he's on standby if talks get serious. Iran's parliamentary speaker is also skipping, so it's a mid-tier meeting for now.
Classic diplomatic poker: freeze their assets, then offer a seat at the table.
Oil is watching closely. Crude futures dipped slightly to $93/barrel, while Brent held around $104. Markets aren't panicking yet, but Iran-related headlines have a habit of changing that fast.
TL;DR
The U.S. froze $344M in USDT allegedly tied to Iran via Treasury sanctions
Tether confirmed it supported the freeze across two crypto wallets after working with U.S. authorities
Separately, Trump is sending Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan this weekend for nuclear talks with Iran's foreign minister
JD Vance is on standby but not attending the opening round
The dual approach (sanctions + diplomacy) suggests the U.S. is applying pressure while keeping a back channel open
Crude at $93, Brent at $104 — oil markets are calm for now, but this situation has escalation written all over it
11 Reasons Why You’re Still Broke
The Market Missed These
While most investors chase the same overpriced mega-caps, a handful of under-$10 stocks are quietly showing signs of a turnaround. Our analysts identified 10 with real upside that Wall Street hasn't caught on to yet.
The names, the numbers, and the case for each are all in The 10 Best Cheap Stocks to Own in 2026 report.
Did You Miss the 9.5% Surge? 📈
Prediction market Kalshi now shows 26.3% of bettors pricing in an S&P 500 hit of 8,000 or above before December 31.
That number was sitting at just 10% at the March lows. So yeah, sentiment has done a full 180.
61.2% of investors expect the index to clear 7,600 by year-end. Nearly half (44%) are backing 7,800+.
And honestly? The market is doing its best to prove them right.
The S&P 500 hit fresh intraday highs on Friday, up 0.8% on the day. It's now up 4.7% year-to-date and has ripped 9.5% in just the past month.
That's a statement.
The people betting real money are clearly not scared of heights right now.
TL;DR
Kalshi bettors now give a 26% chance of S&P 500 hitting 8,000+ by year-end
That's up from just 10% at the March lows — sentiment has flipped hard
61% of bettors expect the index to reach at least 7,600 by December
44% are backing 7,800 or higher
The S&P 500 hit fresh intraday highs Friday, up 0.8% on the session
Index is now +4.7% YTD and up a monster 9.5% over the past month
They Know About Your Bitcoin 😬
Palantir — the data surveillance company that built tools for the Pentagon and CIA — has been quietly helping the IRS dig through your financial life since 2018.
No big deal, right?
Here's what's actually happening.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Division uses Palantir's Lead and Case Analytics platform to search, aggregate, and visualise connections across millions of records spanning thousands of linked federal databases.
We're talking:
Individual tax returns and forms
Bank statements and transactions
Affordable Care Act data
FinCEN financial crime records
Crypto wallets — Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple
Basically, if it exists in a federal database, Palantir can stitch it together into a neat little map of your financial life.
The IRS has paid over $130 million to Palantir for the privilege.
Why people are worried.
Non-profit watchdog American Oversight obtained the contract documents and flagged the obvious concern: this is an enormous amount of sensitive personal data consolidated into one system, run by a private contractor notorious for opaque government deployments.
American Oversight's director put it bluntly: "When the government can map relationships, track behavior, and generate investigative leads across data sets at this scale, the question isn't just what it can do — it's who it will be used against."
That's the kind of quote that keeps civil liberties lawyers up at night.
The Palantir angle.
For $PLTR ( ▲ 1.07% ) investors, this is a reminder that government contracts are Palantir's bread and butter. $130M from the IRS alone. And these deals tend to expand, not shrink.
The business model isn't complicated: get in, get embedded, get indispensable.
Whether that's a feature or a bug depends entirely on which side of the audit you're on.
TL;DR
Palantir has been helping the IRS analyse citizen financial data since 2018 via its Lead and Case Analytics platform
The system connects millions of records across thousands of federal databases, including tax returns, bank data, and crypto wallets
The IRS has paid Palantir $130M+ for the contract to date
Watchdog group American Oversight raised concerns about mass data consolidation with minimal transparency
The core worry: a private contractor running surveillance-grade infrastructure on behalf of the government, with little public oversight
For PLTR bulls, it's another reminder the company is deeply embedded in federal operations — and those contracts don't go away quietly
1. Ride the Government AI Gravy Train
Palantir just reminded everyone that AI-powered government contracts are massive, sticky, and growing. Where Palantir leads, others follow.
📌 Action: Add or build a position in $PLTR ( ▲ 1.07% ). Also look at $BBAI ( ▼ 0.8% ) and $SAIC ( ▲ 0.36% ) as indirect plays on the federal data intelligence boom. Hold medium-term as government AI spending accelerates.
2. Bet on the Privacy Tech Backlash
Every surveillance story like this one drives demand for privacy tools. VPNs, encrypted comms, and cybersecurity firms all get a quiet boost when trust in government data handling drops.
📌 Action: Consider adding exposure to $CYBR ( ▼ 0.03% ) or $CHKP ( ▲ 0.64% ) — cybersecurity firms that benefit directly from individuals and businesses scrambling to protect financial data.
3. Stack the Crypto Privacy Narrative
The article specifically flags Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple as targets. That spotlight will drive fresh demand for privacy-first crypto assets as investors look for ways off the grid.
📌 Action: Research an allocation into Monero (XMR) or Zcash (ZEC) — the two leading privacy coins that exist specifically because of surveillance concerns like this one.
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