Democratic Lawmakers Set to Introduce Bill Banning Government Official Trading on Inside Information via Prediction Markets This Week

Jan. 9 — In his latest "Fed Whispers" piece, Nick Timiraos noted that tonight’s December jobs report gives Fed officials plenty of reason to keep a wait-and-see stance at this month’s meeting. Nonfarm payrolls rose by just 50,000, while the three-month private hiring average fell to 29,000 — the second-lowest pace of the year. This sluggish job growth underscores the 2025 labor market dynamic of "slow hires, slow fires." However, the drop in the unemployment rate has temporarily eased extreme worries about a worsening labor market — concerns that prompted the Fed to cut rates at three straight meetings. The report has solidified market expectations the Fed will hold steady at its Jan. 27-28 meeting, but weak hiring data also ensures the debate over the labor market’s health is far from over.

On January 9, RWA liquidity layer protocol TBook closed a new funding round led by SevenX Ventures, with participation from Mask Network, select family offices, and existing investors. The round valued TBook at over $1 billion, pushing its total funding to more than $10 million. TBook plans to launch a token generation event (TGE) in Q1 2026. Its current investor roster includes SevenX Ventures, Sui Foundation, KuCoin Ventures, Mask Network, HT Capital, VistaLabs, Blofin, Bonfire Union, LYVC, and GoPlus, among others. The protocol aims to build an embedded RWA liquidity layer—serving as the RWA distribution infrastructure for the Sui Network while operating an incentive asset distribution network on the TON blockchain. Additionally, TBook has partnered with Philippine payment infrastructure provider Omnipay and institutional-grade RWA protocol R25 to integrate tokenized assets with real-world payment systems and high-growth emerging markets.

On January 9, CoinDesk cited a source familiar with the matter reporting that Tether invested between $40 million and $50 million in Ledn last November. Ledn, a firm offering fiat and stablecoin loans collateralized by Bitcoin, was valued at approximately $500 million via this investment. The report notes this move further expands Tether’s M&A and strategic transaction footprint. The company currently holds stakes in agribusiness conglomerate Adecoagro and a minority stake in Juventus Football Club.

Jan. 9: Per market sources, the U.S. Supreme Court will not issue a ruling on the Trump tariff case this Friday.

On January 9: - The preliminary reading of U.S. one-year inflation expectations for January came in at 4.2%—above the consensus forecast of 4.1% and unchanged from the prior reading of 4.20%. - Separately, the preliminary University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for January hit 54, beating expectations of 53.5 and rising from the prior month’s 52.9. ### Notes on U.S. language/finance style: 1. Uses **"consensus forecast"** (standard for expected values in U.S. finance) instead of plain "expected". 2. **"Came in at"** / **"hit"** are common, conversational verbs for data results (natural for U.S. news). 3. **"Separately"** replaces "Additionally" (more precise for distinct data points in U.S. briefs). 4. **"Unchanged from prior reading"** / **"rising from prior month’s"** clarify trends (clearer than "previous value"). 5. Compact punctuation (em dash for context) aligns with U.S. quick-news formatting.

**Bitcoin Trend: Glassnode’s Jan 9 Options Data Signals Cautious (Not Panicked) Market** On January 9, Glassnode integrated Bitcoin options market data to analyze the crypto’s trend. Key takeaways from the report: - Options metrics suggest the market should stay cautious, not panicked. - Volatility sellers remain active, but skew and flow data show **growing demand for downside protection**. - The market is hedging risk, and the trend hasn’t fully reversed. This version uses concise, natural U.S. financial media tone: - Headline is punchy (standard for quick alerts). - "Integrated" (vs. "combined") is more common for data aggregation in finance. - "Metrics" (vs. "data" repeated) adds precision. - Colloquial "stay cautious" (vs. "remain cautious") feels more natural in quick updates. - No jargon overload, while keeping core terms (skew/flow/downside protection) intact (standard in crypto finance).