BizwavemediaPersonal Finance and Crypto Updates

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Shares of Europe’s largest carmakers fell sharply today after US President Donald Trump pledged to impose new tariffs on several European countries amid a dispute over Greenland.

The Stoxx Automobiles and Parts index was trading about 2% lower on Monday at 2 pm ET after paring steeper losses earlier in the session.

Germany’s Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz Group were down between 2.5% and 3%. Shares of Porsche fell more than 3%.

In Milan, Ferrari slipped about 2.2%, touching a 52-week low, while Stellantis was last seen around 1.8% lower.

The selloff followed Trump’s announcement that the US plans to impose a 10% tariff on imports from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland starting February 1.

Trump said the levy would rise to 25% from June 1. The move is tied to his renewed push to bring Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, under US control.

In response, European leaders said early Monday the European Union is preparing up to €93 billion in retaliatory tariffs if the US moves ahead with the 10% levy on European countries.

The automotive sector is viewed as particularly vulnerable due to its highly globalized supply chains and heavy reliance on cross-border manufacturing, including significant exposure to North America.

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The Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (LASERS) reported holding 17,900 shares of Strategy (MSTR) worth over $3 million by the end of 2025, according to a recent SEC filing.

LASERS has held MSTR shares since late 2024, first disclosing the position on January 29, 2025.

Strategy is the world’s largest Bitcoin treasury company, with its valuation largely tied to its Bitcoin holdings. The firm holds 687,410 BTC, according to its latest disclosure.

Strategy has built its Bitcoin position through a combination of debt and equity offerings, making its stock a widely used proxy for institutional investors seeking Bitcoin exposure without direct custody.

Strategy shares closed up 1.6% on Friday and edged higher in premarket trading on Monday.

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Crypto markets experienced sharp volatility in the last 24 hours, with liquidations exceeding $864 million, according to CoinGlass.

The event impacted more than 241,000 traders, with long positions bearing the brunt of the losses. Long positions absorbed the majority of the damage, totaling about $782 million.

The total crypto market capitalization slid nearly 3% to around $3.2 trillion, per CoinGecko.

Bitcoin fell from above $95,000 to near $92,000, leading to liquidation losses of $229 million. Ethereum followed with $153 million in liquidations. The largest single loss was a $25.8 million BTC-USDT position on Hyperliquid.

The crypto market declined into the new week as geopolitical tensions rose following President Trump’s threat of tariffs on Denmark and key European allies over the Greenland dispute.

The plan includes a 10% tariff, effective in February, which will escalate to 25% in June if negotiations fail. Trump argued that these nations have long benefited from US protection and claimed Greenland is critical to countering growing foreign influence and supporting the development of the “Golden Dome” missile defense system.

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President Donald Trump announced today that Denmark and seven European allies will face a 10% tariff on goods exported to the US starting in February, unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that these countries have benefited for years from US protection and favorable trade treatment, and that it is now time for them to “give back” by agreeing to sell Greenland.

The countries affected by the tariffs, besides Denmark, include Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland, and the rate would rise to 25% on June 1 if no deal is reached.

The US president said Denmark lacks the capacity to defend its territory and warned that foreign powers are seeking greater influence in the region.

Trump added that the move is tied to the development of the “Golden Dome” missile defense system, which he claimed requires Greenland’s geography to operate to full effectiveness. He said that the policy is necessary to protect US and global security.

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Major US non-bank lender Newrez will allow borrowers to include certain crypto holdings when applying for a mortgage starting in February. Eligible assets are Bitcoin, Ethereum, SEC-approved spot ETFs backed by BTC or ETH, and USD-backed stablecoins.

Homebuyers will be able to use these assets for income and asset verification without the need to sell them, unlike the traditional approach.

Explaining the decision to recognize crypto as part of borrowers’ assets, Baron Silverstein, President of Newrez, said rising crypto ownership and institutional involvement make this the right moment for the lender to bring crypto into mortgage lending.

This way, consumers can “preserve investments while accessing innovative financing solutions,” Silverstein noted.

Financial institutions are increasingly adapting to the growing role of digital assets in personal and institutional portfolios. Newrez is positioning its mortgage products around the financial behavior of the next generation of wealth holders.

“At Newrez, we’re committed to meeting consumers where they are. Today, the global crypto market has surged past $3 trillion, and an estimated 45% of Gen Z and Millennial investors—many of whom are future homebuyers—own crypto,” said Leslie Gillin, Newrez Chief Commercial Officer. “Our mission at Newrez is to do everything possible to make home happen, and this innovation marks yet another step in creating new pathways to homeownership, giving consumers flexibility and control.”

According to Newrez, to qualify, crypto holdings must be held with US-regulated exchanges, brokerages, or banks, and a volatility-adjusted valuation will apply. The company noted, however, that all mortgage payments and closing funds are required in USD.

A victim lost more than $282 million in Bitcoin and Litecoin on January 10 due to a hardware wallet social engineering scam, according to blockchain investigator ZachXBT via his official Telegram channel.

The attacker gained control of the victim’s wallet and began rapidly moving the stolen assets across multiple networks. The compromised addresses held approximately 2.05 million Litecoin and 1,459 Bitcoin at the time of the theft.

Shortly after the funds were moved, the attacker began converting large portions of the stolen Bitcoin and Litecoin into Monero using multiple instant exchanges. The sudden surge in conversion activity caused Monero’s price to spike sharply, according to ZachXBT.

Since the incident, Monero rose to a new all-time high near $800 earlier in the week, marking a 74% increase. At press time, Monero had pulled back to around $670, but remained up roughly 46% since the incident.

In parallel, portions of the stolen Bitcoin were bridged across multiple networks using THORChain, with funds routed into Ethereum, Ripple, and Litecoin.

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Silver has added more than $3.9 trillion in market capitalization over the past 12 months, surging nearly 200% and sharply outperforming major risk assets.

The rally has eclipsed gains in other precious metals such as Gold, which has risen about 70% over the same period, as well as equities and crypto.

Over the past year, silver has outpaced the S&P 500, which is up roughly 17%, and the Nasdaq Composite, which has gained about 21%. Risk assets such as Bitcoin have lagged significantly, with Bitcoin down roughly 4% over the past 12 months.

Silver has also surpassed major technology stocks and Bitcoin over the past 12 months, overtaking companies such as Nvidia, Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon in market capitalization.

The metal is now valued at more than $5 trillion, making it the second-largest asset by market cap globally, trailing only gold, which stands near $32 trillion.

Silver reached a new all-time high earlier this week, surging to nearly $93 on Wednesday. At press time Friday afternoon, prices had begun consolidating but remained constructive, trading around $89, roughly 3.5% below recent highs and still showing strong bullish momentum.