NFT Marketplace Airdrops BLUR Token, CZ Distances Binance From Paxos Debacle

Equities are relatively flat after recovering from early losses yesterday afternoon, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq down 0.32% and 0.06%, respectively. This morning’s retail sales report showed January sales grew 3%, significantly higher than the estimated 1.9%. Economic data has shown a resilient economy in the face of the Fed’s rate hikes. Markets expect the Fed to follow up with another 25 bp rate hike and then pause to evaluate impacts. Given one of the tightest labor markets in 50 years and the economic data showing continuing growth, it remains to be seen whether the Fed thinks this will be enough to bring inflation down from 6.5% to its long-term goal of 2%. After underperforming equities following a slew of negative regulatory headlines, BTC has found footing around the $22.8k level and gained 2.6% over the last day. ETH is underperforming, gaining only 1.4%, while the global crypto market cap is up 2.5%, showing an increased appetite for alts.