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US Gas prices have reached a new four-year low, after dropping across the country for the fourth consecutive week. The nation’s average price of gasoline has fallen 1.3 cents compared to a week ago, and stands at $3.02 per gallon, according to GasBuddy. JUST IN: US gas prices drop for the fourth consecutive week, reaching a four-year low. — Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) March 18, 2025 Several analysts credit uncertainty over the state of the economy, including President Donald Trump’s tariffs, as the reason behind the drop. “As concerns over tariffs and policy uncertainties grow, gas prices have continued to decline across much of the country, raising the possibility that the national average could slip below $3 per gallon and approach some of the lowest prices seen in years,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy. Will the Gas Price Decline Do More Harm than Good? However, the analyst adds, “This decline shouldn’t necessarily be celebrated, as it comes with...

With both the BRICS economic alliance and the US engaged in a standoff, Goldman Sachs has warned that the geopolitical tension could send oil prices skyrocketing. Indeed, the presence of sanctions and de-dollarization efforts could erupt into greater economic difficulty on a global scale. US President-elect Donald Trump has not minced words regarding his feelings toward the BRICS bloc. He warned the alliance of incoming tariffs in retaliation for its efforts to abandon the US dollar as the world’s currency. Now, the bloc is facing the ongoing warning as it looks to continue navigating the presence of sanctions. Source: BBC Also Read: BRICS Fail to Challenge US Dollar in 2024: Can They This Year? Goldman Sachs Warns BRICS & US Geopolitical Tensions May Affect Oil Prices The past two years have seen the BRICS economic alliance target increased use of the US dollar. Specifically, they have called on the global south to initiate a continued effort to promote the use of local currencie...

The US is considering toughening sanctions on Russia’s oil exports to weaken President Vladimir Putin and the country’s economy. The US could also impose sanctions on its tanker fleet that transports oil to other countries. The restrictive measures from the US could pose a challenge to Russia, which is keeping its economy afloat by selling oil at discounted prices. Also Read: BRICS: India Makes Huge Announcement on New Currency The Biden administration will squeeze the Russian economy just weeks before Donald Trump takes office, reported Bloomberg. The new measures are being worked out to target Russian oil, which will also affect other BRICS countries. BRICS members were buying oil for cheap due to the sanctions and in return helped its economy. BRICS member Russia has been steadily selling its crude oil at cheaper prices to China, India, Saudi Arabia, and other allies. Last year, Saudi Arabia laundered Russian oil all over Europe at marked-down prices. Even the alliance of...

Market analytics platform Arkham Intelligence is announcing the launch of a new spot trading exchange. In a new thread on the social media platform X, the crypto intelligence firm says it plans to start a new spot trading service in the US, launching as soon as next week. However, Arkham notes that some US users will have to wait until the platform is fully regulated. “Eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Users residing in the United States will be excluded from onboarding until onboarding is legally permitted in their country and state.” According to previous reports, Arkham first announced in October that it would be launching a derivatives exchange as a means of competing with Binance, the biggest crypto exchange in the world. Anonymous sources familiar with the matter said at the time that Arkham – which launched in 2020 – was building the technology and digital infrastructure needed to operate the exchange themselves but was in talks with invest...

While Protos, along with other media outlets, was quick to point out that the Donald Trump-era law the ‘First Step Act’ could be a road to early release for Sam Bankman-Fried, Ryan Salame, and other first-time, nonviolent offenders, it turns out that the law is less about ‘the letter of the law’ than it is about a judge’s discretion. Indeed, if we take a look at a previo US example of a massive financial fraudster attempting to US e the act to get early release, it seems incredibly unlikely that Bankman-Fried or Salame can expect to have a significant amount of time shaved off their sentences. What is the First Step Act? Though it’s been repeatedly discussed, it’s worth going over some of the minutiae of the First Step Act. The main point of contention regarding the act is that inmates can, possibly, get out of prison in half of the time they’ve been sentenced to. However, it’s important to note that there are many caveats. First of all, while a former federal prosecut...

Anton Peraire-Bueno and James Peraire-Bueno, two brothers who operate Ethereum validators, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges related to a scheme that has been described as exploiting the ‘very integrity of the Ethereum Blockchain to fraudulently obtain approximately $25 million.’ The brothers allegedly worked together on a complex exploit that allowed them to take advantage of traders searching for ‘maximum extractable value’ (MEV) on Ethereum.  By operating multiple Ethereum validators, the brothers were allegedly able to submit blocks that included exploited transactions . Allegedly, once the brothers were aware that their validators would soon have opportunities to submit blocks, they would create ‘bait’ transactions that seemed to have significant upside for the MEV traders and wait for those traders to attem...

Amid the country’s fragile economic standing, US citizens’ debt has surpassed the $17 trillion mark for the first time ever. Moreover, household debt set a record of $17.05 for Q1, growing by 0.9%, or $148 billion, from Q4 of last year. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported the concerning figures on Monday. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the debt has surged by $2.9 trillion since the closing months of 2019. Conversely, the debt number arrives as the US government debates a potential increase to its debt ceiling. Confronted by the potential of a worrisome debt default.  JUST IN: US citizens' debt passes $17 trillion for the first time in history. — Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) May 16, 2023 US Debt Reaches Highest Figure Ever America has observed an immensely fragile economic state in recent years. Macroeconomic factors, inflation conflict, and the lessening value of the US dollar cascade into a rather unsettling state. Now, the American people ha...