Japan’s 10-year government bond yield climbed to 2.38%–2.39% by early April 2026, the highest level since 1999, as disruption through the Strait of Hormuz pushed energy prices higher and intensified inflation concerns. Brent traded above $113–$116 per barrel in March and Dubai crude touched $170 at points, while Tokyo prepared and then committed to releasing about 80 million barrels from reserves. The Bank of Japan is set to meet April 27–28, with markets assigning a 60%–70% chance of a rate hike amid rising costs and growth risks.

Prediction markets are signaling heightened April 2026 geopolitical risk, with odds of Strait of Hormuz traffic normalizing by month-end falling from 76.5% to about 10%. Separate oil contracts show 76.5% expect WTI to top $120, including 53.5% pricing $130 and nearly a third projecting $140+. The shift suggests traders are positioning for continued disruption and near-term volatility across risk assets, including crypto.

Over the past seven days, the stablecoin market added $1.242 billion in net inflows, lifting total capitalization to $317.134 billion as of Saturday, April 4. USDS led weekly movers with a 9.57% increase and more than $779 million in inflows, while USDT remained the largest asset at $184.076 billion and a 58.04% share. Separately, the sector recorded roughly $1.96 trillion in gross transfers, including about $508 billion in authentic settlement volume.

Charles Schwab says it will roll out direct spot trading for Bitcoin and Ether in the first half of 2026, extending access across roughly 46 million brokerage accounts. The firm, which manages nearly $12 trillion in client assets, plans to offer the service under "Schwab Crypto" via Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB, with an early-access waitlist already available.

Central banks recorded net purchases of 19 metric tons of gold in February, a rebound from January's net 5 tons and still below the 2025 monthly average of 26 tons. Poland led buying with 20 tons, while Turkey and Russia posted the largest reported reductions at 8 tons and 6 tons. China also extended its run of additions, with official data showing reserves rising to 74.22 million fine troy ounces.

On April 3, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published a notice that a Nasdaq-proposed rule change to its transaction fee schedule was immediately effective. The filing updates the reference month for a non-displayed liquidity credit tier to February 2026 and extends the tier's expiration from March 2026 to August 2026. Nasdaq designated April 1, 2026 as the operative date, and the SEC is soliciting public comments.

BlackRock reduced crypto exposure over the past week as its spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs saw about $320 million in combined outflows. Bitcoin-related withdrawals led the move at roughly $185.1 million across five trading sessions, while the ETHA Ethereum fund recorded about $134.9 million over the same span.

Charles Schwab, which manages nearly $12 trillion in client assets, says it plans to launch spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading this quarter while offering early access via a "Schwab Crypto" waitlist. The move is framed as a step toward bringing crypto into the same brokerage workflow used for stocks and ETFs, potentially amplifying institutional participation. Meanwhile, stablecoin growth continues to underpin DeFi liquidity, with total stablecoin market cap up 3.3% year-to-date and more than $1 billion added this week.