Hala,
Julianne Moore’s children’s book Freckleface Strawberry just got caught in Trump’s book purge 📚🚫 — because nothing threatens democracy like… freckles?(1) Or maybe his admin just panics at anything that might be vaguely “woke,” even if it’s a kids’ book about self-acceptance. 😂
amana’s Take
- Solana’s getting a reality check, sinking over 9% to $163.58 as FTX preps to unleash 11.2 million SOL tokens ($2.06 billion) on March 1. Traders smell blood — shorts outweigh longs nearly 3-to-1, stacking up $400 million in bearish bets. The crypto market loves a good panic, and this one’s brewing fast.
- The SEC’s nod to XRP and DOGE ETF filings has speculators looking elsewhere, and Solana isn’t on the invite list. On-chain data confirms the snub: $772 million in stablecoins fled Solana’s ecosystem, while Ethereum raked in $1.1 billion. Liquidity is a popularity contest, and right now, SOL isn’t winning.
- Despite the FTX baggage and shifting sentiment, Solana’s DeFi playground and developer base are still kicking. If the market absorbs the unlocked tokens without a full-blown meltdown, SOL could steady. But with FTX liquidations looming and crypto’s mood swings in full force, buckle up — volatility isn’t going anywhere.
Stock Market Update
📈💤 While Wall Street took a President’s Day siesta on Monday, European stocks were wide awake and climbing, fueled by surging defense stocks like Saab, Rheinmetall, and BAE Systems. The Stoxx 600 hit a record high, closing up 0.54% at 555.42, while the DAX surged 1.26% to 22,798.09, and the FTSE 100 added 0.41% to 8,768.01.(2) Looks like Europe had a market party of its own! 💃🥳
↗️↘️ Meanwhile, Gulf markets played seesaw as trade tensions cast a shadow over investor sentiment. Abu Dhabi shed 0.7% to 9,557, while Dubai gained 0.4% to 5,383.(3) 👀📊
🎉🚢 Asyad Shipping IPO Sets Sail with a Strong Breeze!
Ready to sail through the waves of the IPO market, Asyad Shipping has hoisted its sails, offering investors the chance to hop aboard its fresh sea voyage. With a solid wind of 9–9.5% dividend yields at its back, this shipping giant is navigating its way to a prosperous future, making waves in the Omani waters.(4) Get your sea legs ready — this is one IPO you won’t want to miss! 🌊📈
🚢💸 Asyad Shipping IPO Highlights:
- Shares on Offer: Just over 1 billion shares up for grabs (20% free-float)
- Price Range: OR0.117–OR0.123 per share
- Deal Size: Between OR121 million and OR128.2 million ($316.7 million–$332.9 million)
- Valuation: OR605 million to OR641 million
- Dividend Yield: A strong 9%–9.5%, backed by a US$150m dividend commitment for 2025–2026
- Market Movement: Shares of similar shipping companies are down this year by as much as 13.4%. 🏝️🚀
🌟🚢 Anchors Away for Asyad!
Asyad Shipping’s IPO is ready to sail through the markets with solid wind behind it. Investors have shown strong interest in this upcoming listing, but regulatory delays have kept the ship at dock a bit longer than planned. As subscription officially opens on February 22 and runs through February 27, investors will be able to dive in with three different tranches: 45% for institutions, 25% for retail, and 30% for anchor investors. Anchors away! 🌊⚓
Closer to Home
- 🤝 PayPal and e& enterprise, the digital transformation arm of e& are joining forces for a three-year digital payments power play. Get ready for smoother, smarter payments across the UAE and beyond.(5) 🚀
- 🚀 Abu Dhabi-listed investment company Alpha Dhabi Holding is on a roll! Strategic deals sent revenue soaring 40% YoY to AED 63.4B ($17.3B), while net profit rose 1.5% to AED 13.5B.(6) Talk about turning deals into digits. 💰
- ✈️ Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH) logged a historic 17,891 private jet movements in 2024 (+7% YoY), fueled by booming tourism, business, and world-class events.(7) Even the city’s skies stay busy! 🏙️
What Else Is Trending
- 🏦 The Reserve Bank of Australia has joined the rate-cut club! Cooling inflation gave it room to cut 25 bps to 4.10%, its first drop since November 2020. What a move!(8) 😎
- 🛢️ Oil prices lost steam on Monday as peace talks eased supply fears and tariff worries clouded demand. Brent eased 0.2% to $74.59, and WTI lost 0.3% to $70.51.(9) ⛽
- ✨ Meanwhile, spot gold got its glow-up, rising 0.6% to $2,899.73 on a weaker U.S. dollar. One’s slipping, the other’s shining.(10) 💰
💬Quote of the Day
“A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind.” — Webb Chiles, American sailor and author
Sources:1) The Guardian, (2) (8) (9)(10) CNBC, (3) (4) (6) (7) Zawya, (5) Economy Middle East
