2026-02-18 11:00 UTC | ⛏️ 937216

₿ $67,739 | 🥇 $4,895

1. Bitcoin plunges nearly 50% YTD
-- Bitcoin down 47.5% peak-to-trough in February 2026 due to deleveraging, with futures open interest dropping 20% and $2-2.5B liquidations.
-- Signals extreme market stress at -2.88σ below 200-day average, historically rare and potential mean reversion setup.

2. World Uncertainty Index hits record
-- World Uncertainty Index surges to 106,862 in February 2026, exceeding COVID, 2008 crash, and 9/11 levels.
-- Reflects peak global economic and policy risks, surpassing all modern crises and heightening market volatility.

3. Munich Conference exposes alliance strains
-- Leaders at Munich Security Conference February 13-15, 2026, warn of transatlantic rifts, Russia hybrid threats, and big power politics shift.
-- Macron urges Europe action on Ukraine; Germany eyes hybrid defense amid eroding US leadership and China influence.

4. Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.6
-- Anthropic releases Claude Opus 4.6 with 1M token context, multi-agent teams for knowledge work beyond coding.
-- Advances agentic AI for autonomous long-horizon tasks, self-verification reduces errors in enterprise workflows.