Stephen Alpher

Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk’s disclosure threshold of $1,000.

Stephen Alpher

Latest from Stephen Alpher


Finance

Japanese Banking Giant SMBC Explores Stablecoin Use With Ava Labs, Fireblocks

Sumitomo is the latest example in a roster of firms eyeing the booming stablecoin market, which has grown 50% to around $230 billion in a year.

Japan (Su San Lee/Unsplash)

Markets

China on Watch After U.S. Government Embrace of Bitcoin: Grayscale

Eased policy in China — and signs of this are emerging — could significantly boost bitcoin adoption

(Getty Images)

Markets

Sentiment Shift in Bitcoin as $80K Put Emerges as Most Popular Bet

BTC put bias is strongest since the U.S. regional banking crisis of early 2023, according to one observer.

Deribit BTC options: Distribution of open interest. (Amberdata/Deribit)

Markets

CME Crypto Derivatives Average Volume Hit Record $11.3B in Q1

A surge in micro futures trading pushed CME’s crypto derivatives volume to the new quarterly record.

CME Group Headquarters (CoinDesk Archives)

Markets

GameStop Has $1.5B of Bitcoin Buying Power After Closing Convertible Note Sale

The company last week announced its intention to add bitcoin to its balance sheet.

(John Smith/VIEWpress)

Markets

Is Hope a Strategy? Bitcoin Reclaims $85K Ahead of Trump 'Liberation Day' Tariff Announcement

The president is set to detail his tariff regime on Wednesday after the U.S. market close.

U.S. President Donald Trump (Credit: Shutterstock/Evan El-Amin)

Markets

Risk to Bitcoin Buying Plans Makes Strategy a Sell, Says Wall Street Analyst

Michael Saylor's perpetual capital raising machine could be nearing its limit, according to Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co.

Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor at the Digital Asset Summit in New York City on March 20, 2025. (Nikhilesh De)

Finance

Zodia Custody CFO Jonathan Hugh Left the Crypto Firm Earlier This Year

The company's former COO Samuel Howe also recently exited the business.

(Shutterstock)

Markets

Tether Bought 8,888 Bitcoin in Q1 for $735M; Total Holdings Rise to 92.6K

The giant stablecoin issuer funnels 15% of quarterly profits into BTC as a reserve asset, a strategy in place since May 2023.

Rolls of dollar bills of varying denominations.

Markets

Bitcoin Miner Hut 8 Could Look to Acquire a Hyperscaler, Clear Street Says

The broker has a buy rating on the shares with a $23 price target.

(Sandali Handagama/CoinDesk)