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Meta Stock Dips Amid Senate Proposal to Tackle Scam Ads Online

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META Stock Card

TLDR

  • Meta stock dropped 1.7% following the introduction of the Senate’s SCAM Act, which targets scam ads on social media platforms.
  • The SCAM Act proposes stricter regulations, requiring Meta to verify advertisers and giving enforcement power to the FTC and state attorneys general.
  • Meta is facing increased scrutiny from both U.S. regulators and international challenges, particularly from India’s Supreme Court regarding WhatsApp data.
  • Despite embracing artificial intelligence, Meta’s reliance on ad revenue remains crucial, and stricter regulations could hinder its growth.
  • The tech sector as a whole is grappling with fears that AI tools may erode profit margins, impacting major players like Meta.

Meta Platforms’ stock dropped 1.7% to $679.86 on Wednesday morning, marking another volatile session for the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The decline followed news of a proposed bipartisan Senate bill, aiming to curb scam ads online. The bill, called the Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct Act (SCAM Act), has raised concerns among investors, adding to the growing uncertainty surrounding Meta’s future.


META Stock Card
Meta Platforms, Inc., META

New Senate Bill Raises Concerns for Meta’s Ad Business

The SCAM Act targets deceptive advertising practices and would impose stricter regulations on social media platforms. If passed, the bill would force platforms like Meta to verify advertisers, which could lead to increased screening costs and potential delays in onboarding new advertisers. The bill also grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general, placing further pressure on the advertising ecosystem.

Investors are closely monitoring the situation, with many worried about the impact on Meta’s core revenue stream advertising. While the company has embraced artificial intelligence in its efforts to diversify its business model, ad sales still play a crucial role in its financial performance. The bill’s focus on tightening the regulatory framework for online ads has raised concerns that it could slow Meta’s ad revenue growth.

Meta Stock Faces Broader Market Pressures

Meta’s stock is also facing broader market pressures, which have affected the technology sector as a whole. The rise of artificial intelligence has led to fears of increased competition and shrinking profit margins for established tech companies. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both experienced significant declines this week, partly driven by concerns about AI’s impact on the industry.

Meta is grappling with these challenges at a time when the company is ramping up its spending on AI. Last week, Meta raised its capital expenditure forecast for 2026 to between $115 billion and $135 billion. CEO Mark Zuckerberg described 2026 as a pivotal year for the company as it seeks to invest heavily in “personal superintelligence.”

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Despite these ambitious plans, Meta faces mounting risks from stricter regulations in both the U.S. and abroad. On Tuesday, India’s Supreme Court signaled that it might reinstate a ban on WhatsApp sharing user data with other Meta companies. India is Meta’s largest market by user count, and any further restrictions on its operations there could severely impact the company’s prospects.

Traders are left wondering how much of this proposed legislation will become law, and what the timeline might look like. Bills like the SCAM Act often undergo revisions before they are passed, with potential delays affecting near-term investor sentiment. Meanwhile, ongoing court battles, particularly in India, add to the uncertainty surrounding Meta’s future.

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Bitcoin back up above $71,000

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Bitcoin back up above $71,000

Bitcoin clawed its way back above $71,000 on Thursday after a sharp selloff earlier in the day dragged prices briefly below the $70,000 mark, mirroring tentative stabilization across global markets.

The move came as a broader rout in technology stocks showed signs of fatigue. Futures tied to the Nasdaq 100 edged higher after two bruising sessions that erased the index’s gains for the year, while European stocks steadied and Asian markets trimmed losses.

Bitcoin had fallen as much as 7% over the previous 24 hours as investors reduced risk across assets tied to growth and leverage. The slide coincided with renewed pressure in precious metals, where silver plunged as much as 17%, extending a brutal reversal after last month’s record rally.

Gold also slipped, underscoring how quickly speculative trades across markets have been unwound.

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In crypto, the bounce above $71,000 appears more like short covering than a renewed rush of buyers. Trading volumes remain elevated, but demand in the spot market has thinned, according to analysts.

Stablecoin balances on exchanges have also been drifting lower, suggesting fresh capital is staying on the sidelines rather than stepping in aggressively on dips.

Macro uncertainty continues to weigh on sentiment. Investors are recalibrating expectations around US interest rates amid speculation over Federal Reserve leadership and the risk of a stronger dollar, which typically pressures assets like bitcoin that thrive on easy liquidity.

Some firms remain cautious. Galaxy Digital has warned that, without a clear catalyst, bitcoin could still revisit lower levels if selling resumes.

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Others see the bulk of the drawdown as already behind the market, with estimates clustering around a potential bottom in the low-to-mid $60,000 range.

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CFTC Formally Withdraws Biden-Era Proposal to Ban Sports and Political Prediction Markets

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📌

The agency called the 2024 rule a “frolic into merit regulation” and said it will pursue new rulemaking grounded in the Commodity Exchange Act to provide clarity for prediction market operators.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig has formally withdrawn a 2024 notice of proposed rulemaking that would have banned political, sports and war-related event contracts, marking the clearest signal yet that the agency intends to regulate prediction markets rather than restrict them.

Key Takeaways:

– The CFTC scrapped both its 2024 proposal to ban event contracts and a 2025 staff advisory that had warned firms away from sports-related markets.

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– Chairman Selig dismissed the earlier ban as a politically driven “frolic into merit regulation” and committed to building a new rules-based framework.

– The move lands as Kalshi, Polymarket and Coinbase fight a wave of state lawsuits alleging their sports contracts amount to unlicensed gambling.

The agency also rescinded CFTC Staff Letter 25-36, a September 2025 advisory that had warned regulated entities to exercise caution when facilitating sports-related event contracts due to ongoing litigation. In the remarks following the decision, Selig said:

“The 2024 event contracts proposal reflected the prior administration’s frolic into merit regulation with an outright prohibition on political contracts ahead of the 2024 presidential election.”

The CFTC does not intend to issue final rules under the withdrawn proposal, according to the press release.

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Instead, the commission will advance a new rulemaking framework anchored in the Commodity Exchange Act, aiming to establish clear standards for event contracts and provide legal certainty for exchanges and intermediaries.

Selig Frames Withdrawal as First Step Toward Comprehensive Event Contracts Rulemaking

The announcement follows remarks Selig delivered on January 29 at a joint CFTC-SEC harmonization event alongside Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins. As reported, Selig used his first public speech as chairman to outline a broader reset of the agency’s approach to prediction markets.

“For too long, the CFTC’s existing framework has proven difficult to apply and has failed our market participants,” Selig said. “That is something I intend to fix by establishing clear standards for event contracts that provide certainty to market participants.”

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Selig also directed staff to reassess the commission’s participation in pending federal court cases where jurisdictional questions are at issue, signaling that the CFTC may intervene to defend its exclusive authority over commodity derivatives.

Prediction Market Platforms Navigate Booming Growth and State-Level Legal Battles

The withdrawal arrives as prediction markets experience rapid expansion and intensifying regulatory friction. Combined trading volumes on Polymarket and Kalshi, the two largest platforms, reached $37 billion in 2025, drawing in major exchanges eager to compete.

Coinbase launched prediction markets through a partnership with Kalshi, a federally regulated designated contract market, in late January. Crypto.com recently spun out its prediction business into a standalone platform called OG. Polymarket returned to the U.S. market in December after receiving CFTC no-action relief, and Gemini secured a designated contract market license for its Titan platform.

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Meanwhile, state gaming regulators have pushed back. Nevada filed a civil enforcement action against Coinbase this week, arguing that event contracts tied to sports constitute unlicensed gambling. Coinbase has sued regulators in Michigan, Illinois and Connecticut over similar claims.

The NCAA has also urged the CFTC to halt college sports prediction trading, warning that the sector exposes student-athletes to integrity risks and operates outside state-level safeguards.

Selig, who was sworn in on December 22, has not provided a firm timeline for the new rulemaking, but positioned event contracts as a priority alongside the agency’s broader “Project Crypto” initiative with the SEC.

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Bitcoin ETFs ‘Hanging In There’ Despite Price Plunge: Analyst

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Bitcoin ETFs 'Hanging In There' Despite Price Plunge: Analyst

US-based spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) holders are showing relatively firm conviction despite a four-month Bitcoin downtrend, according to ETF analyst James Seyffart.

“The ETFs are still hanging in there pretty good,” Seyffart said in an X post on Wednesday.

While Seyffart said that Bitcoin (BTC) ETF holders are facing their “biggest losses” since the US products launched in January 2024 — at a paper loss of around 42% with Bitcoin below $73,000 — he argues the recent outflows pale in comparison to the inflows during the market’s peak. 

Bitcoin ETF holders are “underwater and collectively holding.”

Before the October downturn, spot Bitcoin ETF net inflows were around $62.11 billion. They’ve now fallen to about $55 billion, according to preliminary data from Farside Investors.

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“Not too shabby,” Seyffart said. 

Source: James Seyffart

Meanwhile, investment researcher Jim Bianco said in an X post on Wednesday that the average spot Bitcoin ETF holder is 24% “underwater and collectively holding.”

Bitcoiners are being “very short-sighted.”

Crypto analytics account Rand pointed out in an X post on Tuesday that this is “the first time in history there have been three consecutive months of outflows.”