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BlockBeats News, May 16: The United States is reportedly considering restarting strikes against Iran as early as next week. Amid the boiling market expectations for a "rate hike," the final meeting minutes of the "Powell era" are set to be released. Here are the key points the market will focus on next week (all times in East 8 Zone): Tuesday 9:30 AM: The Reserve Bank of Australia releases the minutes of its May monetary policy meeting; Tuesday 8:00 PM: Federal Reserve Board Governor Waller speaks at a European Central Bank research conference; Tuesday 8:15 PM: ADP Employment Change for the week ending May 2 in the United States; Wednesday 7:00 AM: Speech by 2026 FOMC voter and Philadelphia Fed President Paulson; Thursday 2:00 AM: The Federal Reserve releases the minutes of its monetary policy meeting; Thursday 8:00 PM: Chief Economist Lane of the European Central Bank speaks at a European Central Bank research conference. The AI frenzy and consumer spending under inflation pressure are the two key themes currently influencing the direction of the US stock market. Next week, semiconductor giant NVIDIA (NVDA) and retail giant Walmart (WMT) will sequentially release their earnings reports. NVIDIA will report earnings after the US market closes on Wednesday, and Walmart will report earnings before the US market opens on Thursday.

Odaily reported that Grayscale posted on X, stating that its research team believes U.S. inflation is accelerating, the Federal Reserve is caught in a policy dilemma, and the market expects there will be no rate cuts before September 2027. The institution pointed out that this situation has three implications for the crypto sector: First, devaluation trades face resistance; Second, tokenized fixed income products will develop rapidly; Third, stablecoin issuer reserve yields will increase.

Golden Ten Data reported on May 16 that despite facing geopolitical tensions and an influx of synthetic diamonds, Zimbabwe's leading state-owned diamond miner plans to produce 5 million carats of diamonds this year, up from 3.8 million carats in 2025. Douglas Zimbanhgo, CEO of Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company, told lawmakers in the eastern town of Mutare that due to a range of local issues, Zimbabwe's diamond industry has experienced a more severe downturn than the international market. Internationally, rough diamond prices have dropped by 26% to 35%, but Zimbabwe's diamonds have plunged from a peak of $79 per carat to $22 per carat. This is due to its product mix, geopolitical tensions, synthetic diamonds, market collusion, and an unsatisfactory sales framework. The international diamond market remains sluggish, especially for unique rough diamonds, with prices expected to range between $22 and $34 per carat in 2026. In contrast, premium rough diamonds from other producers can average up to $100 per carat.