U.S. carrier JetBlue raised its second-quarter fuel costs forecast on Monday as shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz entered a fourth month, driving up jet fuel prices and increasing pressure on the global aviation industry.

Shares of the airline fell 9% in morning trading.

The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran ‌closed the ⁠critical Strait, a ⁠vital route for nearly a fifth of global oil and gas supplies.

Jet fuel, which had averaged about $85 to $90 a barrel before the strikes in February, was hovering near $142 per barrel in the last week of May, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Fuel price volatility has prompted airlines across the globe to hike passenger fares and baggage fees to recover higher costs, as well as cut flight frequency ⁠and routes ‌to limit fuel usage.

Higher fuel prices disproportionately pressure smaller carriers such as JetBlue, given their limited financial flexibility and heightened exposure to uncertainty.

JetBlue had ⁠suspended its full-year outlook in April and said it planned to slow hiring, cut capacity and hike fares.The airline now expects fuel to cost $4.26 to $4.36 per gallon in the second quarter, compared with an earlier forecast of between $4.13 and $4.28.

“However, this guide was underwritten using the May 22 Brent forward curve, which has since improved,” said Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth.

JetBlue also said it expects to “recapture 40% or more of increased fuel costs in the ‌quarter”, helped by consistent operational performance.

The airline raised its forecast for revenue growth per available seat mile, a proxy for pricing power, to a range of 9% to 12%, versus ⁠between 7% and 11% forecast earlier.

Rival American Airlines said last week it expects strong demand to cushion the hit from rising fuel costs.

JetBlue also reported “outperformance” in routes previously operated by Spirit Airlines after the distressed carrier shut down.

JetBlue is beginning to fill the void left by Spirit, particularly at Fort Lauderdale in Florida, Syth added.

“Although it remains early in the third quarter booking curve, we are encouraged current trends may carry forward,” JetBlue said in a regulatory filing.

Nithin Kamath has once again sounded the alarm on common personal finance mistakes, saying Indians continue to fall into familiar traps such as ULIPs, endowment plans and poorly understood health insurance policies despite years of awareness campaigns and easily available financial information.

In a post on social media, the Zerodha founder said there is “very little creativity” in the mistakes people make with money, especially when it comes to mixing insurance and investments.

Kamath pointed out that financial influencers, media platforms and finance experts have repeatedly warned against products such as Unit Linked Insurance Plans (ULIPs) and traditional endowment policies, yet sales of such products continue to rise.

According to him, the problem is no longer a lack of access to information. Consumers today can easily compare products online, run calculations, watch explainer videos or even use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to understand the hidden costs and weak returns associated with bundled insurance-investment products.

“Even a cursory Google search will tell you the problem,” Kamath said, adding that AI tools can now explain the math, hidden catches and better alternatives within minutes.

He argued that unlike health insurance – which often contains complex clauses around waiting periods, exclusions, room rent caps and settlement conditions – ULIPs and endowment plans are relatively easier to evaluate, making repeated mis-selling and poor decision-making harder to justify.

Kamath said health insurance deserves more sympathy because many policyholders only discover restrictive clauses at the time of claims, forcing them to pay significant amounts from their own pockets despite having coverage.His comments come at a time when retail participation in financial products has surged sharply, driven by social media awareness, fintech penetration and easier digital onboarding. However, financial experts have repeatedly cautioned that product complexity and aggressive sales tactics continue to push investors towards expensive or low-return products packaged as “safe investments” or “tax-saving solutions.”

ULIPs combine insurance with market-linked investments, while endowment plans typically offer life cover along with guaranteed savings components.

Critics argue that both products often carry high costs, lower transparency and weaker long-term returns compared with buying pure term insurance and investing separately through mutual funds or other market instruments.

He also shared a video on mistakes usually made by people that suggested ways to rectify these mistakes.

(Disclaimer: The recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times.)

An important long-term technical signal is still flashing bullish as Bitcoin approaches an important point on the higher timeframe charts. According to CMT-certified analyst Tony Severino, the monthly SuperTrend indicator for BTCUSD has held support and is yet to display an active sell signal, even with recent market dynamics leading to contention as to whether the cycle has flipped bearish. His chart highlighted an interesting development on the one-month timeframe, where the structure has not yet transitioned into a confirmed sell.

Monthly SuperTrend Still In Buy Mode

In his post on X, Severino focused on the Bitcoin BTCUSD 1M chart and noted that the SuperTrend indicator has held support and kept its active buy signal. The monthly timeframe is particularly significant because it filters out short-term noise and shows a clear view of the broader cycle.

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The accompanying chart shows Bitcoin trading around $66,300, with the SuperTrend level sitting just above $66,400. However, the indicator is still printing green on the monthly timeframe, which means that the macro trend has not flipped bearish. A monthly close below the SuperTrend line is what has always confirmed a sell signal, and that has not happened.

The visual structure in the chart also shows how previous bear markets were characterized by a clear transition from green to red on the SuperTrend. At present, that transition has not occurred. Instead, the Bitcoin price is consolidating around the SuperTrend support.

Bitcoin Price Chart. Source: @TonySeverinoCMT On X

Is The Bottom Close Or Is More Patience Needed?

Severino added an important caveat. According to him, almost all bear markets initially hold at support for a month or three before eventually turning into a sell signal. That observation points out that simply holding support does not automatically invalidate bearish risk. Although the analyst acknowledged that bear markets can linger at support before failing, he noted that the bottom is usually close after such behavior. 

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Bitcoin ended February 14.8% below its monthly open, but it has managed to hold above the SuperTrend. That said, a confirmed monthly breakdown below the SuperTrend would materially change the outlook. Until that happens, the indicator is demonstrating that Bitcoin is still in a bullish structure.

Severino later shared another post discussing a separate analysis based on the quarterly Ichimoku indicator. In that analysis, he stated that historical evidence and data suggest Bitcoin could fall another 38% to 66% from current levels. A decline of that magnitude would imply a Bitcoin bear market bottom anywhere from $40,000 to $25,000.

Severino followed up in another post with a comment saying, “Sell, says the SuperTrend.” At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $66,000, down by 1.6% in the past 24 hours. The monthly structure has not fully broken, but the warnings indicate that the cryptocurrency may not be out of danger just yet.

Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is preparing a comprehensive overhaul of its portfolio management services (PMS) regulations, chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Monday. The regulator will also look into brokers’ representations seeking its intervention on the Reserve Bank of India’s new capital market funding norms, he said at a PMS conclave.

On the PMS norms, Pandey said, “We propose to carry out a comprehensive review… so that the framework remains effective, adaptable, and aligned with evolving market dynamics.” The draft regulations will be released for public consultation before Sebi’s June board meeting, he added.

The PMS industry, which has about 2.15 lakh clients, managed Rs 10.5 lakh crore in assets (excluding EPFO and PF) as of January 31, 2026, growing at a 17% CAGR, according to Sebi data.

“But regulation alone cannot build a strong industry. The real strength of PMS will come from what firms do every day — in governance, suitability, technology and conduct,” Pandey said.

He stressed that investor suitability must remain central to the business model. “Risk profiling, suitability assessment, and client communication must be clear, consistent, and evidence‑based. Going ahead, PMS distributors conduct matters the industry must guard against mis‑selling,” he said.

New RBI funding norms

Separately, Pandey said Sebi would examine representations from stock brokers on the Reserve Bank of India’s new capital market funding norms. The RBI has proposed raising bank‑guarantee collateral requirements for proprietary traders to 100% from 50%.

“We have received a representation. I saw it on Friday. We will see what we can and need to do on it because RBI had initially opened draft guidelines and sought their opinion,” Pandey said. “It is in relation to issues around bank guarantees and how much collateral has to be given for proprietary trading. There are three to four issues. Since the representation has come to us, we will have a look at it.”

Speaking to the media after RBI’s board meeting in New Delhi, Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the central bank is not considering a review of the recently announced rules on bank financing of stock‑market intermediaries. The framework was finalised after due consultation, he said. “There is no change that we are contemplating.”

Under the new regulations, banks’ lending to brokers will face more scrutiny in terms of collateral requirements as well as purpose of the loan, while proprietary trading is seen taking the biggest hit

Oversight on grey‑market trading

Pandey said Sebi is working on a mechanism to introduce oversight on ‘to‑be‑listed’ stocks — a move aimed at grey‑market activity linked to upcoming IPOs.

“I think we have fairly deliberated this issue internally, and there is a possibility of such through the exchange mechanism for to‑be‑listed stocks — not the entire unlisted space, but the to‑be‑listed space where Sebi’s jurisdiction comes from the statute,” he said.

He added that Sebi would work out the operational details and issue a consultation paper in due course.

Senior Sebi employee suspended

Pandey also addressed the suspension of a general manager on Friday in connection with a “sensitive vigilance matter.” The regulator is contemplating disciplinary proceedings.

“The evidence was egregious enough for us to act,” Pandey said. “It is important that if there is any such case, we will get to the bottom of it.”

Ethereum’s (ETH) latest price crash is triggering aggressive capital rotation from institutional investors positioning around perceived value zones. Fresh on-chain tracking shows large ETH purchases emerging immediately after the decline, reinforcing the view that deep-pocket players are treating the pullback as a discounted entry opportunity rather than a sign of structural weakness.

Institutional Capital Steps In As Ethereum (ETH) Slides

Blockchain monitoring data linked to Fundstrat analyst Tom Lee indicates that Bitmine executed another major Ethereum purchase directly following the market drop. The transaction involved 20K ETH valued at $41.08M, sourced from FalconX’s hot wallet tagged 0x115 and transferred into a Bitmine-associated wallet ending 0x3BF.

The timing strengthens the signal behind the move. The transfer occurred roughly 41 minutes before it was flagged by the on-chain tracker, placing the acquisition right in the middle of the post-crash repricing window. 

This purchase also forms part of a broader acquisition pattern. Six days earlier, another 20K ETH moved through the same FalconX-to-Bitmine channel, carrying a valuation of $46.04M at the time. The difference in valuation between the two transactions shows that the most recent buy secured Ethereum at a lower effective cost basis. In practical terms, this reflects discounted accumulation enabled by the asset’s price compression.

When identical transaction sizes appear across declining price conditions, the behavior typically reflects scaling — a structured approach to building exposure. Rather than representing a one-time allocation, the pattern suggests deliberate position expansion during a period of liquidity stress.

Historical Wallet Flows Expose Broader Accumulation Structure

Transfer records visible within the same dashboard widen the analytical scope beyond the primary flagged transaction. Around two weeks ago, several large Ethereum movements were routed from Bitmine: WalletSimple into a BatchDeposit wallet tagged 0xcD7, pointing toward internal aggregation, custody staging, or exchange settlement preparation.

The capital involved in these transfers was substantial and consistently structured. One movement recorded 40.32K ETH valued at $113.39M, followed by 38.4K ETH worth $107.99M. Additional flows included 30.72K ETH totaling $86.39M, alongside another 38.4K ETH transfer carrying the same valuation. The routing sequence continued with 28.8K ETH valued at $80.99M, 26.88K ETH at $75.59M, another 30.72K ETH worth $86.39M, 34.56K ETH totaling $97.19M, and 23.04K ETH valued at $64.79M.

The repetition in tranche sizing signals operational treasury routing rather than discretionary trading. BatchDeposit channels are commonly used for consolidation and custody alignment, meaning the Ethereum was likely being organized for storage, collateral use, or staged deployment.

When these historical flows are assessed alongside the more recent FalconX outflows into Bitmine wallets, a clear acquisition pipeline takes shape. Liquidity appears to be sourced through institutional brokers, routed across internal wallets, and consolidated through deposit infrastructure. Taken together, these buy-ins suggest that despite Ethereum’s short-term price weakness, Fundstrat-linked capital channels are expanding exposure into the downturn rather than stepping away from it.

Featured Image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com