Prediction Markets divulge into per minute Speculation; Anderson Cooper Splits from 60 minutes and Dangote Refinery gains $400m Tailwinds

Speculation is speeding up in markets, media, and industry alike. Polymarket is turning Bitcoin’s volatility into a five-minute betting arena, underscoring how real-time crypto sentiment is becoming its own tradable asset. In traditional media, Anderson Cooper is stepping away from 60 Minutes amid a broader shake-up at CBS News, while in corporate Australia a KPMG partner has been fined for using AI to pass an AI exam, a sign of how quickly the technology is reshaping workplace norms. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Dangote Group is doubling down on its industrial ambitions with a $400 million equipment deal to fast-track refinery expansion. All this and more in today’s Read It and Eat!

Markets Around The World

Markets as of 17th February 2026. Cells in RED mean that the value is down, cells in Green mean the value is up.

MAJOR HEADLINES

• Prediction Markets Degeneracy Gets Even Worse: Bets on Bitcoin's Price Every 5 Minutes

Prediction platform Polymarket recently launched a new feature that lets users bet on cryptocurrency price movements every five minutes. The event signals rising demand for real-time crypto sentiment data among traders and investors.

For now, the new market is limited to Bitcoin, though support for major altcoins is expected to follow. Price will update dynamically, in tune with market sentiment and immediate price reaction. All trades will be executed on-chain to ensure transparency and security. The feature targets day traders and crypto enthusiasts looking for a fast-paced experience. With Bitcoin’s recent dip, price swings have grown increasingly erratic, amplifying short-term volatility.

The initiative builds on existing contracts with varying durations, ranging from 15-minute and hourly intervals to four-hour time frames. It also comes as prediction markets are seeing exponential growth in usage, with individual polls recording trading volumes in the hundreds of millions of dollars. It also reflects growing concern that shifting attention toward these platforms could distort crypto’s core purpose and use cases. Yahoo.Finance

• Anderson Cooper leaving '60 Minutes' program in latest CBS News shake-up

Anderson Cooper is leaving CBS News' "60 Minutes" program after nearly two decades, in the latest staffing shake-up to hit the storied news magazine and network. Cooper has been a "60 Minutes" correspondent through a deal between Paramount Skydance-owned  CBS News and Warner Bros Discovery's CNN since the 2006-2007 season, according to his page on the CBS News website.

"For nearly twenty years, I've been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me," Cooper said in a statement on Monday. Cooper is the latest high-profile journalist to cut ties with CBS News since the arrival of Bari Weiss as the network's new editor-in-chief in October following Paramount Skydance's purchase of her outlet The Free Press. Commenting on Cooper's exit, CBS News said, "We're grateful to him for dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understand the importance of spending more time with family."

Weiss unveiled her strategy in January, saying she would add 19 new contributors and focus on bringing a "streaming mentality" to the network, which has consistently trailed in ratings to rivals ABC and NBC. She is trying to revive the third-placed broadcast news network, which has been losing viewers in the age of social media and online information. Weiss had expressed interest in bringing Cooper to CBS News on a full-time basis, including the possibility of him anchoring the CBS Evening News program, according to a Puck news report. Reuters

• KPMG partner fined over using AI to pass an AI test

A partner at KPMG Australia has been fined A$10,000 (about $7,000) after using artificial intelligence tools to cheat on an internal training course — a course that was, ironically, focused on the responsible use of AI.

According to a report by the Financial Times, the unnamed partner uploaded confidential training materials into an external AI platform in order to generate answers for an online assessment. The breach was treated seriously by the firm, which not only issued the financial penalty but also required the partner to retake the exam. The incident has sparked renewed attention on how professional services firms are grappling with the rapid rise of generative AI in the workplace, particularly as they attempt to train employees on ethical and secure usage.

However, the partner was not alone. KPMG confirmed that more than two dozen employees within its Australian division have been caught using AI tools to gain unfair advantages in internal assessments since July, the start of the current financial year.

The company said it relied on its own AI detection and monitoring systems to uncover the misconduct, highlighting how firms are increasingly deploying technology to police the very tools transforming their operations. The episode underscores the growing tension between embracing AI for productivity and ensuring it is used responsibly, especially in industries where confidentiality, trust, and compliance are central. Financial Times

• Dangote signs $400 mln equipment deal with China's XCMG to speed up refinery expansion 

Nigeria's Dangote Group has signed a $400 million equipment deal with China's Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group to speed up the expansion of its oil refinery toward a planned 1.4 million barrels per day, the company said on Tuesday.The additional equipment is expected to support major projects under construction across refining, petrochemicals, agriculture and infrastructure. 

Dangote said the XCMG agreement would allow it to acquire a wide range of new heavy-duty machinery to complement existing assets deployed for the refinery build‑out, which the company expects to complete within three years. As part of the expansion, polypropylene capacity will rise to 2.4 million tons per year from 900,000 tons. Urea production in Nigeria will triple to 9 million tons per year, alongside an existing 3 million-ton plant in Ethiopia, positioning the conglomerate as the world's largest urea producer, the company said. The output of linear alkyl benzene - a key raw material for detergents - will increase to 400,000 tons annually, making Dangote the biggest supplier in Africa. Additional base-oil capacity is also planned in the programme.

Dangote Group described the equipment deal as a strategic investment aligned with its ambition to become a $100 billion enterprise by 2030. "The additional equipment we are acquiring under this partnership will significantly enhance execution across our projects," it said in a statement. Reuters

Minor Headlines

• China grants UK and Canada visa-free entry, raising total to 79 countries APNews

• BlackRock Signals $257M Bitcoin and Ethereum Sell-Off Ahead of Partial U.S. Government Shutdown Yahoo.Finance

• Harvard trims bitcoin ETF holdings by 21%, builds $87 million ether position TheBlock

• Hyatt executive chairman steps down over Epstein ties Yahoo.Finance

• Apple to Hold Product Launch on March 4 With Mac Updates Coming Bloomberg

• India's Adani to invest $100 billion in AI-ready data centres by 2035 Reuters

• Spain to probe X, Meta, TikTok over AI-generated child sexual abuse material Reuters

• Russia sentences US citizen to 4 years in jail for trying to take Kalashnikov stocks Reuters