Low-risk income options during market turbulence

In April 2025, the global financial markets experienced severe turbulence due to tariff policies. Trump announced the implementation of "reciprocal tariffs," imposing different tax rates on different countries, triggering a strong market reaction. The S&P 500 index evaporated $5.8 trillion in market value in just four days, marking a historic single-week loss. Bitcoin prices fluctuated violently in the range of $80,000 to $90,000.

Federal Reserve Chairman Powell stated that tariffs could raise inflation and suppress economic growth, but the Fed will not intervene in the market by cutting interest rates, instead focusing on long-term data. Several investment banks have raised the probability of a U.S. recession, and the market outlook is filled with uncertainty.

In this volatile environment, how should investors respond? Low-risk yield products based on stablecoins may be a good choice. Here are four stablecoin yield products for your reference:

Spark Saving USDC ( Ethereum )

Users can deposit USDC through the Spark platform to participate in savings. The yield comes from the Sky savings interest rate (SSR), generated from cryptocurrency collateral loan fees, U.S. Treasury investments, and providing liquidity to other platforms. USDC is exchanged for USDS at a 1:1 ratio through the Sky PSM, deposited into the SSR vault to earn yields, and the value of the sUSDC token increases as yields accumulate.

Risk Assessment: Low. USDC has high stability, and Spark's multiple audits reduce the risk of smart contracts. However, attention should be paid to the potential impact of market volatility on liquidity.

Berachain BYUSD|HONEY (Berachain)

Users can deposit BYUSD and HONEY in BeraHub to provide liquidity, obtain LP tokens, and stake them in the reward vault to earn BGT. Earnings mainly come from BGT rewards and trading fees within the pool. BGT is a non-transferable governance token of Berachain, which can be burned 1:1 for BERA and share the fee income from core dApps.

Risk Assessment: Low to Moderate. BYUSD and HONEY are stablecoins with stable prices; Berachain's PoL mechanism has been audited, and the smart contract risks are low. However, BGT rewards may fluctuate due to emission adjustments.

Uniswap V4 USDC-USDT0 (Uniswap V4)

Through the Merkl platform, users can provide liquidity for the USDC/USDT pool on Uniswap V4. Uniswap V4 introduces a "hook" mechanism that allows developers to customize pool functions, such as dynamic fee adjustments and automatic rebalancing, enhancing capital efficiency and yield potential.

Source of income: UNI token incentives.

Risk Assessment: Low to Moderate. The USDC/USDT pool is a stablecoin pair with lower price volatility risk, but be aware of smart contract risks and the potential decline in returns after the incentive period ends.

Echelon Market USDC (Aptos)

Users can deposit USDC on the Echelon Market platform to participate in supply. Earnings include USDC supply interest and Thala's thAPT rewards. thAPT is Thala's deposit certificate, minted and redeemed at a 1:1 ratio for APT, with a 0.15% fee charged upon redemption.

Risk Assessment: Low to Medium. USDC has high stability, but attention should be paid to the smart contract risks of the Aptos ecosystem and the impact of thAPT redemption fees on returns. Instant withdrawal offers high liquidity, but market volatility may affect the value of thAPT rewards.

This article is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice. Investors should conduct their own research and bear the risks. In turbulent times, these low-risk yield products based on stablecoins may provide investors with a relatively safe option to help stabilize their portfolios.