UBS more than quadrupled its position in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF to reach nearly $90 million, while its exposure to call options on IBIT increased 24-fold in the second quarter. $BTC
Goldman Sachs says markets are pricing too aggressively for a rise in Federal Reserve rates, describing a September increase as "very unlikely" as inflation cools.
Consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level in history, even as stocks sit at record highs; it highlights that Bitcoin has been left out of the capital rotation into equities, artificial intelligence, and commodities, according to @glassnode. $BTC
Iran’s army chief offers a $30,000 reward for killing or capturing members of U.S. forces.
Iranian army chief Amir Hatami announced the reward for anyone who kills or captures an “invading” U.S. service member; it is reported that the amount would be doubled if the action were carried out by an Iranian woman.
The announcement comes after President Trump said the U.S. Navy has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz.
Japan’s GDP grew by only 1.1% in the second quarter, falling short of expectations of 2.0%, as economic growth begins to slow.
Weakness in domestic demand offset strong export performance, while an increase in energy costs stemming from the conflict with Iran added further pressure on Japanese households and businesses.
Chainalysis is suing the U.S. government, alleging that the DHS and ICE bypassed the usual procedures for awarding a procurement contract to its competitor, TRM Labs.
The US dollar has been backed by nothing for exactly 55 years, following a «temporary» measure that was never reversed.
President Nixon broke the link between the dollar and gold in August 1971, describing the suspension as temporary in his own speech.
That provisional measure ended up becoming the foundation of the entire global financial system, while the price of gold rose from $35 per ounce on that day to the current $4,383.
CZ: “A lot of people have been mistaken about cryptocurrencies. It’s been going on for a while. I’m not 100% sure I’m right about this either. After all, we’re human.” $BTC
- The White House will hold an important meeting on cryptocurrencies on Wednesday; attendance is expected from Trump, the heads of the SEC and the CFTC, as well as executives from Coinbase, Ripple, and Kalshi.
- On Wednesday, the FOMC minutes are released, while markets price in less than a 40% probability of a rate hike in September.
- Japan publishes GDP data on Monday and CPI data on Friday; both are key tests ahead of a possible rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), which Reuters says could happen as soon as September.
Monday, August 17 - Japan GDP (Q2) - U.S. Treasury bond flow data: will reveal whether Japan again reduced its massive U.S. debt holdings in June
Tuesday, August 18 - Housing starts and industrial production in the U.S.
Wednesday, August 19 - FOMC minutes - Cryptocurrency meeting at the White House - U.K. CPI
Thursday, August 20 - First meeting of the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee on cryptocurrencies and prediction markets - Philadelphia Fed Index
Friday, August 21 - Japan CPI - Preliminary (flash) data on U.S. PMI indices
CZ, from Binance, reaffirms that “Bitcoin is a deflationary asset”.
CZ says that, with more than 20 million $btc already mined, he estimates that between 10% and 20% has been lost, is locked up, or is unrecoverable, which further reduces the amount of Bitcoin actually available in circulation. $BTC
Mizuho cut its price target for BitGo from 14 to $11, but kept its "Outperform" rating, noting that delays in the Clarity Act could, in fact, further expand BitGo's regulatory advantage over its competitors.
Chris Perkins, from Franklin Templeton, says that cryptocurrencies will be «fine» even if the CLARITY Act is not approved, thanks to the precedents that the SEC and the CFTC will set in the next three years under the leadership of Atkins and Selig. $BTC $ETH $XRP
PayPal rejects a $53 billion acquisition offer from Stripe and negotiates its sale at a higher price.
The board of directors believes the $60.50 per-share offer fails to reflect PayPal’s 179% increase in cash flow, and therefore aims to reach a figure close to $70 per share.
According to reports, the deal could be signed within weeks.
Morgan Stanley increased its position in the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF by 23%, reaching 16.5 million shares in the second quarter, while also increasing its position in the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF by approximately 202%, reaching 4.6 million shares. $BTC $ETH
Bank Leumi, the largest bank in Israel, has partnered with Galaxy to allow its customers to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana through its Leumi Trade app starting in early 2027.
Nvidia is pulling out of its $250 billion warranty for OpenAI’s massive data center.
The chipmaker reduced the backing to less than $120 billion—thus covering only half of the 10 gigawatt project in Ohio—after investors showed reluctance to the risk.