Author: John Smith

Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman Rob Kaplan has backed the Federal Reserve’s 9–3 decision to hold interest rates at 3.50%–3.75% in July while urging policymakers to keep their options open before September. Summary Kaplan said the Fed was right to leave interest rates unchanged at its July meeting. Three policymakers supported a quarter-point increase, showing disagreement within the rate-setting committee. AI investment, tariffs, labor limits, and oil prices are creating competing inflation forces. Kaplan said fiscal deficits and bond supply concern him more than the federal funds rate. Why Kaplan supports the Fed’s July rate hold Bloomberg reported that Kaplan, a…

Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman Robert Kaplan has backed the Federal Reserve’s 9–3 decision to keep interest rates at 3.50%–3.75% in July, arguing that policymakers needed more time to assess inflation before acting. Summary The Fed held rates at 3.50%–3.75% in July despite three votes for an increase. Kaplan said incoming data should determine whether policymakers raise rates in September. AI investment, tariffs, labor shortages, and oil prices could keep inflation elevated. Kaplan said fiscal deficits, not Fed policy, are pushing long-term Treasury yields higher. Why Kaplan supports the Fed rate pause Bloomberg Television reported on Aug. 13 that Kaplan, a…

Neutrl has suspended minting, redemptions, and other protocol functions while it assesses an unspecified reserve issue affecting roughly $53.7 million of NUSD in circulation. Summary Neutrl stopped core protocol functions after circumstances affected its reserves. Legal counsel advised the suspension while the team determines the scale of the impact. NUSD continues to trade near $0.998 despite limited secondary-market volume. Neutrl’s reserve dashboard says its financial figures are being recalibrated. Neutrl pauses redemptions during reserve assessment Neutrl said in an Aug. 13 X post that it had temporarily paused minting, redemptions, and other protocol functions following circumstances that affected the protocol’s…

Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake has said the network’s layer 1 will leave Poseidon after an eight-year, eight-figure research effort and pursue established hash functions such as SHA-2 or BLAKE2s. Summary Ethereum’s L1 roadmap will use traditional hashes instead of the SNARK-focused Poseidon function. Binary-field SNARKs can reportedly prove about 1 million traditional hash calls per second. A production-grade leanVM is scheduled for 2027, followed by layer deployments in 2028. Hash-based signatures form a central part of Ethereum’s planned protection against quantum computers. Ethereum L1 turns away from Poseidon Justin Drake said in an Aug. 13 X post that the…

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. Ethereum current price and solana ETF flows are stuck in neutral, see why BlockDAG’s stage 1 math makes it the best crypto to buy this month. Summary BlockDAG’s early-stage pricing and expanding ecosystem are drawing attention as Ethereum and Solana remain stuck in narrow trading ranges. Ethereum and Solana face sluggish momentum, while BlockDAG moves ahead with its Super App, exchange plans, staking, and Stage 1 presale. With ETH and SOL struggling to break higher, investors are turning their…

Four companies within Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group have launched a proof of concept to test Japanese government bond repo transactions on the Canton Network, with the project targeting automated processing and 24-hour on-chain settlement. Summary Four MUFG companies will test Japanese government bond repo transactions on the Canton Network. The proof of concept will examine automated transaction processing and real time settlement available 24/7. Digital Asset Holdings and Progmat will participate in the trial alongside MUFG, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking and MUFG Bank. The project is part of Japan’s FSA backed Payment Innovation Project…

Ethereum price fell 2.4% from $1,918 to an intraday low of $1,872 as traders sold the initial U.S. inflation reaction, leaving ETH below $1,900 and testing a key daily support zone. Summary Ethereum price dropped 2.4% to $1,872 after its post-CPI advance stalled below resistance. $1,875 is the immediate support, while 4-hour momentum remains tilted toward sellers. Liquidation liquidity is concentrated near $1,945–$1,955, creating a possible upside price magnet. A break below $1,850 could expose $1,835, followed by the broader $1,750 support level. Ethereum price action today According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum (ETH) price traded near $1,879 at the…

Metaplanet launched a continuous bond issuance program called BitBonds on Aug. 13 and completed its first four private placements, raising about 200 million yen, or roughly $1.3 million.  Summary Metaplanet launched BitBonds after completing four private bond sales totaling approximately 200 million yen Thursday. The unsecured senior bonds mature in roughly three years and pay annual interest between 4%–4.3%. Metaplanet Securities distributed the bonds to eligible individuals and companies under Japan’s private placement regime. Future BitBond issuance will depend on funding needs, market conditions and investor demand, Metaplanet said. Metaplanet still holds 43,000 Bitcoin after CEO Simon Gerovich denied selling…

Hyperliquid opened access to its Foundation operated low latency data infrastructure to qualified third party infrastructure providers on Aug. 12, creating a cheaper route for trading firms and developers that previously faced demanding direct access requirements.  Summary Hyperliquid opened Foundation low-latency node access to qualified infrastructure providers under a standardized pricing model. Provider pricing is currently indicated below $1,000 monthly, covering computing resources and outbound network traffic. Qualified providers need one year operating history, 100 customers, five networks, and 99.9% availability levels. Direct Foundation access previously required staking 10,000 HYPE and Tier 1 maker rebate qualification status. Providers may not…

Bitcoin traded near $63,800 early Thursday, Aug. 13, as crypto markets struggled to build momentum from a U.S. inflation report that came largely in line with expectations. Summary Bitcoin traded near $63,800 as July inflation matched forecasts and failed to ignite fresh momentum. Hyperliquid led large-cap gains, while Velvet topped CoinMarketCap’s top-100 movers with a 23.76% surge Thursday. Bitcoin ETFs posted $61.1 million in outflows, while Ether ETFs attracted $7.4 million of inflows. July consumer prices rose 0.1% monthly and 3.4% annually, matching economists’ expectations for headline inflation. U.S. producer prices arrive Thursday before Jackson Hole, September jobs data, inflation,…