Analyst: Fed Rate Hike Conditions Not Yet Mature, But Rationale Is Building

The U.S. ETF industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, with a total of 1,001 ETFs listed in the country over the past two months. The number of ETFs launched in this two-month period exceeds the total number of ETFs launched across the entire first half of 2024. Among all ETFs launched this year, 54% include derivative components, while over 33% are categorized as leveraged or inverse funds. Additionally, so far this year, numerous fund issuers have submitted registration applications for more than 1,000 leveraged ETFs, indicating that more such products will be launched in the future.

The spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) introduced Operation "Victory-2", stating that the U.S. Amazon data processing center located in Bahrain was listed as a strike target because it undertakes intelligence support, cloud computing, and services related to the U.S. military command system. The spokesperson did not specify the exact time of the strike, but noted that this operation is one of Iran's responses to U.S. attacks. (CCTV News)

The recent hacking incident targeting Coldcard wallets continues to escalate, with a sharp rise in small-value Bitcoin transfers hitting their highest level since the FTX collapse, reigniting market discussions about Bitcoin self-custody security. CryptoQuant Research Head Julio Moreno revealed data showing that the number of on-chain Bitcoin transfers under 1 BTC has risen to its highest level since November 2022, with roughly 39,600 BTC transferred in a single day—just 300 BTC short of the November 16, 2022, record of 39,900 BTC set days after FTX filed for bankruptcy. Users are proactively taking action to mitigate risks. Previous reports noted that the Coldcard Bitcoin hardware wallet was targeted in the attack; stolen funds have now reached 1,367.05 BTC, worth approximately $88.6 million, across 4,585 addresses. Galaxy Research Head Alex Thorn stated that the attack is still ongoing, urging users who have not yet moved their funds to immediately transfer assets out of addresses generated by Coldcard.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA ML) released a storage industry research report over the weekend, showing that Samsung Electronics has included 60% to 70% of its memory sales in long-term supply agreements (LTAs). The contract terms are heavily skewed toward the supplier: quarterly price cuts typically do not exceed 5%, while price hikes can reach 10% to 20% with virtually no upper limit. The LTAs signed with major U.S. tech companies mostly adopt a five-year rolling model, allowing renewal around the expiration of the first year to form long-term binding relationships. BofA ML believes this model enhances the revenue certainty of Samsung’s memory business while retaining the flexibility to raise prices during periods of tight supply and demand. Against the backdrop of sustained growth in AI server demand and the time required for memory makers to ramp up production capacity, leading players are leveraging LTAs to lock in demand from major clients and strengthen price control. Separately, data from DRAMeXchange shows that the spot price of 16Gb DDR5 has surged 733% year-on-year to $51, while DDR4 series prices have risen even more by 722% to 896%. The spot price of 1Tb NAND wafers has increased 415% year-on-year to $26.4, with a further 3% rise week-on-week. The contract price of 64GB DDR5 memory modules has exceeded $1,480, while DDR4 modules hit $1,300, both marking all-time highs; client SSD prices have doubled since the end of 2025. BofA ML attributes the factors supporting August prices to three points: increased downstream restocking demand, OEMs preparing for new product launches, and falling channel inventory. The underlying driver is the surge in AI capital expenditure: the five hyperscale cloud providers are projected to combine for $730 billion in total capital expenditure in 2026, a year-on-year increase of around 100%, and are expected to exceed $1 trillion annually from 2027 to 2028, continuously supporting upward momentum in memory demand.

US ETF manager Roundhill made a significant portfolio adjustment to its DRAM-themed fund this week. In addition to the previously reported inclusion of CXMT (Changxin Technology) with a 2.52% weight in its holdings, the fund also reduced its stake in Samsung Electronics. Roundhill’s DRAM-themed fund sold roughly 1 million Samsung shares daily from Monday to Wednesday, totaling 3 million shares over the three days, worth approximately $432 million. The fund’s current top three holdings are Samsung Electronics (26.39%), Micron Technology (24.54%), and SK Hynix (22.77%). Other major holdings include Seagate Technology, Western Digital, SanDisk, Kioxia, Nanya Technology, and GigaDevice Semiconductor.

According to Iranian media outlet Fars News, some media outlets "linked to the enemy" previously claimed that Iran had agreed to a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, sources familiar with the matter denied this assertion, stressing that Iran’s policy toward this strategic waterway remains unchanged.