US stock index futures edged higher, with markets focused on the Hormuz Strait Agreement and inflation data.

White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett has stated that if Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is removed from her post over related allegations, he will not take over her position. Hassett noted that the allegations against Cook are matters for law enforcement to investigate, adding that he "hopes Cook is innocent". Earlier, Cook is challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to oust her from her Federal Reserve Governor role. On monetary policy, Hassett said that if he were involved in decision-making, he would lean toward keeping current interest rates steady or cutting them. He believes U.S. inflation is easing, while supply-side growth momentum remains strong, creating space for a more accommodative policy environment.

Intel announced plans to raise approximately $15 billion through a public common stock offering to strengthen its balance sheet and support investments in AI computing, self-developed chips, advanced packaging, external wafer foundry services, and "physical AI" related businesses. The company stated that the offering proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures and working capital, to support future growth opportunities while maintaining its investment-grade credit rating. Led by underwriters, the offering is not an "at-the-market" (ATM) stock sales program, meaning the shares have not yet been priced or sold. Underwriters are also expected to receive a 30-day overallotment option, allowing them to purchase up to an additional $2.25 billion in shares, bringing the total potential fundraising size to $17.25 billion. JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup serve as joint bookrunners. Intel’s stock has risen more than 175% year-to-date, but fell as much as 4.62% in premarket trading on Monday following the fundraising news. The financing comes as global AI infrastructure investment enters a phase of rapid expansion. This year, AI-related capital expenditures are projected to hit $1 trillion, with hyperscale cloud computing companies gradually shifting from relying on free cash flow and debt financing to equity financing. Alphabet, Google’s parent, has already raised large sums in the equity market, while Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta still rely primarily on cash flow, debt, leases, and structured financing to support their AI expansion. Goldman Sachs forecasts that capital expenditures for hyperscale cloud providers could rise further to $1.4 trillion by 2027. Intel’s latest fundraising is viewed as another example of the AI infrastructure investment wave, reflecting that as demand for AI computing power continues to grow, related companies are seeking more capital channels to support long-term expansion.

On-chain detective ZachXBT has exposed US national Tiffany Milanovich, an alleged attacker who scammed victims by impersonating hardware wallet and centralized exchange customer support, stealing at least $5 million in crypto assets in total. ZachXBT noted that Tiffany primarily acts as a "phone scammer", posing as support staff from trading platforms or wallets to trick victims into surrendering account access. After transferring funds, she was recorded mocking victims during calls and publicly flaunting luxury spending. According to the disclosure, in June 2026, a victim lost $1.2 million in BTC and ETH from their Trezor wallet after falling prey to a fake BitcoinIRA email attack. ZachXBT said the attackers later flaunted the funds in Telegram groups, while two other attackers named "bled" and "harm" are suspected of providing phishing infrastructure. Additionally, in October 2025, Tiffany and her gang allegedly stole around $500,000 in Bitcoin from a Coinbase user by impersonating customer support. In February 2026, she also displayed the allegedly stolen fund balance during a Discord call with other attackers to show off. ZachXBT stated that Tiffany is also suspected of using victims' funds for gambling and mocking victims during scams. The relevant accounts have now been reported, and the Shuffle platform confirmed it will take banning measures. ZachXBT added that some attackers also allegedly exaggerated theft amounts by forging wallet screenshots and editing videos to boost their influence in underground circles.

BitMine added 7,391 Ethereum to its holdings last week. As of August 9, 2026, its total Ethereum holdings reached 5,805,238 coins, accounting for approximately 4.8% of Ethereum’s total supply. Currently, BitMine’s total assets including cryptocurrencies, cash, and other investments are valued at around $11.6 billion, which includes $104 million in cash and securities, 209 Bitcoin, $180 million in equity assets of Beast Industries, and a $69 million investment in Eightco Holdings (ORBS). Additionally, the number of Ethereum it has staked has increased to 5,067,309 coins (representing 87% of its total holdings), valued at roughly $9.8 billion, with an annualized staking yield of approximately $257 million. During the same period, the company repurchased 3 million common shares, bringing its total repurchases since July 1 to 19.1 million shares.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, the Ethereum Foundation transferred 566.27 ETH from its Grants wallet to an untagged address, worth roughly $1.09 million. Separately, an address linked to the Ethereum Foundation moved 2.62 ETH (valued at ~$5,000) to another address—one that had previously sent funds to South Korean crypto exchange Upbit. Blockchain data shows the transfer originated from the Ethereum Foundation’s Grants wallet (0x9eE...313D). The identity of the anonymous address receiving the $1.09 million in ETH has not been confirmed, and the foundation has not publicly disclosed the funds’ purpose. The crypto community speculates the transfer may be tied to ecosystem grants, developer support, or other foundation activities, though the exact use remains unconfirmed.

The Token Spending Price Index has dropped to 1.1635, continuing its downward trajectory since hitting a peak of 2.0651 on May 28 at the end of May, with a cumulative decline of 43.7% over two months. The index has now fallen below the 1.2446 level recorded at the end of 2025, marking an official year-to-date low, signaling that AI computing power pricing has returned to the starting point of this expansion cycle. Note: Token sales are a critical revenue source for the AI industry today, and their price serves as one of the key indicators measuring the current supply-demand balance of computing power. If Token prices stay elevated, cloud service providers will have the incentive to acquire more GPUs, DRAM memory, and expand data centers; conversely, AI enterprises may face "consumption downgrades", a potential leading indicator of the end of this hardware boom cycle. The Token price data is sourced from top global AI models including OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek.