Iran Seizes UAE Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), U.S. crypto-linked stocks strengthened during intraday trading. Highlights: Strategy (MSTR) rose 4.74%; the firm did not add to its Bitcoin holdings last week, instead selling $334 million worth of stock, pushing its U.S. dollar reserves to $4.8 billion. Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock (STRC) gained 0.17% to hit $94.94. Other gainers included Coinbase (COIN), up 1.64%; Circle (CRCL), up 4.2%; BitMine Immersion (BMNR), up 4.3%; and SharpLink Gaming (SBET), up 2.64%.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Nike’s (NIKE) stock price dropped more than 4% intraday today, falling below the $40 threshold to hit its lowest level since September 2014. It has shed 78% of its value compared to its 2021 all-time high, with its market capitalization now plummeting by over $200 billion. The main causes of the slump include the former CEO’s over-reliance on direct-to-consumer channels, which led to lost wholesale shelf space, stagnant product innovation, and market share being seized by rivals such as Hoka, On, Anta, and Li-Ning, as well as sharp consecutive quarterly declines in the Chinese market that have eroded investor confidence in Nike’s ability to resume growth.

US President Donald Trump said Israel should not strike targets in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in an attempt to salvage a plan aimed at disarming Hamas and ending the Gaza war. As leaders of two close allies, the US and Israel’s heads of state have publicly diverged in a rare show of disagreement. Last week, Netanyahu rejected Trump’s proposal calling for the phased disarmament of Hamas. After a brief pause, Israel has resumed nearly daily strikes against Palestinian militants. In an interview with Fox News today, Trump stated that Israel should not carry out these attacks, as Hamas has agreed to lay down its weapons.

Director Xin Yumeng of Chinese domestic abstract animated film *Niu Lai* publicly responded, confirming the film's theatrical run has officially ended. He thanked audiences for their concern and discussions, acknowledged the work has many shortcomings, and noted the experience was very valuable for the team. The production company of *Niu Lai* is based in Dalian, which earlier pulled all screenings over "concerns about affecting the city's image". However, local reports today say some cinemas in Dalian have resumed showings. The earlier nationwide online rumor that "no new screenings will be added starting August 17" has not been officially confirmed. Most cities still screened the film normally on August 16, but following the director's confirmation of the end of its theatrical run, overall screenings have shrunk significantly. At the box office, the film's revenue surged from an initial several thousand yuan and continued to climb, breaking through 15 million RMB as of tonight, ranking 7th on the 2026 Chinese domestic animated film box office chart, with the official releasing a celebratory announcement. Per GMGN data, the meme coin *Niu Lai* on BNB Chain remains actively traded. Its market cap once hit a new high of $49.2 million, then fell back to $36 million after failing to break through the $50 million mark, marking a 26% short-term correction, 142% 24-hour gain, and $37.5 million in 24-hour trading volume. BlockBeats reminds users that meme coins mostly have no practical use cases, with high price volatility, so investment requires caution.

DeFi protocol Compound Finance has completed a leadership overhaul and approved its decentralized autonomous organization (DAO)’s largest-ever budget of $52 million to advance its transition to institutional DeFi. The plan prioritizes attracting institutional users and expanding operations around real-world assets, partner integrations, and traditional financial market credit infrastructure. Compound’s total value locked (TVL) has fallen from its September 2021 peak of roughly $12 billion to $1.2 billion, putting it behind rivals such as Aave. New team members hail from institutions including Near Foundation, Maple Finance, Coinbase Custody, Anchorage Digital, HSBC, and Broadridge Financial.

According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has broken through the $64,000 level, with a 1.23% gain in the past 24 hours.