Circle has minted an additional 500 million USDC on the Solana blockchain over the past six hours.

Beating AI Express: OpenAI has added a practical new feature to ChatGPT Work that enables it to log into websites and access user accounts to complete tasks. Previously, ChatGPT Work would stop when encountering a login page; now, it hands over the login interface to users, who can input their username, password, and verification code directly. After login is completed, ChatGPT Work resumes its operations. OpenAI clarified that ChatGPT cannot view users' passwords and will not store them. This update significantly expands the scope of tasks ChatGPT Work can handle: from checking insurance reimbursements, scheduling DMV appointments, house hunting, returns, submitting invoices, to managing small business backends. Any task that normally requires opening a browser and manually navigating through steps can now be tried with ChatGPT Work. The feature is currently rolling out to Plus, Pro, and Business users.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis announced that its Operation Lighthouse investigation has probed 29,120 crypto addresses and digital identity identifiers, generating 14,300 investigation leads. The operation targets cryptocurrency activities linked to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), spanning over 100 clearnet and darknet platforms, forums, and distribution networks. Chainalysis added that the initiative also uncovered more than 7,700 suspicious accounts and identified relevant suspects across 125 countries. Organized by the U.S. National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), the effort involved multiple law enforcement agencies, crypto industry firms, and non-profit organizations.

ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel stated that prolonged Middle East conflicts, combined with the unexpectedly strong performance of the euro area economy, pose upside risks to inflation, necessitating further interest rate hikes. Consumer price increases could exceed 2% for an extended period, and policymakers would fall behind the curve if they wait to act until these impacts feed through to wages. “At current interest rates, inflation is unlikely to return to the target level in the medium term, so further policy tightening is necessary. Especially amid the current environment of resilient aggregate demand, it is critical to nip second-round effects in the bud early, as delaying action could require more aggressive tightening measures,” she said. She noted that fiscal policy, rising defense spending, and the global AI boom are the key drivers of the economy’s strong performance. Schnabel warned that energy price pressures excluding oil are becoming more persistent. Given Europe’s low natural gas inventories, developments in the gas market are particularly worrying, “which poses substantial upside risks to inflation. The longer the conflict persists, the higher and more intense the risks of indirect and second-round effects will be.” (Jinshi)

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, Wintermute has cut its short exposure on Hyperliquid from $211.5 million to $80.48 million. It currently holds $80.48 million in short positions and $5.51 million in long positions. Its HYPE short position, meanwhile, increased from $5.6 million to $10.2 million, resulting in an unrealized loss of $568,800.

According to a Financial Times report, recent moves by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to intervene in the bond market conflict with the Federal Reserve’s goal of curbing inflation. After Bessent’s unexpected intervention in the U.S. Treasury market, yields initially fell before rising again—a reaction that has ramped up pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Christopher Waller ahead of his upcoming Jackson Hole Symposium speech. Waller has long stressed that investors should rely more on economic data and market prices to assess interest rate trends, rather than waiting for central bank officials’ forward guidance. Markets now worry that if Bessent’s efforts to lower yields keep failing, the Fed could also face pressure to intervene. Both Bessent and Waller are protégés of billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller; they meet regularly and have a good relationship, but the market currently perceives that the U.S. Treasury Department (led by Bessent) and the Federal Reserve (led by Waller) are acting in opposite directions.

Gold has remained strong recently, with volatility at high levels rising noticeably. A weaker U.S. dollar, falling U.S. Treasury yields, fiscal deficit concerns, and safe-haven demand have all supported gold prices. However, Citigroup warns that gold’s recent breakout has been driven more by speculative funds in instruments like futures, with physical demand failing to keep pace. Citigroup notes this means gold will be more sensitive to macro events in the short term. Rallies fueled by speculative funds can form trends quickly, but they are also prone to sharp profit-taking when policy expectations shift. Markets are now awaiting speeches at the Jackson Hole Global Central Bank Annual Meeting. If the Federal Reserve signals a hawkish tilt, the U.S. dollar and real rates could rebound, putting pressure on gold’s rally; if policy communications turn dovish, gold prices will have room to extend gains. The backdrop for gold trading has also shifted recently. Fiscal sustainability, long-dated U.S. Treasury yields, and central bank gold purchases remain medium-term supports, but short-term prices have accumulated significant momentum-driven capital. For traders, gold is no longer just a safe-haven asset; it is increasingly acting as a macro high-beta asset sensitive to the U.S. dollar, real interest rates, and fiscal risks simultaneously.