Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

According to MaxForAI, community testing of AI project J-Space Cognition Suite on August 18 revealed results directly contradicting the project's official performance claims. The project had claimed that DeepSeek V4 Flash with J-Space could match GLM-5.3, while V4 Pro would exceed Fable 5 across multiple benchmarks, with speed improvements of 2.53x and token efficiency gains of 2.21x. GitHub user GoForceX conducted independent retesting using Terminal Bench 2.1 and found that adding J-Space modu

According to Fonterra, on August 18, the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) index rose 2.3%, with milk powder futures contracts averaging $3,873 per ton at FAS (Free Alongside Ship) valuation. Wholesale milk powder prices increased 3% to $3,591 per ton.

European equity indices declined today (August 18). Germany's DAX 30 index fell 0.81% to close at 26,124 points. France's CAC index dropped 0.73%, while Italy's FTSE MIB fell 0.94%. The UK's FTSE 100 index was the sole gainer, rising 0.17%.

Europe's major stock indices closed lower today. The STOXX 600 fell 0.65% to 652.13 points, the Stoxx Europe 50 declined 0.96% to 6,468.00 points, and the FTSE Eurotop 300 dropped 0.65% to 2,607.03 points.

According to Wall Street Journal analysis of regulatory filings, nine major technology companies—Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Nvidia, Broadcom, SpaceX, and AMD—have approximately $3 trillion in off-balance-sheet AI-related commitments as of June. These undisclosed commitments far exceed the $600 billion in traditional capital expenditures the companies reported for the past year. The off-balance-sheet obligations primarily consist of $1.2 trillion in future lease payments for unsta

According to a Bank of America survey, global fund managers have increased equity allocation to the highest level in nearly five years. The latest BofA strategist team survey shows that 56% of fund managers are in net overweight positions on stocks, the highest share since November 2021. Cash allocations have dropped to an extremely low 3.5%.

U.S. crude oil futures rose over $1 intraday on August 18 as hopes for a U.S.-Iran peace agreement weakened.

According to Bank of America strategists led by Michael Hartnett, the political outcome of November's U.S. midterm elections could significantly impact stock markets. The team warned that if Republicans perform strongly, stocks will surge. However, if Democrats simultaneously control the Senate and win Texas Governor Greg Abbott's seat, the market could decline over 10% next year, meeting the technical definition of a correction. Similar warnings have been issued by Evercore ISI and BCA Research

According to a16z crypto, crypto payment card monthly spending reached approximately $759 million in July 2026, up 2.5 times from $306 million a year earlier. USDC settled 58% of transactions, with USDT accounting for 26%, as users hold stablecoins in custodial or self-custodial wallets and spend through traditional card networks like Visa at merchants worldwide, who receive local fiat settlement.

According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon is evaluating its military presence in the Middle East and considering withdrawing forces from the Persian Gulf, as reported on August 18. Eight sources, including officials and other informed individuals, revealed that damaged military bases—sustained by Iranian strikes over recent months—have provided the Defense Department with an opportunity to reassess its regional footprint. Officials stated the Pentagon has not yet ordered a formal review, an

Metaplanet, Japan's third-largest corporate Bitcoin holder, contributed 2,100 BTC (approximately $132.1 million) plus $2.5 million in cash to Super League Enterprise on Tuesday in exchange for stock, preferred shares and warrants. Super League will be renamed Superplanet, Inc. and trade under ticker SUPA on Nasdaq as a consolidated Metaplanet subsidiary, with Metaplanet holding approximately 95.7% of common stock at closing, expected in the fourth quarter. This marks Metaplanet's first operating

Spirit Blockchain Capital Inc. filed its Q2 2026 financial statements on August 18, according to its official filing with Canadian securities regulators. The interim condensed consolidated financial statements and management discussion and analysis cover the three and six months ended June 30, 2026. Alongside the financial reporting, the company provided an update on its technology platform, which has advanced to the final stages of product refinement, testing and validation in preparation for c

According to the Wall Street Journal, private equity firm KKR has proposed acquiring UGI Corp. for $42.50 per share.

According to Iran, on August 18, Iran held a 40-day commemoration ceremony for deceased Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei outside Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran. Parliament Speaker Kalib Baff, Hassan Khomeini (grandson of former Supreme Leader Khomeini), and Khamenei's children attended. However, Supreme Leader Mujataba Khamenei did not appear in the live broadcast of the ceremony, despite earlier announcements that he would preside over the event.

According to CoinDesk, on August 18, World Liberty stated it does not own, operate, or control the AI platform WorldClaw, nor the models it provides, but refused to disclose whether it holds equity, provides financing, or participates in revenue sharing. WorldClaw integrates over 300 AI models from China and the U.S., and accepts USD 1 as a payment method, though its terms of service prohibit usage by residents of the United States and China.

According to BlockBeats, U.S. storage chip stocks fell further at the open on August 18, with Sandisk and Seagate leading declines. Sandisk dropped 9.18%, Seagate fell 9.08%, SK Hynix declined 8.44%, Western Digital fell 8.21%, and Micron Technology dropped 7.62%.

According to CoinGlass, in the past 24 hours, cryptocurrency markets recorded $262 million in total liquidations, with $102 million from long positions and $160 million from short positions. The liquidations affected a total of 66,173 traders across the market.

According to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Royal Bank of Canada recently increased its holdings in MSTR (MicroStrategy) by 46,001 shares, worth approximately $4.45 million. The bank's total position now stands at 385,002 shares, valued at around $37.2 million, representing a 13.5% increase in its stake.

According to Lee Jae-man, investment strategy director at Hana Securities, SK Hynix's market capitalization approaching or nearing Samsung Electronics' level signals overheating in the semiconductor sector. Speaking on Kim Kwang-seok TV on August 17, Lee noted that SK Hynix has fallen about 50% from its peak, with analyst profit estimates also being slightly downward revised. He emphasized that while SK Hynix is an excellent semiconductor company with high profit growth, its absolute earnings re

Amylyx Pharmaceuticals (AMLX) shares surged more than 47% on Tuesday after the biotech company announced that its experimental drug Avexitide significantly reduced serious low-blood-sugar events in patients with post-bariatric hypoglycemia. The Phase 3 Lucidity trial, which enrolled 78 adults, showed Avexitide reduced combined Level 2 and Level 3 hypoglycemic events by 55%, meeting the FDA's primary endpoint. The drug was generally well tolerated with no treatment-related serious adverse events.