Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

On August 17, Ethereum developer Kevaundray Wedderburn submitted a proposal via GitHub pull request #12188 to reduce the consensus layer block retention window from 33,024 epochs (roughly 9 months) to 8,192 epochs, approximately 36 days. The change aims to lower node storage and bandwidth demands by shortening the backfill burden after checkpoint synchronization. The proposal, currently in draft status, is classified as non-forking and informational. Ethereum contributor Dapplion endorsed the di

According to Nikkei, SoftBank Group on August 18 announced plans to issue approximately 1 trillion yen ($6.26 billion) in retail bonds to Japanese retail investors, marking the largest retail bond issuance ever by a Japanese company. The bonds carry a 7-year maturity, with specific terms including interest rates to be determined in early September; analysts expect the coupon rate to exceed 4%. This marks SoftBank's third retail bond offering this year, following issuances in April and June. The

According to BitBox's security disclosure on Monday, the hardware wallet maker released a firmware update fixing two severe vulnerabilities affecting its Multi edition devices. One involved memory corruption in BitBox02 and BitBox02 Nova units not configured with a wallet, which could allow a malicious host to execute arbitrary code and potentially install malicious firmware leading to lost funds. The second affected the company's Silent Payments implementation and could have allowed an attacker

South Korea's KOSPI index ended its five-day winning streak on August 18 as foreign investor net buying momentum weakened, amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and surging long-term U.S. Treasury yields that intensified risk-asset selloff sentiment. Market analysts are closely monitoring the trajectory of international crude oil prices and market interest rates following the Federal Reserve's release of July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes on August 19.

Hong Kong stock market closed on August 18 with the Hang Seng Index up 0.07%, while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.9%. AI-related stocks tumbled sharply, with Zhipu dropping over 13% and MINIMAX-W down over 4%. Chip and PCB concept stocks also declined broadly, including Kingboard Laminates down over 8%, Huahong Semiconductor down nearly 8%, Realtek Semiconductor down over 6%, GigaDevice down over 6%, and Shengda Optoelectronics down nearly 6%.

According to SemiAnalysis podcast covered by ChainCatcher, Anthropic has imposed strict classifiers on the public version of its flagship Mythos model, branded as Fable, in response to regulatory pressure. Users attempting certain operations are immediately downgraded to the Opus model with no option to revert within conversations, limiting functionality for both external users and internal staff. The Mythos model completed training in February but was not released until May. SemiAnalysis podcas

According to Bloomberg, China's State Security Bureau has recently ordered government-related institutions to remove customized Windows 10 software from computers, pulling forward the retirement timeline by several months. The software, developed by C&M Information Technologies (CMIT), a joint venture between Microsoft and China's state-owned China Electronics Technology Group (CETC), was originally scheduled to be phased out in February 2027. The move aligns with Beijing's broader policy to red

According to the Bank of Spain, the country's debt-to-GDP ratio reached 101.5% as of the end of June.

According to BlockBeats citing BIT market data, storage sector stocks fell sharply in premarket trading on August 18. SanDisk declined 5.26%, Western Digital fell 4.88%, SK Hynix ADR dropped 4.1%, Seagate dropped 4.34%, and Micron Technology declined 3.6%.

According to Jin10, gold prices fell on Tuesday, August 18, as rising oil prices and higher U.S. Treasury yields increased the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold. Despite the decline, gold has gained over 10% so far this month.

According to trading sources and shipping data on August 18, Saudi Aramco resumed crude oil loading in the Strait of Hormuz last week following weeks of suspension due to tanker attacks during the U.S.-Iran escalation in July. Between August 12 and 16, three very large crude carriers (VLCCs)—Malaysia Prosperity, Algeria Prosperity, and Singapore Prosperity—loaded a combined 2 million barrels from Juaymah and Ras Tanura terminals, according to tracking firms Vortexa and Kpler. The company is offe

According to CoinGecko, Bitcoin traded at $64,246 on August 18 despite renewed inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, remaining stuck within the $62,000-$65,000 range. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF saw $865.3 million in net inflows from August 3-7, followed by outflows of $248.4 million from August 12-14. Fidelity's FBTC led a $137.3 million inflow on August 17. FXPro's chief market analyst Alex Kupchikevich stated that Bitcoin has failed to break above its 50-day moving average and remains below the 200-

According to E Daily, on August 18, South Korea's semiconductor sector dominated both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ exchanges. The four major KOSPI semiconductor companies—Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and SK Square—added 29 trillion Korean won to their combined market capitalization since end of July. On KOSDAQ, six semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment (MP&E) firms saw their combined market cap surge 29.5% to 33.8 trillion won, far outpacing the broader KOSDAQ's 15.3

According to Chosun Biz Money Move, Kosdaq-listed company Finger announced on August 18 its plan to divest its financial data subsidiary Fintech. The investment banking industry confirmed the divestiture is in progress, following Finger's sale of Finger Asset Management in January.

According to ChainCatcher, Nvidia senior director Huang Meidi visited LG Electronics' robotics research center on Tuesday to meet with LG executives and discuss expanded collaboration in artificial intelligence infrastructure and robotics. LG Electronics announced last week its plan to launch a next-generation humanoid robot capable of bipedal walking in the first quarter of 2027, leveraging Nvidia's robotics platform.

According to Spain's Ministry of Economy, Spain posted a trade deficit of €7.69 billion in June.

According to Bloomberg, on Monday, the Amara fuel tanker repeatedly turned back near Iran's Qeshm Island while attempting to enter the Persian Gulf. Ship tracking data showed the vessel made at least five turnarounds after entering the gulf empty-loaded, with its transponder active throughout. The tanker is currently positioned north of Iran's approved shipping lane.

Pre-market on Wednesday (August 18), storage chip stocks declined broadly, with SanDisk down roughly 4%, Western Digital down about 4%, and Micron Technology and SK Hynix each down approximately 3%.

According to Iran's Nour News on Monday, August 18, citing a military official, Iranian armed forces warned shipping companies, vessel owners, and maritime service providers against supporting U.S. military operations in the region. The official stated that any entity knowingly transporting critical supplies for American military activities targeting Iran could be designated as providing logistical support and face "appropriate sanctions and economic, legal, and retaliatory countermeasures." Ira

According to the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, the bank released a medium-term natural interest rate assessment report on August 17 (local time). The report estimates the medium-term real natural rate of interest at approximately 1.5%. With the federal funds rate target at 3.5%-3.75% and inflation holding at around 3%, the implicit real federal funds rate stands at 0.5%-0.75%, below the natural rate, indicating a somewhat accommodative monetary policy stance.