Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

According to Shanghai courts on August 18, the Shanghai Intermediate People's Court released a landmark judgment clarifying the criminal liability of 'traffic inciters' in crypto-related telefraud cases. Between February 2022 and April 2023, three defendants lured 30 victims into offshore scam groups via virtual phone software, resulting in losses of 2.34 million yuan. The defendants were sentenced to 10–13 years imprisonment for fraud charges. The court determined that traffic inciters may be l

According to Yonhapinfomax, on August 18, Korean Electronics Holdings announced the early repurchase of 600 million won in unsecured convertible bonds that were issued in February. The company was designated as a managed item on August 12 due to a market cap decline below 20 billion won. The early redemption aims to reduce refinancing burden and eliminate potential overhang risks from stock dilution when bonds convert to shares.

According to Ashley Webb, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, the UK unemployment rate rose from 4.8% in the three months ending May to 4.9% in the three months ending June, with the monthly rate increasing from 4.6% to 5.4%. Webb stated the data reflects a softening labor market, indicating the Bank of England is unlikely to raise rates further from the current 3.75%, as employment conditions no longer pose an inflation risk.

At midday close on August 18, China's domestic futures market saw broad gains led by energy and industrial commodities. SC crude oil rose nearly 6%, fuel oil surged over 5%, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) climbed nearly 5%, and ethylene glycol (EG) gained over 4%. Low-sulfur fuel oil (LU), synthetic rubber, and pure benzene each rose over 3%. On the downside, polysilicon fell over 4%, while eggs, Shanghai tin, and international copper dropped over 1%; Shanghai copper and jujubes declined nearly 1

On Aug 18, European stock indices opened with mixed movements. Germany's DAX30 declined 89.91 points, or 0.34%, to 26,279.75; France's CAC40 fell 17.44 points, or 0.20%, to 8,562.16; and Italy's FTSE MIB dropped 114.98 points, or 0.21%, to 53,472.00. Stoxx50 eased 17.70 points, or 0.27%, to 6,512.75, while Spain's IBEX35 edged up 11.89 points to 19,993.79.

According to Jin10, Shanghai gold closed at 953.88 yuan per gram on August 18, trading 0.16 yuan per gram below the international gold price of 954.04 yuan per gram.

According to Jin10 Futures, as of 15:00 Beijing time on August 18, spot platinum fell 0.62% while spot palladium gained 0.11% at noon.

According to Thailand's central bank, outstanding loan volume grew 2.0% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026.

According to Forbes, Hugging Face released its summer 2026 open-source model ecosystem report, revealing rapid expansion in a community distribution layer. GGUF repository growth surged 464% in the first seven months of 2026, over 20 times faster than general model repository growth of 21.5%. Using Alibaba's Qwen as an example, the Hub hosts 28,531 community-converted GGUF versions compared to 54 official releases, showing community outputs far exceed official versions by 527 times. The report a

According to HyperliquidNews monitoring, Hyperliquid's total open interest reached 350,890 positions on August 18, hitting an all-time high.

According to RootData's latest tokenized asset dashboard data, Bitget ranks first in TradiFi asset depth with approximately $155 million in liquidity and a 27.2% market share. Gate follows closely with $154 million in depth and 27.1% market share, while Binance places third with $144 million in depth and 25.4% market share. The three exchanges collectively command 79.7% of the market, demonstrating significant concentration at the top. The TradiFi asset statistics cover only crypto-native asset

According to Bloomberg, sovereign bond yields across major economies rose to multi-year highs this week. The US 30-year Treasury reached its highest level since 2007, French borrowing costs hit their highest since 2008, and German yields rose to 2011 levels. UK gilt yields approached 6%, while Japanese bonds of comparable duration neared all-time highs.

According to Yonhapinfomax, South Korea's KOSPI index closed down 1.55% to 6,869.83 on August 18, with the KOSDAQ falling 3.52% to 834.20. The decline followed a sharp rise in Japanese 10-year bond yields to their highest level in approximately 30 years, triggering a regional risk-off sentiment across Asian markets. Rising bond yields reduced investor appetite for equities amid broader concerns over interest rate pressure.

In Q2 2026, KOSPI 200 enterprises recorded record-high operating profit, driven by strong performance from semiconductor leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Beyond semiconductors, energy and financial sectors also posted solid results. However, analysts expect second-half earnings to face headwinds from slower semiconductor price growth and increased one-time costs such as performance-based bonuses.

According to Jin10 data and analyst Rob Arlett, Trump and Netanyahu agree on removing Hamas from Gaza security control but differ on tactics as of August 18. Trump advocates a phased approach to gradually reduce tensions and disarm, while Netanyahu insists on complete Hamas disarmament before Israeli action. Arlett noted that Netanyahu understands Trump holds the upper hand in their relationship.

According to a Reuters report, Binance provided Russian authorities with customer identity and transaction details on October 13, 2025, leading to the detention and prosecution of Yuri Belenkiy, a 49-year-old IT specialist. Belenkiy was accused of sending more than US$700 between January 2023 and March 2024 to Ukrainian military fundraisers and the Azov Regiment, which Moscow designates as a terrorist organization. Russian investigators requested his date of birth, address, phone number, passpor

According to KOL Kuai Dong, multiple crypto traders reported their accounts were frozen today after receiving small deposits from HTX to addresses on other exchanges. Community members suspect the transfers were used to trigger KYT/AML compliance blocks on rival platforms, similar to address "poisoning" tactics. This follows recent sanctions-driven restrictions by major exchanges including Binance and OKX on HTX deposits and withdrawals. HTX market head MollyFu denied involvement, stating the pl

According to South China Morning Post, major Wall Street investors increased their positions in Chinese technology stocks during the second quarter, signaling a strategic pivot toward AI-focused companies. Stanley Druckenmiller's Dukeaine Family Office purchased 88,200 Baidu ADRs worth approximately $10.1 million, marking its first investment in U.S.-listed Chinese firms since divesting Alibaba completely in Q4 2023. David Tepper's Aphelusa Management nearly doubled its Baidu holdings to 1.3 mil

According to Asahi Shimbun on August 17, the Bank of Japan is widely expected to raise rates in September 2026 with an 80% probability, potentially marking the first hike in three months. Market participants view the move as nearly certain, citing yen weakness and Middle East tensions fueling inflation. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is perceived by Tokyo bond market analysts as favoring an earlier BOJ rate increase, influencing recent Japanese government bond yield movements. If realized

According to CNBC, options traders are positioning for additional gold price increases on August 18. Chris Murphy, co-head of derivatives strategy at Susquehanna, noted that gold prices have continued rising while one-month implied volatility remains near recent lows, creating an environment where investors can increase upside exposure without paying high costs for options protection. Gold funds have experienced their strongest inflows since January, according to Susquehanna, further supporting