Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

WTI crude oil futures intraday gains reached 2.00% today, with prices trading at $84.05 per barrel.

Brent crude oil gained 2% intraday on August 17, trading at $88.95 per barrel.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sent a request for comment on futures contracts tied to computing capacity to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, Bloomberg reported Monday. The move comes as CME Group plans to launch two compute futures contracts on

According to Bloomberg, on Monday the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission sent a request for comment to the White House Office of Management and Budget regarding futures contracts tied to computing capacity for artificial intelligence. CME Group plans to launch two compute futures contracts on

Central banks say they intend to keep buying gold while Wall Street analysts disagree sharply on where the metal ends the year. Gold traded near $4,423 an ounce on Monday, up about 1.1% on the day, after a week in which soft US data trimmed the odds of a Federal Reserve rate hike. The World Gold

Public bitcoin miners CleanSpark, BitFuFu, and Canaan reported lower bitcoin production in July for the second consecutive month, despite bitcoin's price recovery from a major June selloff. CleanSpark produced 586 BTC in July, down 5% from 614 BTC in June; BitFuFu's production fell 10% to 112 BTC fr

According to the World Gold Council's 2026 Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey released on August 17, 89% of central bank reserve managers expect global gold holdings to increase over the next 12 months, while a record 45% expect their own institutions to boost reserves—the highest figure in the

The Federal Reserve's overnight reverse repurchase agreement (RRP) usage totaled $2.55 billion on Monday, August 17, with six counterparties participating.

According to BlockBeats data on August 18, the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield hit 5.29%, marking its highest level since 2007. The increase reflects heightened market concerns about long-term inflation, sustained high interest rates, and the sustainability of the nation's fiscal deficit and

U.S. Energy Secretary Wright stated today that crude oil supply from the Middle East has not yet fully recovered. The comments reflect ongoing concerns about production disruptions in the region.

Canadian Prime Minister Kany said he plans to speak with U.S. President Trump ahead of the August 19 tariff deadline (local time).

According to Iranian media Fars News, Iran seized a UAE-owned oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz today.

According to BlockBeats, on August 18, Microstrategy stock MSTR surged 4.74% amid strength in U.S. crypto equities. The company did not increase its bitcoin holdings last week but sold $334 million in stock, bringing its cash reserves to $4.8 billion. Microstrategy's perpetual preferred share

According to Bloomberg, a corporate bond offering under "Project Odyssey" for Microsoft-linked data centers has attracted over $8 billion in demand, more than double the $3.9 billion initial target size. The bonds, issued by a subsidiary of QTS Data Centers (Blackstone-backed), offer yields

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the U.S. Housing Market Index (HMI) rose to 35 in August, up 1 point month-over-month and surpassing market expectations of 33. The current sales index climbed to 39, up 2 points, while the expected sales index for the next six months he

According to ChainCatcher, Nomura Securities stated that the Federal Reserve's reluctance to tighten monetary policy despite inflation remaining above target has pushed long-term Treasury yields to their highest levels in years, posing market risks. Norshed Shah noted that long-term U.S. Treasury yi

According to ChainCatcher, UBS increased its IBIT call option exposure by 24 times in the second quarter. The bank currently holds 407,890 shares of IBIT valued at $13.6 million, compared to 364,371 shares held at the end of the first quarter.

Gold rebounded 9% since the beginning of August, recovering to around $4,400 per ounce, signaling a potential return to safe-haven demand from institutional investors and central banks following earlier war-driven selling pressure. The precious metal had plummeted from an all-time high of $5,595 per

According to energy data, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve crude inventory fell by 5.3 million barrels last week to 293.4 million barrels, the lowest level since 1982.

Statistics Canada reported on August 17 (local time) that Canada's July Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 3.0% year-over-year, exceeding the market forecast of 2.9%. The increase represents a 0.2 percentage point expansion from June's 2.8% rise. Statistics Canada attributed the headline CPI