Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

NYMEX September energy futures closed with varied performance on August 20. WTI crude futures settled at $87.83 per barrel, while September natural gas futures closed at $2.7330 per million BTU. September gasoline futures finished at $3.2629 per gallon, and September heating oil futures ended at $4.

According to the EPA, the Trump administration authorized the early sale of winter gasoline on August 21, allowing the market to use higher-emission winter fuel formulas before the standard September mid-month transition. The exemption permits gasoline with 10% ethanol blending to be sold starting S

According to the Shanghai Gold Exchange, gold (T+D) closed 1.02% higher at 976.38 yuan per gram on Thursday evening, August 20. Silver (T+D) gained 2.28% to close at 16,535 yuan per kilogram.

According to Jin10, Shanghai gold futures closed up 1.03% at 980 yuan per gram, Shanghai silver futures rose 2.97% to 16,589 yuan per kilogram, and SC crude oil futures gained 1.11% to 591 yuan per barrel at the 2:30 AM close on

Shanghai Futures Exchange crude oil futures contract 2610 closed up 1.11% overnight on August 20, settling at 591.40 yuan per barrel. Shanghai Gold rose 1.03% and Shanghai Silver gained 2.97% during the same

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans to unveil Iran sanctions on the 24th during a CNBC interview on the 20th (local time). Bessent stated the measures aim to apply maximum economic pressure as an alternative to large-scale military action. The sanctions represent what Bessent

According to a CNBC interview on August 20, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans to unveil sanctions against Iran on August 24. Bessent stated the measures would involve coordinated economic pressure with allied nations and described the effort as "the greatest coordinated economic

Arcturus Therapeutics (ARCT) extended its rally on Thursday, rising approximately 3% as other messenger RNA stocks pulled back sharply. The divergence followed sector-wide profit-taking after Wednesday's surge driven by positive late-stage trial results from Merck and Moderna for a personalized

On Thursday, Arcturus Therapeutics (ARCT) rose approximately 3%, outperforming a broader mRNA sector selloff as Moderna fell more than 20% and BioNTech dropped 2%. The rally was driven by profit-taking reversals and Arcturus's recent developments, including regaining full global rights to its

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that measures to increase gasoline supply will remain in effect through September 15, 2026, marking the end of the summer gasoline control season.

John Hoffman, managing director and head of product portfolios at Ondo Finance, stated that tokenized assets are following a trajectory similar to exchange-traded funds, with early skepticism transitioning into growing adoption. Hoffman made the remarks at Wyoming Blockchain Symposium 2026,

The US Treasury Department concluded a 30-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) auction on May 20 (local time), with the securities awarded at a yield of 2.973%. The $8 billion reopening auction attracted strong demand, with the bid-to-cover ratio reaching 2.82 times, the highest

Today, Elon Musk shared a chart predicting U.S. government debt will reach $50 trillion by 2030, captioning the post "Precisely accurate" with a laughing emoji.

Brazil's Petrobras announced that the Alexandre de Gusmao floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel recently achieved peak production at the Mero subsalt oil field, reaching 180,000 barrels per

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on August 20 (local time) that the Treasury will increase its regular bond buyback program beyond $4 billion per session, more than doubling previous limits for long-term securities. The expansion targets 10-30 year maturity bonds in response to

According to comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a CNBC interview on Aug. 20, the U.S. Treasury will increase long-term Treasury bond buyback limits to at least $4 billion per operation, more than doubling from the previous $2 billion cap. Bessent stated the Treasury

Waymo, Alphabet's robotaxi unit, unveiled an in-house chip designed to process sensor data and run advanced AI models in real time. The five-nanometer application-specific integrated circuit processes and combines raw information from vehicle cameras, radar and lidar before feeding it into an AI

Tradeweb completed a live on-chain US Treasury settlement using Canton Network in 2026, marking the first real-time on-chain US Treasury trade settled against tokenized cash, according to Tradeweb. DTCC plans tokenized asset trades in July 2026 with full production in October, covering

Tempus AI Inc (TEM) shares jumped 9% on Thursday following BTIG analyst Mark Massaro raising the firm's price target to $80 from $70, implying 31% upside potential. Massaro cited the company's plan to handle gene sequencing once Moderna and Merck's personalized cancer vaccine receives U.S. Food and

Forbes suggested that Bitcoin could play a significant role as a neutral reserve asset in the global financial system. The US-based business and economics magazine stated Bitcoin has the potential to offer an alternative to the growing debate surrounding the US dollar's reserve currency status.