The July PPI rose by 0.9% month-over-month and 3.3% year-over-year, exceeding expectations. This diminished hopes for a near-term Fed rate cut, leading to a sharp decline in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Traditional markets also reacted negatively.
Rakuten Wallet launched its first Web3 game, "Rakuten Wallet TAPTAP," featuring the mascot "Shopping Panda." Players earn NFT lottery tickets for Rakuten Points by tapping, with a campaign celebrating the launch. The game is user-friendly and requires no blockchain expertise.
Bitcoin has surged past $124,000, reaching a record high and briefly surpassing Google in market capitalization, making it the world's fifth-largest asset. Analysts speculate further gains could target $135,000 to $138,000 due to favorable macroeconomic conditions.
Standard Chartered raised its Ethereum price targets to $7,500 by year-end 2025 and $25,000 by 2028, citing improved fundamentals and increased institutional demand. The report highlights significant investments from treasury firms and spot ETFs, along with regulatory boosts from recent legislation.
Bitcoin is approaching its all-time high, with values near $123,000, while Ethereum nears its peak of $4,865, trading at $4,750. The rising market sentiment is supported by macroeconomic factors and expectations of Federal Reserve easing.
MetaMask is set to unveil its own stablecoin, mUSD, likely this week, collaborating with fintech company Stripe's Bridge platform and Blackstone for custody and treasury management. This initiative follows a previously reported governance proposal.
eToro reported that over 91% of its Q2 revenue came from cryptocurrency transactions, totaling $19.1 billion in this field. The company continues to enhance its crypto-related services, including plans for tokenizing US stocks on the Ethereum blockchain.
Stripe is developing a payment-focused Layer 1 blockchain called "Tempo," in collaboration with Paradigm. The stealth-mode project is Ethereum-compatible, with an unclear status on a native token and a small team of about five. This initiative advances Stripe's cryptocurrency strategy amidst rising interest in stablecoin regulations.
In July, the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.7% year-on-year, below expectations, while the core index increased 3.1%, surpassing predictions. The mixed inflation data impacted Bitcoin slightly, while traditional markets saw gains after the CPI release.
Circle reported a significant $4.28 billion loss in its first quarterly financial results post-IPO, despite a 90% increase in USDC circulation. The company also introduced 'Arc', a Layer 1 blockchain aimed at stablecoin payments and capital markets.
MetaPlanet announced the purchase of 518 Bitcoins for approximately 9 billion yen, raising its total holdings to 18,113 BTC. The company faces a financial loss due to Bitcoin price fluctuations but anticipates a recovery as prices have increased in the second quarter.
ALT5 Sigma plans to issue 200 million shares to raise funds, retaining 7.5% of WLFI tokens. The strategy leverages the Trump family's political visibility and aims to boost its crypto business while addressing debt and legal issues.
The issuance of commodity-backed cryptocurrencies, primarily gold-backed tokens, surged to a five-year high of $439 million, driven by record gold futures and concerns over U.S. tariffs impacting Swiss gold exports. Interest in these tokens remains strong despite market fluctuations.