U.S. inflation held at 3.4% in August, while gasoline prices remained elevated. According to Sina Finance, the U.S. Labor Department said the reading matched analysts' expectations and was unchanged from July's 3.4%. The report comes as the Federal Reserve remains divided over whether to raise rates at its policy meeting next week. According to Sina Finance, three officials dissented at the Fed's July meeting in favor of a rate increase, and some others have since said they would also support a hike if inflation does not improve. According to Sina Finance, before Friday's report, interest-rate futures priced in a two-thirds probability that the Fed would raise its overnight policy rate target range by 25 basis points. Economists said inflation pressure is also coming from the expansion of the artificial intelligence industry, which has created shortages of memory and storage chips and pushed up prices for some consumer electronics. Apple is raising prices to offset higher costs, and its new foldable phone launched this week with a starting price of $1,999. Economists also said 2026 tariff policy is adding some upward pressure on prices, while some companies, including apparel retailers, are delaying passing higher costs on to consumers until the new year. New tariffs on Canadian goods could further lift prices for some consumer products in the coming months. Diesel prices reached a record average of $6.06 per gallon on Friday, up from $3.71 a year earlier.

BitMine has staked 5.07 million ETH, representing 11.8% of Ethereum's active stake. According to NS3.AI, the company has not disclosed which operators control the validators behind the position. BitMine said part of its ETH was staked through MAVAN and that it plans to use MAVAN and staking partners at scale.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.4% in August on a seasonally adjusted basis and 3.4% over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted.The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3% in August, up 2.4% over the year.Headline matched forecasts on both the monthly and annual readings. Core did not. Economists had projected 0.2% monthly, and the 0.3% print is the single figure in the release that moved against expectations.The Monthly Core Rate Annualizes to 3.7%The annual core figure of 2.4% looks close to target. The monthly number says something different.Core rising 0.3% in a single month annualizes to roughly 3.7%. That means recent momentum is running well above the 12-month rate, and the annual figure is being held down by softer readings earlier in the period that will roll out of the calculation.This is the same shape Chair Kevin Warsh described at Jackson Hole using PCE. He cited the 12-month change at 3.7% against a six-month rate of 4.1%, arguing the more recent trend was hotter than the annual average and that the summer's better prints did not indicate underlying improvement.Core CPI has now produced the same pattern in miniature. A 2.4% annual rate with 3.7% monthly momentum is not a picture of inflation converging to target.The Market Had Already Decided Which Measure It Was TradingThursday established how this print would be received before it arrived.Core PPI came in at 0.2% against 0.3% expected — market strategist James Thorne noted the actual figure was 0.162%, the second-lowest core reading in a year. The bond market ignored it entirely, with the 10-year rising 11.4 basis points to 4.92% and the two-year reaching 4.50%, nearly 100 basis points above the fed funds target.That was a market dismissing soft core data while selling off on an energy-driven headline. A hot core print removes even the argument that was being ignored.Headline CPI at 3.4% against core at 2.4% shows the energy gap directly. Brent crude climbed as high as $109 after Saudi Arabia told OPEC its crude production fell to 6.238 million barrels per day, the lowest since 1990. Diesel sits roughly 90% above pre-war levels at record highs.Hike Odds Ran From 61% to 76% Before the ReleasePricing was already elevated and split across venues.CME FedWatch showed 76% on Thursday. QCP estimated roughly two-thirds. Polymarket sat at 61%. That 15-point spread indicated genuine disagreement rather than settled pricing, which means the print had room to move the number materially.Only a very soft reading appeared capable of derailing a hike. The core figure delivered the opposite.Rates have sat at 3.50%-3.75% since December 2025, and a September move would be the first increase since July 2023.Warsh Faces the Decision He Argued Against MakingThe Wall Street Journal's Nick Timiraos identified the structural problem before the release."Warsh's Jackson Hole speech convinced investors a rate hike was more likely but didn't tell them what would trigger one," he wrote. Markets filled that gap themselves. "This leaves Friday's inflation report viewed as the thing that will authorize or block a rate hike — the kind of decision-making Warsh has spent years arguing against."Warsh rejected forward guidance on the grounds that quasi-commitments inhibit the Fed's freedom to decide correctly. The absence of guidance has instead handed a single data release the power to determine policy.Former senior Fed economist Vincent Reinhart described the dynamic as "the market testing you. This is the 'double-dog' daring you. This is straight schoolyard."Fed officials are in communications blackout, so no one will interpret the print. The FOMC decides September 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET with updated projections and a Warsh press conference.The Setup for Crypto Into the WeekendBitcoin traded around $77,000 before the release, roughly 6% below the $82,284 high reached last week.QCP framed the problem specifically: "This is the worst mix for Bitcoin: a competing 5% risk-free rate without the nominal-growth impulse that usually accompanies yield moves."The demand data going in was already deteriorating. CryptoQuant's spot demand metric reversed to −145,000 BTC after nearly turning positive at −5,000 in late August, the Coinbase premium index fell to −0.036, and crypto ETFs saw $308 million of net outflows Thursday — the worst single day in two months.Derivatives positioning is close to balanced, with a long/short ratio of 1.114 and subdued funding at 0.0036%. That limits forced flow in either direction but provides no bid to absorb supply.Once US markets close, spot Bitcoin ETF trading pauses until Monday. The Clarity Act cloture vote falls September 15, the day before the Fed decides.

On Sep 11, 2026, 12:48 PM(UTC). According to Binance Market Data, Bitcoin has crossed the 78,000 USDT benchmark and is now trading at 78,000 USDT, with a narrowed 1.37% increase in 24 hours.

According to Jin10, Nick Timiraos said core services inflation excluding housing rose 0.51% month over month in August CPI, the highest level since January, and increased 3% year over year. Core goods inflation rose 0.11% month over month and 0.7% year over year, while housing inflation rose 0.26% month over month and 3% year over year.

The Reserve Bank of India will drain liquidity worth 1 trillion rupees, or $10.5 billion, through bond sales, according to Bloomberg. The move is likely to put upward pressure on sovereign debt yields.

Hyperliquid, a new narrative from Hyperliquid, has arrived. HIP-4 officially opens. Golden Finance and TradeXYZ launch prediction markets.

U.S. short-term interest rate futures fell after inflation data was released, as markets increased bets on a Federal Reserve rate hike in September. According to ChainCatcher, the move reflected stronger expectations that the Fed may tighten policy next month.

Jiang Zhuoer said on X that he sold 100% of his BTC position at $77,226. According to Odaily, he disclosed the trade in a post on the platform.

SpaceX, Regulation, Dialogue with Fejau: The Next Digital Asset Bull Market Is Finally Here (Golden Finance), Major Policy Relaxation: What Are Institutions Focusing On?

A researcher who had worked at two leading labs, OpenAI and Anthropic, announced his resignation. His farewell post contained no thanks, only a warning.

The "stock tokenization race," spearheaded by traditional Wall Street giants and deeply involved in crypto exchanges, may have only just begun.

Even without the Clarity Act, the U.S. regulatory framework for stablecoins, token issuance, tokenized securities, and perpetual futures is becoming increasingly clear.

This article exposes a new type of scam disguised as "anti-money laundering (AML) review".

Wells Fargo pointed out a real risk, but offered an explanation that was most favorable to the bank.

Leading exchanges are starting to use real money to bind themselves and the users and channels they have accumulated with crypto exchanges.

DBS and Citi completed a weekend US dollar payment between Singapore and the US using tokenised deposits through Swift’s Digital Ledger, with the transaction taking minutes.

Sam Bankman-Fried is taking his fight over the collapse of FTX to the US Supreme Court, asking the justices to overturn his fraud conviction, order a new trial and throw out an $11 billion forfeiture that could help compensate victims of his crimes.