Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
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Houthis strike Saudi Aramco facilities near Riyadh as ceasefire collapses
Houthi forces launched coordinated missile and drone strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities and sites near Riyadh's airport on September 19, marking the first major escalation since fighting resumed in July 2026. Saudi air defenses intercepted at least one ballistic missile, and authorities reported no significant damage.
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Anthropic, OpenAI, Google form AI safety standards working group
Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google have formed a working group to develop shared AI safety standards, including common pre-release testing and risk assessments. OpenAI's global policy chief confirmed the talks have been ongoing for several weeks without requiring an antitrust waiver.
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Switchboard oracle network shuts down, urges migration by September 25
Switchboard, a widely used permissionless oracle network, announced September 19 it is ceasing operations immediately. The core team is winding down entirely, giving users until September 25 to migrate to alternatives like Pyth and RedStone.
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Fidelity Bitcoin ETF inflows of $310M stabilize spot BTC funds
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $433 million in net inflows on Friday, led by Fidelity's $310.7 million surge, partially offsetting $746.3 million in withdrawals earlier in the week tied to Federal Reserve rate hikes.
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Crude oil shipping costs surge 258% as Strait of Hormuz tensions escalate
Crude oil freight costs have jumped 258% in two months to $24 per barrel on key routes, driven by escalating US-Iran tensions, war-risk premiums, and a shrinking pool of willing tankers. The spike inflates energy prices for Asia's largest importers and forces buyers to explore alternative suppliers.
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Bastion wins OCC approval for national trust bank charter
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted Bastion preliminary conditional approval to operate a national trust bank, positioning the stablecoin platform to offer custody, wallets, and payment infrastructure under federal regulation.
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Dogecoin Cofounder Posts "We're So Back?" as Crypto Market Rallies
Dogecoin cofounder Billy Markus posted a cryptic "We're So Back?" message on X as the broader crypto market surged, with Bitcoin up 5% and most altcoins in the green. The post sparked speculation among followers about what Markus was signaling.
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Ethereum Breaks $2,600, Validating Aksel Kibar's Mid-August Forecast
Ethereum held above $2,600 this weekend, validating analyst Aksel Kibar's mid-August forecast and entering a critical follow-through phase. The breakout from an eight-month trading range now hinges on buyers' ability to defend newly gained ground.
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XRP Ledger Transactions Spike 8.9% as Price Rallies to $1.43
XRP Ledger processed 2.34 million transactions in 24 hours on September 18, an 8.9% surge from the prior day, as XRP price rallied roughly 8% to $1.43 following momentum shift after the CLARITY Act setback faded.
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Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF posts 20-day inflow streak with $51.5M gains
Morgan Stanley's Bitcoin ETF (MSBT) has recorded no outflow days over the past 20 trading days, accumulating $51.5 million in Bitcoin purchases amid broader strength in spot BTC ETFs and a 3.86% 24-hour rally.
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Fixed income ETFs hit record $446B inflows as Treasury yields rise
Fixed income ETFs have drawn $446 billion in year-to-date inflows through September, surpassing all prior full-year records as higher Treasury yields attract investors seeking safer returns.
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Monument Bank tokenizes £250M deposits on Midnight blockchain
UK-regulated Monument Bank is moving to tokenize up to £250 million in retail customer deposits on the Midnight blockchain, a privacy-focused network. The initiative would be the first of its kind for a UK-regulated bank and launches in November after delays in finding an FCA-approved custodian.
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PBOC Adviser Warns AI Could Deepen China's Supply-Demand Imbalance
Huang Yiping, a member of China's central bank monetary policy committee, warned that rapid AI deployment could worsen the structural gap between strong industrial output and weak domestic consumption, calling for fiscal reforms and overseas investment to rebalance the economy.
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France projects debt-to-GDP ratio at 119% in 2026, 122% in 2027
France's finance ministry released its 2027 draft budget on September 19, projecting the public debt-to-GDP ratio will rise to 119.3% in 2026 and 121.7% in 2027, placing Europe's second-largest economy in a category of indebtedness typically reserved for countries whose fiscal reputations have taken serious hits.
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Coinbase files CFTC application for single-stock perpetual futures
Coinbase Derivatives has filed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to offer 24/5 perpetual futures contracts on roughly 50 to 60 US stocks, including Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and Nvidia, pending regulatory approval.
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CFTC submits crypto market regulation plan to White House
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission submitted a new crypto asset regulatory action to the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on September 17, days after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act.
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Bitcoin Surges Past $81K as US Bond Yields Rebound Sharply
Bitcoin surged past $81,000 on Friday as US 30-year bond yields climbed 90 basis points amid global oil supply concerns, triggering $250 million in short liquidations across crypto markets.
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Ethereum Institutional backs EIP-8198 to cut block times to 10 seconds
Ethereum Institutional signaled support for EIP-8198, a proposal to reduce Ethereum block times from 12 seconds to 10 seconds, citing rising institutional activity moving onchain. Ethlabs published support from 20 DeFi founders and is merging specifications into the main codebase.
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HYPE hits record $90.92 as Hyperliquid launches manual borrowing
HYPE, the native token of the Hyperliquid layer-1 blockchain, surged to an all-time high of $90.92 on Friday after the platform announced manual borrowing, allowing users to supply HYPE and Bitcoin as collateral for USDC and USDT loans.
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Bitcoin's Fisher Transform prints rare bullish crossover, fourth in history
The Fisher Transform indicator, a price trend analysis tool, produced a rare crossover for only the fourth time in Bitcoin's history, occurring during July near $57,000 lows and signaling potential bull-market conditions ahead.
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Cardano's IOG warns users after YouTube channel hijacked for AI-deepfake scam
Input Output Group warned users to avoid its YouTube channel after it was hijacked and began livestreaming a suspected AI-manipulated video of Charles Hoskinson promoting a wealth-doubling scheme via QR code.
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WisdomTree and MoonPay expand US access to WTGXX tokenized money market fund
WisdomTree and MoonPay announced a partnership to expand US investor access to WTGXX, a $1.2 billion tokenized Treasury money market fund that MoonPay will use as part of its stablecoin reserves.
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Bitcoin holds $76.5K as US stocks rally on Fed rate hike
Bitcoin traded near $76,500 as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq gained following the Federal Reserve's first interest-rate increase since July 2023, with subdued volatility suggesting rangebound conditions.
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S&P Global acquires OpenZeppelin, blockchain security platform
S&P Global agreed to acquire OpenZeppelin, a blockchain security company whose smart contracts have facilitated more than $37 trillion in value transfers. The deal, announced Thursday, aims to expand S&P Global's risk assessment capabilities in the digital asset market. OpenZeppelin will operate as a separate business unit with CEO Demian Brener remaining in leadership.