Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Bitcoin, Bonds, and Stocks Enter a Dangerous September Pattern

September has a bad reputation on Wall Street, especially during US midterm election years. Across the last 10 midterm cycles, the average stock-market low arrived on September 2. 　　By the time stocks reached those lows, they had fallen an average 16.77% from their previous high.　　Bitcoin is entering the same period near $77,500, while US stocks remain close to record highs and long-term bond yields stay unusually elevated. The question now is whether 2026 follows the old pattern.　　Midterm Lows Cluster in Early September　　Hartford Funds studied 10 US midterm election years between 1986 and 2022. Every one saw stocks suffer a sizeable drop from their yearly high.　　Stocks Drawdowns across 10 midterm cycles from 1986 to 2022. Source: Hartford Funds　　The damage varied enormously. Stocks fell 33.75% in 2002, while the biggest drop in 2014 was just 7.40%. The actual lows also occurred at very different points in the year.　　Discover more　　Exchange Traded Funds　　Financial Markets News　　Brokerages & Day Trading　　So September 2 is a historical average, not a deadline for the next crash. And so far, 2026 has refused to follow the usual script.　　S&P 500 (SPX) Performance. Source: TradingViewThe Fed is Debating a Rate Hike, Not a Cut　　The macro setup has flipped since the spring, with

08-29Industry

From stock selection to execution: Comparing 11 AI trading platforms in 2026

Information reviewed in August 2026.Features, subscription rates, and promotions may change. Readers should verify current terms on each providers website before subscribing. The order of platforms in this article is editorial and does not represent a ranking of safety, performance, or overall quality. “AI” is used broadly to include machine learning, natural-language models, pattern recognition, and automated strategy systems; it does not imply that a product can predict markets or guarantee profits.　　Artificial intelligence is moving into nearly every stage of investment research. It can screen thousands of securities for unusual volume, summarize earnings and news, identify technical patterns, test trading rules, and turn strategy alerts into brokerage orders. Capabilities that once required an expensive data terminal, programming expertise, or institutional trading infrastructure are increasingly available to individual investors.　　Yet “AI trading platform” is not a well-defined product category. Market scanners, generative research assistants, rule-based bots, pooled trading plans, and institutional matching venues often appear in the same rankings, as if they all handled the entire journey from stock selection to profit. They do not. Some platforms only provide information. Others generate signals, connect to brokers, or require users to transfer funds into an internal system. Their operating models—and their risks—are fundamentally

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SEC Proposes Rule 3a12-8 Amendment for European Union Debt Securities

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed amending Rule 3a12-8. The change would add European Union debt obligations to the list of foreign government securities exempted for futures marketing and trading.　　Ad　　Ad　　SEC Seeks to Add EU Debt to Rule 3a12-8　　The proposed amendment would add debt issued by the European Union to Rule 3a12-8. The rule already covers debt obligations from several foreign governments.　　The exemption would apply only to futures marketing and trading. Federal securities laws would still govern the underlying European Union debt securities.　　SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins said the current framework covers debt issued by several EU member states. However, the rule does not currently include debt issued directly by the European Union.　　Discover more　　FINANCE　　Choose POS Systems　　Compare Index ETFs　　“For too long, gaps like this one where the debt of several EU member states was covered but debt of the European Union itself was not have created exactly the kind of inconsistency that breeds confusion rather than confidence in the markets,” Atkins said.　　Ad　　Ad　　CFTC Would Oversee EU Debt Futures　　Under the proposal, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission would oversee futures contracts tied to European Union debt obligations.　　The change would align EU debt futures with the treatment already given to other foreign government debt

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Bitcoin Loses Its Price Anchor After $6.4 Billion Options Expiry. Will the Fed Replace It？

Bitcoin options worth $6.4 billion settled Friday morning at $79,682, effectively removing the hedging flows that had held BTC near $80,000 all week.　　Now that the pin is gone, what replaces it arrives in stages, starting with Kevin Warsh at 10 a.m. Eastern time.　　What the $6.4 Billion Bitcoin Options Expiry Cleared　　Approximately 81,700 contracts settled at 8 a.m. UTC on Deribit, with the official settlement price at $79,682.33. Calls at the $80,000 strike expired worthless, missing by just $318. Calls at $75,000 paid out.　　Those two strikes held the most money in the batch. They also explain the weeks trading range.　　Bitcoin has rallied from ~$62K to ~$80K in a week. Now Friday‘s options expiry puts that move directly against some of the market’s largest strike concentrations.　　~$6.4B in BTC options expire on Friday, with:　　→ $236M in call notional at $75K　　→ $157M in calls at $80K　　→ Max… 　　— Coinbase Markets ????️ (@CoinbaseMarkets) August 28, 2026　　When traders sell options, market makers hedge by trading the underlying asset. They sell BTC as price rises toward a heavy strike. They buy as it falls away.　　That creates an invisible magnet, and Bitcoin sat inside it for three days, much as it did during previous large options expiries.　　With todays options

08-29Industry

Bitcoin dips to $78.4K as Feds Warsh downplays softer inflation prints

Bitcoin (BTC) saw volatility after Friday‘s Wall Street open as markets reacted to US Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh’s comments on future monetary policy.　　Key points:Bitcoin initially fell during Fed chair Kevin Warshs Jackson Hole keynote speech before circling $79,500.Warsh said he sees no trend change in inflation despite recent lower PCE and CPI prints.BTC price action sustaining above $83,000 hinges on Bitcoin derivatives traders, analysis says.　　Warsh: Inflation trends have not “meaningfully improved”　　Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD dipping to $78,442 on Bitstamp in volatile trading conditions, down around 1% at the time of writing.　　BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView　　In his first keynote speech at the annual Jackson Hole Symposium, Warsh delivered a cautionary tone on inflation, committing to the Feds 2% target. The Fed chair doubled down on an earlier pledge to reduce the scope of hints over future policy that the Fed offers to markets, avoiding forward guidance altogether and stating that it would not make a reappearance in the future.　　“Forward guidance as a regular practice was adopted by my colleagues and me during the Global Financial Crisis. It was essential at the time, and we introduced it with much fanfare. But, as with other legacies of crises past, I believe

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Chelsea FC gets a stablecoin sponsor after UK FCA warning to clubs

Circle, the issuer behind the USDC stablecoin, will be the latest sponsor for the Chelsea Football Club just months after the UKs financial watchdog warned about “questionable sponsorship deals with unauthorized financial firms,” including crypto companies.　　In a Friday announcement, Circle said its name and USDC would appear on jerseys for Chelsea FC players in the 2026/2027 season. The partnership deal between the football club and the digital asset company came about three months after the UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it had sent warning letters to clubs in the Premier League, potentially including Chelsea.　　The letters concerned “unauthorized” companies, including crypto businesses, using sponsorship deals to target football fans, potentially breaching UK financial services laws.　　“Millions of football fans trust their club‘s badge,” said Lucy Castledine, the FCA’s director of consumer investments. “Clubs should not let unauthorised financial firms exploit that loyalty by putting potentially dodgy products in front of millions of fans.”　　Circle UK Trading Limited, the companys UK arm, has been listed as a company authorized under the FCA to provide certain financial services to residents since 2018. Stablecoins like USDC are also legal to use in the country, though lawmakers are working to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for

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US Cities Eye AI Data Center Limits as Study Flags Water Risks

In briefCities in Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, and New Jersey have pursued bans or moratoriums on data centers.Power plants serving data centers in seven states withdraw about 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater annually.At least 75 proposed projects worth about $130 billion faced local opposition in early 2026.　　Cities across the U.S. are restricting AI data center development as communities raise concerns about water supplies, electricity costs, and land use.　　Austin, Texas, became the latest city to act Thursday, when its City Council voted unanimously to begin drafting rules that could restrict or exclude new data centers.　　Myriad: How many days will Claude go down？ Click to make your prediction.　　The vote followed a Ceres study examining water withdrawn by power plants serving data centers in Virginia, Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, and Arizona. The seven states host about half of the nations data centers.　　Those plants withdraw about 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater annually, equal to 10.4 million acre-feet. That exceeds Californias average annual urban water demand of 8 million acre-feet and is about 12 times the combined annual water use of Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C., according to the study.　　“Overall, we saw that 66% of the power plants that use water in those

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After selling all its Bitcoin to pay off debt, AI firm tries to rebuild $827 million treasury from scratch

Genius Group, an AI-powered education company that previously used Bitcoin as a treasury asset, has proposed a $12.5 million perpetual preferred offering to restart a Bitcoin treasury it says should reach $827 million by fiscal 2031. The opening raise would cover just 1.51% of that target, leaving at least $814.5 million still to finance before any non-Bitcoin allocations.　　Related Asset Bitcoin #1 BTC · $77,485.44 24-hour change: down 3.20% 24H Down 3.20% 7D Up 0.71% 30D Up 20.32%　　Even that comparison overstates how much of the first raise could reach Bitcoin. Genius said the proceeds would be divided among its Bitcoin treasury, an AI portfolio and a dollar reserve equal to about 18 months of preferred dividends. The company has not set the dividend rate or allocation percentages, so the initial Bitcoin purchase cannot yet be calculated.　　Genius Group Bitcoin plan: What the first raise would fund　　Genius expects the proposed security to be non-convertible and to pay a variable rate monthly. But Genius has not determined the issue price, final size, timing, structure or exchange listing. Those terms remain subject to board approval, securities rules and market conditions.　　Because the instrument would not dilute common shares at issuance, the risk shifts to preferred-stock obligations.

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CLARITY Act is a national security bill, former US defense secretary says

Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has urged the Senate to pass the CLARITY Act before its Sept. 15 procedural vote, arguing that delayed crypto rules could weaken U.S. financial and national security.　　SummaryMark Esper said regulated U.S. crypto markets would improve oversight of digital asset transactions.The Senates Sept. 15 cloture vote requires 60 votes to advance the bill.House lawmakers approved the CLARITY Act by a 294–134 vote in July 2025.Stablecoin rewards, political ethics, and decentralized finance remain central points of dispute.　　The Financial Times published Espers policy argument on Aug. 7, with the former defense secretary describing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act as “not merely a financial services bill” but also a “national security bill.”　　Esper, who led the Pentagon from 2019 to 2020, said U.S. power relies partly on the dollar and the payment networks that carry it around the world. Clear rules for digital assets, he argued, would help preserve Washingtons view into financial activity while supporting sanctions enforcement.　　When crypto companies and transactions move through offshore venues with weaker controls, Esper said U.S. agencies lose some of their ability to follow funds and act against illicit networks. He also warned that delays in Washington give China more time to

08-29Industry

BTC Rejects $81,500 as Whales Build Massive Sell Wall at $81K

Bitcoin briefly rallied to $81,500 before pulling back below $79,300, failing to hold the critical $80,000 support level for the second time in a week.　　Key TakeawaysBitcoin fell below $77K following Fed Chair Warshs speech, wiping out $300M in crypto liquidations.Heavy sell walls and a $5.7B downward liquidity skew leave Bitcoin vulnerable to deeper pullbacks.Fed Chair Warsh rejected forward guidance over inflation risks, weakening immediate spot market demand.　　Bitcoin Loses Steam Ahead of Fed Chair Speech　　Bitcoin lost momentum soon after breaching $81,000, as markets awaited Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warshs inaugural Jackson Hole speech. The price slid shortly after hitting this key resistance level for the second time this week, echoing the Aug. 25 pullback when the cryptocurrency topped $80,000 for the first time in more than three months.　　Market data shows bitcoin peaked at $81,455 shortly after 9:30 p.m. Thursday, briefly shrugging off bearish pressure that had been building since Tuesday. A sharp sell-off followed, erasing gains from Aug. 27 as the asset tumbled to a session low of $78,442 around 10:15 a.m. However, just over an hour after Warshs address, bitcoin fell to a new low of $76,877 before quickly reclaiming $77,000 and testing $78,000.　　The retreat trimmed bitcoins weekly gain to

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