We will know about the Grayscale SEC outcome TODAY at around 11am EST (Grayscale Bitcoin Trust has filed to convert its Trust into spot bitcoin etf)
Only a small fraction of cases have taken longer to get decision. So odds are pretty good. See below: Source: Bloomberg, Eric Balchunas
Japan GDP grew 6%, handily beating expectations on robust exports - but domestic demand disappoints
Japan Q2 GDP improves to 1.5% QoQ vs 0.8% expected and 0.1% prior, meaning Japan grows 6.0% on annualized basis, far more than expected (+2.9% yoy). However, some details of the report weren’t as impressive as the headline. As pointed out by analysts in CNBC report, nearly all of the increase in output was driven by a 1.8%-pts boost from net trade. That marked the second-largest contribution from net trade in the 28-year history of the current GDP series, with only the bounce back in exports from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic providing a larger boost. Exports rebounded 3.2% from the previous quarter — largely driven by the spike in car shipments — while imports plunged 4.3% over the time period. Source: Bloomberg, HolgerZ, CNBC
The cost of timing the market
Source: Elements / Visual Capitalist
CHINA: BIG MISSES ON MACRO DATA & SURPRISE RATE CUTS
China’s central bank unexpectedly cut key policy rates for the second time in three months on Tuesday, in a fresh sign that the authorities are ramping up monetary easing efforts to boost a sputtering economic recovery. This move opens the door to a potential cut in China’s lending benchmark loan prime rate (LPR) next week.Earlier this morning, China reported big data miss in July. Retail sales rose by 2.5% in July from a year ago, below expectations for a 4.5% increase, according to analysts polled by Reuters. A spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics said the bureau is suspending the youth unemployment number release due to economic and social changes, and is reassessing its methodology. Source: CNBC
According to a FT article, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are buying up thousands of the high-performance Nvidia chips
These chips are crucial for building artificial intelligence software, joining a global AI arms race that is squeezing the supply of Silicon Valley’s hottest commodity. The Gulf powerhouses have publicly stated their goal of becoming leaders in AI as they pursue ambitious plans to turbocharge their economies. But the push has also raised concerns about potential misuse of the technology by the oil-rich states’ autocratic leaders. According to people familiar with the moves, Saudi Arabia has bought at least 3,000 of Nvidia’s H100 chips — a $40,000 processor described by Nvidia chief Jensen Huang as “the world’s first computer [chip] designed for generative AI” — via the public research institution King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust).
Argentine Peso having a rough day. An 18% devaluation to 350 pesos per dollar (chart) accompanied by a 21 percentage point hike in interest rates to 118% …
Source: Barchart
The countries that have rarely borrowed, such as Brazil or Mexico, often pay much higher interest rates than those that have much higher debt ratios, like Japan or China.
Intriguing chart by Alpine Macro
Comparable countries bounced post-COVID, but US did not
~1 million Americans have died of OD’s just since 2010; that’s more than the # of Americans that died in all wars America has ever fought in. Source: The Economist Via Dan R Dimicco thru Luke Gromen
