DBS Bank and Citigroup completed the first cross-border US dollar payment over the weekend using tokenized deposits.

An analysis points out that against the backdrop of fiscal concerns pushing up global bond yields, the correlation between Bitcoin and gold’s price trends has continued to climb. Their 90-day return correlation coefficient currently stands at 0.59, the highest level since 2020. However, in terms of sensitivity to changes in the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield, Bitcoin exhibits stronger independence. Data shows that the 90-day correlation coefficient between BTC and the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield is only -0.17, while gold’s correlation coefficient with the same yield is -0.41, meaning rising bond yields have a relatively more pronounced suppressing effect on gold. This reflects that Bitcoin has a lower degree of linkage with the traditional bond market, and may possess stronger decoupling capability amid headwinds in traditional financial markets such as rising yields. Nevertheless, shifts in correlation do not mean Bitcoin can fully evade macro risks.

Against the backdrop of strong U.S. August jobs data, Wall Street’s expectations for a September interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve have risen. CME FedWatch data shows the market currently assigns a 58.4% probability that the Fed will raise rates by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75%-4% at its September FOMC meeting. The data indicates U.S. nonfarm payrolls increased by 162,000 in August, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.1%. Meanwhile, U.S. inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target, and markets are concerned that supply shocks including the Middle East situation, rising oil prices, and tariffs could continue to drive inflation higher. Institutions such as Macquarie, Bank of America, and UBS have all raised their outlooks for subsequent interest rate hikes. On the other hand, the Trump administration continues to pressure the Federal Reserve to cut rates. Trump recently stated that the Fed should lower interest rates, noting that high rates are putting the U.S. at a disadvantage. Vice President Vance also said that cutting rates would help improve U.S. housing affordability. As the market shifts to pricing in rate hikes, the Fed led by Wash faces dual pressure from the White House and market expectations.

According to Prism, Tim Cook earned a total compensation of roughly $2.397 billion (equivalent to about 16.1 billion yuan) during his tenure as Apple CEO from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2025. Of this total, stock awards valued at approximately $2.221 billion at vesting made up around 93% of his overall pay, while his base salary, cash bonuses and other compensation combined for about $176 million. The report notes Cook’s high salary sparked shareholder disputes during his time as CEO. In 2022, Apple’s 2021 fiscal year executive compensation plan only secured 64% shareholder approval, leading the company to lower Cook’s target compensation and raise the proportion of performance-linked stock awards. After stepping down as CEO and transitioning to Apple’s executive chairman role, Cook’s compensation was adjusted further. The currently disclosed plan shows his annual salary will drop from $3 million to $2 million, and his stock awards will decrease from $50 million to $45 million, totaling roughly $47 million. Meanwhile, new CEO John Ternus will receive an annual stock award of $55 million, maintaining Apple’s compensation structure centered on equity incentives.

Despite occasional "Sell America" rhetoric in the market, U.S. assets held by overseas investors have risen to around $39 trillion, hitting a record high. This marks an increase of roughly $16 trillion from the 2022 bear market low, a 70% rise, and double the approximately $19 trillion held during the 2020 pandemic period. U.S. equities are the largest source of this growth, with overseas holdings doubling to $24 trillion, accounting for about 62% of total holdings; U.S. Treasury bond holdings have also risen to a record $8 trillion, making up around 21% of the total.

Beating AI News Flash: Per a report from AXIOS, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the current era is witnessing the "revenge of creative people"—aspiring entrepreneurs who once had promising startup ideas but lacked the technical skills to execute them. He cited an example: "I have a great song idea, I just need the guy with the guitar to bring it to life." "I used to think that was ridiculous," Altman stated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "But now we’re seeing an entire generation iterate on ideas at an unprecedented pace. The economic logic of starting small or large businesses has been redefined." Polls show most Americans believe AI’s risks outweigh its benefits, and data center issues have emerged as a bipartisan flashpoint in the midterm elections. Altman, who is pushing for AI adoption amid strong public opposition, aims to remind Americans that alongside real risks, AI also brings opportunities. "This will be the best time in the world to launch a startup," Altman said recently. Altman added that with OpenAI’s powerful new model GPT-6 Astra, anyone can effectively start and run a small business... Anyone who wants to own a company now has access to genius-level talent in every professional field.

According to a Financial Times report, an attack targeted Saudi Aramco’s oil facilities in Jazan, just one month after a separate attack temporarily shut down part of the refinery’s production capacity. Two sources familiar with the matter said the company’s oil infrastructure was attacked on Monday, and it is currently assessing the damage. Jazan is Saudi Arabia’s industrial city closest to the Yemeni border, and has repeatedly been targeted by Houthi attacks in the past. Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser noted last month that the attack had caused partial oil production disruptions but no material impact on operations or finances. One of the sources added that the latest attack was of a similar scale to last month’s incident. In reaction, WTI crude oil rose $0.59 per barrel within five minutes to $92.22, while Brent crude climbed $0.62 per barrel in the same period to $95.86.