Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin said whether the interest rate level set by the Fed is sufficient to curb inflation remains an "open question," adding that he is uncertain whether he would vote in favor of a rate hike like the three other regional Fed presidents who backed the move in this week's vote. In a Friday interview, Barkin stated, "I think there are indeed good reasons to tighten policy and reverse some of the interest rate cuts implemented last year." Noting the slowdown in June inflation data, he added, "I would also argue... there is still time before the next meeting to assess whether the current policy stance is appropriate." Barkin will not participate in interest rate decision votes until next year. Additionally, he expressed skepticism about whether the labor market has strengthened significantly, saying, "I don't get the sense that the labor market is very tight." He also pointed out that the pass-through of price increases in the economy is uneven, making it difficult to determine how much inflation remains. (Jin10)

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, a Fidelity-associated wallet has transferred 260,000 ETH to three wallets, valued at approximately $500 million. All three wallets were first funded by Fidelity six months ago. The funds are broken down as follows: · 95,000 ETH, valued at around $182.53 million; · 87,000 ETH, worth roughly $167.23 million; · 78,000 ETH, valued at approximately $149.79 million.

Chairman Tom Lee of BitMine, the largest Ethereum treasury firm, stated in a post that AI downstream-related assets are outperforming the broader market, with MAGS rising 2.2% and IGV up 1.0%. Lee noted that the key market framework to monitor now is that assets tied to AI and the South Korean market may be forming a bottom, while AI downstream stocks are starting to draw market attention.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Apple Inc.'s stock price once extended its decline to 10%, marking the largest intraday drop since April 2025, as its Q4 revenue guidance fell short of expectations. The company's current market capitalization stands at $4.39 trillion. NVIDIA's stock rose 1.55% today, with its market cap reaching $4.797 trillion, surpassing Apple to once again become the world's most valuable company by market capitalization.

US President Trump discussed Iran, stating that an agreement can be reached.

Local time on July 31, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that "the Iranian government's renewed claim that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz is false." CENTCOM added that "the Strait of Hormuz remains open for merchant vessel traffic; Iran does not control the strait," noting that "thousands of ships have transited this international waterway over the past four months." Earlier on July 31, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Administration issued a statement saying that due to the U.S. military's continued aggressive operations in the relevant waters, the Strait of Hormuz is currently not normally navigable. (Source: CCTV)