1. The number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending August 2 was 226,000, expected to be 221,000.
The number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending August 2 was 226,000, expected to be 221,000, and the previous value was revised from 218,000 to 219,000.
2. Trump will sign an executive order that may allow 401(k) pensions to invest in alternative assets like cryptocurrency.
U.S. President Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at easing the path for 401(k) retirement accounts to include alternative assets such as private equity, real estate, and cryptocurrency. The order will instruct the Department of Labor to revisit regulatory guidance under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974, and collaborate with the Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission, and other agencies to study whether adjustments to the rules are needed to support this transition.
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3. Vitalik: We should prioritize ZK fast withdrawals, aiming for instant settlement across L2 on L1.
Vitalik Buterin stated that several major Ethereum Layer 2 networks have entered the first phase of security standards, and the next goal should be to achieve fast native withdrawals based on ZK proof systems, prioritized over advancing to the second phase. He suggested using a '2-of-3' hybrid proof system composed of ZK, OP, and TEE to balance security and speed, noting that as ZK technology matures and costs decrease, this path is becoming more feasible. The ultimate goal is to achieve nearly instantaneous asset transfers and settlements across L2 on L1 under economically acceptable conditions through aggregation technology.
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4. The U.S. imposes tariffs on Southeast Asian mining machines, with import tax rates reaching up to 21.6%.
After ending a 90-day tariff suspension period, the Trump administration will officially impose reciprocal tariffs on Southeast Asian Bitcoin mining machines starting August 7, with U.S. import tax rates reaching up to 21.6%. Luxor Technology claims that the U.S. has become one of the least competitive countries for importing mining machines. This will prompt U.S. mining companies to seek overseas expansion while mining machine manufacturers are also expanding domestic production capacity in the U.S.
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5. Report: Over 1 million USD in cryptocurrency assets were stolen by malicious smart contracts disguised as MEV robots.
Over 1 million USD in cryptocurrency assets were stolen by malicious smart contracts disguised as MEV trading bots. This scam activity guided users to deploy contracts in Remix and transfer ETH to wallet addresses controlled by the attackers through AI-generated YouTube tutorial videos. The relevant code hides the flow of funds using techniques such as XOR obfuscation and decimal to hexadecimal conversion. One address received approximately 244.9 ETH (about 902,000 USD), and the corresponding video is still online on YouTube with over 380,000 views. SentinelLABS reminds users to be cautious of 'free trading bots' promoted on social media, and even testnet contracts should be thoroughly reviewed to avoid financial risks.
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