Today's news tips:
1. Macroeconomic outlook for next week: Gold prices have risen for nine consecutive weeks and are facing the "guillotine" of CPI. Will the bulls be buried in the tenth week?
2. UK tax authorities sent 65,000 reminder letters to suspected cryptocurrency tax evaders, more than double the number of last year
3. Astra Nova claims to have been hacked and is selling off its assets, with some users questioning whether it is an inside job.
4. Astra Nova: Will launch RVV buyback and bounty program
5. Jay Chou's friend lost contact after investing hundreds of millions of Taiwan dollars in Bitcoin on his behalf. He posted on social media to find him.
6. Binance: Over 600 illegal accounts were banned last week. Users who successfully report the illegal accounts can receive a reward of up to 50% of the illegal account's profits.
7. Hyperliquid founder clarifies that the protocol prioritizes revenue over trader FUD
Macro & Regulation
With Trump's comments on Friday easing trade tensions and a rebound in regional bank stocks, Wall Street finally saw a positive close after an anxious week. Spot gold has achieved its ninth consecutive week of gains, a rare phenomenon. Wall Street is about to enter a crucial week for deciphering the true state of American companies: third-quarter earnings reports are entering their peak, and inflation data will also be released. The following are key market observations in the new week:
- At 22:00 on Monday, the U.S. Conference Board Leading Index monthly rate in September
- On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve held a payment innovation conference to discuss stablecoins, artificial intelligence, and tokenization. At 21:00, Federal Reserve Board Governor Waller delivered an opening speech at the Federal Reserve Board's payment innovation conference.
- At 03:30 on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Board Governor Waller delivered closing remarks at the Federal Reserve Board's Payment Innovation Conference;
- At 20:30 on Friday, the U.S. September unadjusted CPI annual rate, the U.S. September seasonally adjusted CPI/core CPI monthly rate, and the U.S. September unadjusted core CPI annual rate will be released;
- Friday 21:45, the US October S&P Global Manufacturing/Services PMI preliminary value
- At 22:00 on Friday, the final value of the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index in the United States in October, the final value of the one-year inflation rate forecast in the United States in October, and the annualized total number of new home sales in the United States in September will be released.
Federal Reserve officials entered a blackout period before their interest rate meeting. Despite the ongoing impasse over the shutdown, recent Fed comments have prompted investors to increase dovish bets. International spot gold prices have risen for nine consecutive weeks, only the fifth time since the introduction of free currency convertibility in the 1970s, though gold prices have never risen for ten consecutive weeks in history. In addition to trade tensions, the Fed's dovish rhetoric has also supported gold prices this week.
As the US government shutdown continues, the market will focus on Friday's September CPI, the only major data release next week. Regardless of the data's performance, investors are almost unanimous in their expectation that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by another 25 basis points at its October 28-29 meeting, having already signaled an end to quantitative tightening. Unless the CPI shows a significant overheating, it's unlikely to change current interest rate expectations.
According to The Block, citing the Financial Times, UK tax authorities have issued 65,000 so-called "demand letters" to individuals suspected of underpaying cryptocurrency taxes, a 134% increase from the previous year. Starting in January 2026, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will also collect detailed user information from exchanges under the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), adopted by approximately 70 jurisdictions (including OECD member countries). Under the framework, cryptocurrency exchanges will report information about cryptocurrency traders and their activities to national tax authorities. The agency will collect data throughout 2026, with the first report due on May 31, 2027.
The UK's complex cryptocurrency tax system considers most cryptocurrencies used by individuals to be investments, making the sale, exchange, or consumption of these cryptocurrencies a "disposal" subject to capital gains tax (CGT). Cryptocurrencies "earned" through mining, staking rewards, some airdrops, and employment are considered income and subject to separate income tax. Last fall, CGT rates were increased, with disposals before October 30, 2024, subject to a basic rate of 10% and a higher rate of 20%, while disposals after this date are subject to a basic rate of 18% and a higher rate of 24%.
Insider: Ant, JD.com and others suspend plans to issue stablecoins in Hong Kong
According to Lianhe Zaobao, citing sources familiar with the matter, Chinese tech companies, including Alibaba's Ant Group and e-commerce giant JD.com, have suspended their plans to issue stablecoins in Hong Kong. Hong Kong passed the Hong Kong Stablecoin Bill in May of this year, which officially came into effect on August 1st. As of the end of September, 36 institutions had submitted applications for stablecoin licenses. Ant Group announced in June that it would participate in Hong Kong's stablecoin pilot program, and JD.com also stated that it would join the pilot program.
Project News
Four.Meme to Launch Token Name Protection Feature
Meme platform Four.Meme tweeted that in order to make token issuance fairer and avoid confusion, it will launch a token name protection function: once a project gains attention, the system will automatically lock duplicate or similar names and codes in fair mode. The team is fine-tuning this feature.
Astra Nova (RVV) tweeted that one of its third-party market-making accounts had been compromised, with a malicious attacker taking control and initiating asset liquidations. The team stated that they are taking action, and that their smart contracts and infrastructure remain fully secure and audited. Furthermore, the team is utilizing on-chain forensics to track the breach and will contact law enforcement as soon as evidence is collected.
In response, some users alleged that the project was involved in insider trading, and the Astra Nova Discord group has been muted. On-chain data shows that the suspected hacker's address obtained over 2 million USDT by selling RVV. Astra Nova recently launched on Binance Alpha and announced $48.3 million in funding to expand its tokenized content tools and creator platform.
Analysis: Astra Nova (RVV) stakeholders maliciously sell shares and profit at least $9.09 million
According to on-chain analyst @ai_9684xtpa, the Alpha token Astra Nova (RVV) has plummeted, with the project's owners claiming a third-party management account was compromised. On-chain data indicates that a relevant party maliciously sold the token, profiting at least $9.09 million. The specific timeline is as follows:
- Binance Alpha launched RVV at 21:00 last night and futures contracts at 21:30.
- 22 hours ago, the project's multi-signature address transferred 800 million tokens to 8 multi-signature addresses.
- 12 hours ago, the multi-signature token receiving company began to abnormally distribute tokens to dozens of new addresses, and then began to sell them in batches and maliciously dump the market.
Among them, the two main manipulation addresses 0x9E6...A0b3e and 0x643...8178C made a profit of more than 6.18 million US dollars. Except for the address 0x643...8178C which used Zerion to sell, most of the others used 1inch for selling.
Earlier news reported that Astra Nova claimed to have been hacked and sold off its assets, and some users suspected that it was stealing from the company.
Astra Nova: Launching RVV Buyback and Bounty Program
Astra Nova tweeted that in light of recent events, it will repurchase an equivalent amount of RVV tokens directly impacted by the market, with the repurchase execution schedule to be updated later. Additionally, Astra Nova has launched a bounty program, inviting on-chain forensics and analytics teams to assist in tracking and recovering the stolen funds, offering a reward equivalent to 10% of the stolen funds.
Earlier news reported that Astra Nova claimed to have been hacked and sold off its assets, with some users questioning whether it was a case of embezzlement; some analysts said that the stakeholders of Astra Nova (RVV) maliciously sold off the assets and made a profit of at least US$9.09 million.
Jay Chou's magician friend Cai Weize helped him hold hundreds of millions of Taiwan dollars worth of Bitcoin, but a year ago he claimed that the account was locked for some reason. The money has not been returned and he has lost contact. Jay Chou has made a series of statements on social media.
According to insiders, rumors a year ago surfaced that Cai Weize's Bitcoin account, used for Jay Chou, had been locked, preventing him from withdrawing his funds. At the time, he claimed he would find a way to unlock it, and even pleaded poverty, saying many people were asking him for money. Jay Chou gave him time. A year later, Cai Weize disappeared. Jay Chou posted two Instagram posts seeking Cai Weize. He first said, "If anyone has seen this magician who can make himself disappear, please let me know." Shortly thereafter, he claimed his friend had been missing for a while, adding, "Do you think I'm not a magician? If I don't show up, you're done." He subsequently unfollowed Cai Weize.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Cai Weize responded about an hour after Jay Chou posted his missing person post. He first retweeted Jay Chou's post, saying, "It's been a long time since I last saw him," and attached a greeting sticker. He then posted a white text message on a black background, stating that he would be temporarily on social media and would not be responding to messages.
Cai Weize is a magician and close friend of Jay Chou. He is not only a regular on his travel shows but also a touring partner. Having experienced family bankruptcy, Cai Weize began his magic career at 19 and was later recognized by Jay Chou, who took him on tour. Cai Weize is reportedly quite active in the blockchain investment community, investing in restaurants and Bitcoin. Rumors have even circulated that he once had his girlfriend embezzle company funds to invest in the blockchain. He also leveraged Jay Chou's fame, claiming to have connections with royalty in Southeast Asia and Dubai, soliciting investment or referrals for commissions.
According to on-chain analyst Yu Jin, a total of 860 million RVV (8.6% of the total supply) was transferred from the project's minting contract and sold on-chain, causing a sharp drop in RVV. These 860 million RVV were sold for 10.288 million USDT, of which 8.226 million USDT were transferred to Gate and Kucoin, while the remaining 2.041 million USDT remained in the on-chain wallet 0x643. Yu Jin expressed skepticism about the project's claims of theft. "No hacker would convert stolen assets into USDT and hold them," he said. "USDT can be frozen and directly transferred to CEXs."
Binance: Hold 230 Alpha Points to Claim 11 MYX Finance (MYX) Tokens
According to an official announcement, Binance Alpha has launched the second wave of MYX Finance (MYX) airdrops. Users holding at least 230 Binance Alpha Points can claim 11 MYX tokens on a first-come, first-served basis. The minimum score will automatically decrease by 15 points every hour while the event is ongoing. Claiming the airdrop will cost 15 Binance Alpha Points. Users must confirm their claim within 24 hours on the Alpha event page; otherwise, they will forfeit the airdrop.
Binance Alpha to List SigmaDotMoney (SIGMA) on October 21st
According to an official announcement, Binance Alpha will first list SigmaDotMoney (SIGMA) on October 21st. Eligible users can claim the airdrop using Binance Alpha Points after trading opens. More details will be announced soon.
Binance announced that over 600 accounts had been banned last week for using illegal third-party tools, and encouraged the community to participate in monitoring. The first user to successfully report a case verified by the platform will receive a portion of the account's recovered profits (up to 50%) as a reward.
Viewpoints & Analysis
This week, Tether announced a $250,000 donation to OpenSats, an organization dedicated to funding individuals and projects contributing to the Bitcoin ecosystem and open, censorship-resistant technology. In response, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey commented on a tweet from Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, asking, "Why only $250,000?" This seemed like an expression of dissatisfaction. Paolo Ardoino has not yet responded to this. However, shortly after these remarks, another user named X pressured Jack Dorsey to make a financial commitment to the cause of protecting Bitcoin developers and questioned how much he had donated. Jack Dorsey responded, "Over $21 million."
Hyperliquid founder clarifies protocol prioritizing revenue over trader FUD
Hyperliquid founder Jeff published a post on the X platform to dispel rumors that Hyperliquid prioritizes protocol profits over traders. He stated, "On October 10th, Hyperliquid's Auto-Deleveraging (ADL) system generated hundreds of millions of dollars in net profits for users by closing profitable short positions at favorable prices. Had more positions been forced to liquidate at the time, HLP's profit and loss could have increased by hundreds of millions of dollars, but at the same time, it would have been exposed to irresponsible risk. ADL shifts HLP's potential profit and loss to users while reducing HLP's risk exposure, creating a win-win situation. The ADL queue on Hyperliqid consistently follows a formula similar to that of most CEXs, taking into account leverage used and unrealized profit and loss on open positions. I'm not aware of other major exchanges using more complex logic for their ADL queues. However, a simpler formula is more robust and easier for users to understand. Nevertheless, the team is still exploring whether substantial improvements can be made to increase the complexity."
Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, believes that the current structural bull market remains intact for both cryptocurrencies and the stock market. He also points out that the three forces driving the next phase of growth are artificial intelligence capital expenditures, stablecoins, and tokenization.
First, AI capital expenditures. Thorn defines the current wave as a real-economy capital expenditure cycle led by well-funded incumbents (hyperscalers, chipmakers, and data center operators), reinforced by strong US policy support, rather than a purely speculative replay of the dot-com bubble. Thorn believes that corporate budgets and government stance suggest there's still a long way to go.
Next up is stablecoins. As payment channels improve, participation grows, liquidity increases, and more activity becomes anchored on public chains, tokens pegged to the US dollar will continue to gain traction. These can support the ecosystem even during price fluctuations.
The third is tokenization. Thorn stated that moving real-world assets and parts of traditional market infrastructure onto-chain is moving from pilots to implementation, creating new demand for block space and the core assets used to secure, route, and settle these activities. This shift, Thorn said, benefits platforms that are tied to this liquidity.
Against this backdrop, Thorn remains bullish on Bitcoin's status as "digital gold," despite ongoing doubts about the prudence of fiscal and monetary policies. He also believes that major currencies like ETH and SOL, which are tied to the use and tokenization of stablecoins, will see favorable conditions, even if a short-term rally risks falling below previous highs.
Ansem: There is no bull market in sight, the only turning point is BTC returning to $112,000
Crypto KOL Ansem tweeted, "Judging from the SFP (Swing Failure Pattern, a concept in technical analysis to identify potential trend reversals or major trading opportunities in the market) on the weekly charts of XRP, SOL, and ETH, there is no way to be bullish on the market. It reminds me of the SFP of LTC in 2021, coupled with the fact that the trading price of BTC has fallen back below the ATH in 2024, I don’t see the bull market, but the end of momentum and a decline in prices. A 10-month distribution is about to end. There is no new story. MSTR peaked in November 2024. It fell below 200dma for the first time since 2023 and became a resistance level. ETH and BTC have risen as they do at the end of every cycle. The only way for me to change my mind is if we return to above $112,000."
Important data
Robinhood has expanded its tokenization efforts on the Arbitrum blockchain, deploying 80 new equity tokens over the past few days, bringing the total number of tokenized assets to nearly 500. According to Dune Analytics, Robinhood has tokenized 493 assets with a total value of over $8.5 million. Cumulative issuance exceeded $19.3 million, but this was offset by approximately $11.5 million in burns, indicating an active and growing market. Equities accounted for nearly 70% of all deployed tokens, followed by ETFs at approximately 24%, with smaller allocations to commodities, cryptocurrency ETFs, and US Treasuries.
Research analyst Tom Wan said the latest batch of tokenized assets include Galaxy (GLXY), Webull (BULL), and Synopsys (SNPS). He noted, “Thanks to tokenization, Robinhood’s EU users now have access to a wider range of U.S. stocks, equities, and ETFs.”
Tether mints 1 billion USDT on the Ethereum network
According to Onchain Lens, Tether has minted $1 billion worth of USDT on the Ethereum network. Since the recent crash, it has minted $4 billion worth of USDT.
