1. The Federal Reserve lowered the interest rate cap to 4.25%, in line with market expectations
The Federal Reserve announced a 25 basis point cut in the upper limit of the federal funds rate to 4.25%, in line with market expectations and down from the previous level of 4.50%. Wall Street Journal reporter Nick Timiraos noted that the Fed's announcement of a 25 basis point rate cut at the September FOMC meeting was dovish in tone. Most officials expected at least three more rate cuts this year, with Miran being the only one who advocated a 50 basis point cut. Seven participants predicted no further rate cuts this year, while two predicted only one, resulting in relatively little disagreement at the meeting.
2. The number of initial jobless claims in the United States for the week ending September 13 was 231,000, compared with expectations of 240,000.
The number of initial jobless claims in the United States for the week ending September 13 was 231,000, in line with expectations of 240,000. The previous value was revised from 263,000 to 264,000.
3. CZ: Beware of the North Korean hacker threat. Crypto projects should carefully screen candidates and train employees not to download files.
Binance founder CZ issued a statement warning crypto projects about the security threat posed by North Korean hackers. He identified four common infiltration tactics: impersonating job applicants to gain entry to development, security, or finance positions; posing as employers and sending infected "updates" or "sample code" to employees; inserting malicious links into customer service tickets; and bribing employees and contractors to obtain data. CZ called on crypto platforms to strengthen employee training and candidate screening, strictly prohibiting the downloading of arbitrary files, and maintaining vigilance.
4. Vitalik responds to the Ethereum staking exit controversy: Rapid exit will weaken the chain's trust in offline nodes
During a community discussion regarding wait times for staking release, Vitalik Buterin responded by stating that staking is more like a soldier's duty to protect the blockchain, and that exiting should involve some friction, otherwise it will affect the chain's credibility with infrequently online nodes. He also stated that the current staking queue design still has room for improvement. According to the Ethereum Validator Queue, the current ETH in the validator exit queue has reached 2,497,293, with an estimated wait time of 43 days and 9 hours. Meanwhile, the entry queue holds 466,560 ETH, with an estimated wait time of 8 days and 2 hours.
5. Praetorian Group International CEO pleads guilty to $200 million Bitcoin Ponzi scheme
According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Ramil Ventura Palafox, CEO of Praetorian Group International (PGI), pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud and money laundering for operating a Bitcoin Ponzi scheme valued at over $200 million. Court documents show that Palafox lured over 90,000 investors worldwide with funds totaling over $201 million (including at least 8,198 BTC) by falsely advertising Bitcoin trading profits. Ultimately, investors suffered cumulative losses of at least $62.69 million. Palafox is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3, 2026, and could face up to 40 years in prison.
