Web3 AI Daily Review (2024/9/2)
1. Attention Value - Market Highlights
1. Market Trends
(1) Macroeconomic Environment:
Morgan Stanley Bear Mike Wilson: U.S. stocks will be very disappointing unless the Fed cuts rates "beyond expectations."
Wall Street's well-known bear, Morgan Stanley's chief U.S. equity strategist Mike Wilson, has warned that unless the Federal Reserve cuts rates beyond market expectations, stock market investors will be very disappointed. Wilson accurately predicted on July 9 that the S&P 500 was "very likely" to face a 10% correction. From late July to early August, U.S. stocks declined overall, even experiencing "Black Monday" on August 5. In Wilson's view, concerns about a "hard landing" for the U.S. economy are the key reason for this round of declines. As U.S. economic data continues to be released, the market is gradually beginning to price in an economic "soft landing," with several stock indices rebounding to historical highs. However, Wilson pointed out that the trends in the bond market, yen, and commodity markets continue to show concerns about the U.S. economy, and in the stock market, cyclical and defensive stocks have hardly rebounded. Wilson warned that unless the Fed cuts rates more than expected, the economy strengthens, or additional policy stimulus is introduced, stock index returns over the next 6-12 months will be extremely limited, and investors should continue to choose quality stocks.
U.S. stocks closed for Labor Day, three major futures indices slightly declined, European stocks collectively fell.
On Monday, U.S. stocks were closed for Labor Day, with three major futures indices slightly lower and European stocks experiencing minor declines. Nasdaq futures fell 0.2%, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index dropped 0.3%, and stock markets in Germany, France, the UK, and Italy all fell.
U.S. manufacturing data to be released on Tuesday may continue to show contraction, indicating a weaker dollar index.
Economic data will be released on Tuesday, starting with the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) for August. According to ForexLive, the market generally expects this index to rise from 46.8 in July to 47.5, indicating the largest contraction in manufacturing activity since November 2023. Weak data will strengthen the case for Fed rate cuts, leading to a depreciation of the dollar and stimulating demand for high-risk assets. According to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's FedWatch tool, the interest rate market has already priced in a 70% chance of a 25 basis point cut in September and a 30% chance of a 50 basis point cut.
(2) Web3 Sector:
A key week for Bitcoin may be ahead.
In the seven days ending September 1, Bitcoin (BTC), the leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization, fell by more than 10% as the dollar index's downward momentum stalled, reversing the price rebound from the previous week. A series of U.S. economic data to be released this week may determine whether the dollar will recover from two months of weakness, potentially benefiting risk assets, including cryptocurrencies. Noelle Acheson, author of the popular newsletter "Crypto Is Macro Now," stated in last week's edition: "Rate cuts are favorable for BTC because it is particularly sensitive to monetary liquidity conditions (viewed as a risk asset with no cash flow or profit margin, it won't be hit hard by an economic slowdown)."
2. Hot Events
(1) Macroeconomic Sector:
Polymarket election bettors are once again favoring Republican candidate Donald Trump, with the odds for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris dropping from even odds to 47% over the weekend. Trump's chances of winning the November election soared to 71% in July but fell to a low of 44% in August, as incumbent President Joe stated he would not run until Harris was announced as a candidate. From early to mid-August, her chances of becoming a leading candidate rose to over 55%. In recent weeks, Harris's appeal among Polymarket traders has declined, while Trump's appeal has gradually risen above 50%. After nearly two weeks of a tie, he is leading again.
(2) Web3 Sector:
OKX announced that its Singapore entity, OKX SG, has obtained a major payment institution license issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The company also appointed former Monetary Authority of Singapore official Gracie Lin as CEO of its regional branch. The company stated that this license allows OKX SG to provide digital payment token and cross-border remittance services, including spot cryptocurrency trading for Singapore investors.
According to CoinShares' latest weekly report, total outflows from digital asset investment products reached $305 million last week. Negative sentiment was primarily focused on Bitcoin, with outflows amounting to $319 million. Bitcoin short investment products saw inflows for the second consecutive week, totaling $4.4 million. Ethereum experienced outflows of $5.7 million, while trading volume stagnated, only reaching 15% of the level during the week of the U.S. ETF launch.
On September 2, data from The Block showed that Bitcoin miners' earnings in August hit a yearly low, generating a total of $851.36 million from subsidies and fees, of which $20.76 million came from on-chain fees. Mining revenue in August decreased by $99.75 million compared to July, with user-contributed on-chain fees down by $4.14 million from the previous month. Between block heights 855,014 and 859,303, Bitcoin miners mined a total of 4,289 blocks, with Foundry USA mining 1,248 blocks, accounting for 29.10%, and Antpool mining 1,074 blocks, accounting for 25.04%.
3. Hot Narratives
Since EigenLayer sparked the trend of Ethereum re-staking, "re-staking" has gradually taken root in Solana and even Bitcoin. The business of staking for yield has become unremarkable, making it more meaningful to activate more possibilities through re-staking and protect its ecological security. Bitcoin, as the largest economy in the blockchain ecosystem, has now surpassed a market capitalization of $1 trillion, and the ecosystem surrounding its staking and re-staking is also accelerating its development.
The core architecture of the re-staking protocol Symbiotic, supported by Paradigm, is on Ethereum, while SatLayer is different; it is a Bitcoin re-collateralization platform based on Babylon. SatLayer leverages Bitcoin's power as a universal security layer, enabling Bitcoin stakers to use their BTC as validation services by deploying smart contracts on Babylon, thereby protecting various decentralized applications or protocols. So which platforms or protocols will benefit from SatLayer?
First are various liquidity re-staking tokens (LST), which provide additional yield opportunities for their staked BTC deposits. Next are Bitcoin validation service (BSV) platforms, which enhance BSV security and can access new features by re-staking BTC into SatLayer. Finally, if SatLayer develops well, its infrastructure will also benefit and expand its functionalities.
4. Potential Catalysts
According to CoinDesk, a source revealed that the U.S. House Financial Services Committee plans to hold a series of cryptocurrency hearings in September to delve into several aspects of the industry, including decentralized finance (DeFi), the SEC's regulation of digital asset businesses, and the impact of "pig butchering" scams. The committee's chairman, Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry, who will retire at the end of this year, stated that one of his top priorities for the remainder of his term is to pass a cryptocurrency regulatory bill. The first hearing on September 10 will be a subcommittee review of DeFi, including proposed rules from several federal agencies, including the SEC and the IRS, which could have life-or-death implications for DeFi projects. Two hearings will be held on September 18, focusing on the SEC's enforcement practices and the impact of "pig butchering" scams. The full committee hearing on September 23 may have the most significant impact on cryptocurrency, with the SEC set to testify. It is reported that the House committee will seek testimony from SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and other commissioners at the same hearing, which is an extremely unusual practice. Meanwhile, lawmakers are also negotiating legislation to seek to limit the agency's jurisdiction over digital assets to allow the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to play a more significant role.
2. Attention Value - Hot Projects
1. Social Media Highlights
Arbitrum is an important Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum, utilizing Optimistic Rollup technology to address congestion and high transaction fees on the Ethereum network. The application ecosystem of Arbitrum is primarily divided into two categories: decentralized finance (DeFi), which includes several decentralized exchanges (DEX) such as Uniswap and SushiSwap, with DEX activity on Arbitrum surpassing Polygon in early 2023, becoming the largest DEX sector by trading volume outside of Ethereum; and consumer applications, including games and social applications, which attract users by leveraging Arbitrum's low transaction fees and high throughput.
Key Projects:
· ARB
Recently, Arbitrum launched the Stylus contract, which may positively impact the developer base of the Arbitrum ecosystem. The general sentiment towards Arbitrum is that it has strong technical capabilities and positive market sentiment. Additionally, Arbitrum will launch a $2.5 million subsidy fund to support the security service costs of projects within the ecosystem.
2. Smart Money Accumulation
· Smart Money Holdings
Source: ChainEDGE, Dot Labs
Project Introduction:
1. HQ (@HyperQuant0 /X)
HyperQuant is a trading bot designed to support the creation of a fully on-chain open financial system ecosystem. Its Telegram trading bot provides users with real-time market data and seamless trading capabilities, giving them an edge in the market, whether on computers or mobile devices. The user-friendly portfolio assistant simplifies the trading process, allowing both novice and experienced traders to easily access HyperLiquid's advanced protocols. Recently, the HyperQuant Bot updated several new features, such as mirroring top traders' strategies and receiving real-time order updates; analyzing rankings and wallets to make informed decisions, and bridging assets between Arbitrum and HyperLiquid L1.
2. BERRY (@StrawberryAI_5 /X)
Strawberry is an advanced AI designed for blockchain users. Utilizing cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology supported by a top-tier Agentic framework, Strawberry provides tailored powerful solutions for crypto investors. It features an advanced search engine accessible via the web, directly retrieving information, and also has voice and image interaction capabilities for a more dynamic user experience. Additionally, it offers analytical partners that can provide insights into charts and technical datasets.
· Smart Money Inflows
Source: ChainEDGE, Dot Labs
Project Introduction:
1. APU (@ApusCoin /X)
APU, also known as Helper, represents a young, kind, and naive anthropomorphized frog. Apu Apustaja hails from Finland, and her charm quickly won over the internet, gaining widespread international recognition. Now, it's hard not to see her face while browsing sites like Twitter, Reddit, or Forums. The narrative of the APU token is an extraordinary journey filled with resilience, unity, and rebirth. Born from the enthusiasm of the cryptocurrency community, the trajectory of $Apu took an unexpected turn when the original developer executed an action that threatened the token's existence and shook the core of the community.
2. GNUS (@GnusAi /X)
The invention of Genius Venture is a system and method for distributed general computing, featuring a cryptocurrency payment system that integrates slow blockchain cryptocurrency tokens with fast directed acyclic graph blockchain cryptocurrency tokens, providing a hybrid cryptocurrency system that allows for high-speed transactions while separating them from the slow operations of normal cryptocurrencies. It also offers mechanisms for validating data processing and end-user wallet payments for handling in-app purchases or in-game purchase items. The uniqueness of the software lies in its ability to allow applications and games to utilize unused cycles of one or more devices to process real data and receive payments for processed data.
3. Attention Value - Sector Rotation
1. Hot Sectors
Source: Dune, Dot Labs
Source: Dune, Dot Labs
2. Sector Internals
Source: Dune, Dot Labs