ChainCatcher news, the decentralized fan engagement platform AmplifyWorld has announced the completion of a $1.2 million funding round, with early-stage venture capital firm Chapel Ventures participating. It is reported that this funding deal was conducted through a Simple Agreement for Future Tokens (SAFT). AmplifyWorld aims to empower artists and fans in the music industry by leveraging blockchain and Web3 technologies. They are currently preparing to launch a token to build a new music economy, allowing artists to connect directly with fans. The new funds are intended to accelerate the development and deployment of the token.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated in its employment report on Friday that it no longer plans to reduce the sample size of its key labor market survey, as the recently passed continuing resolution "allows BLS to use current Population Survey (CPS, also known as the household survey) funding at a faster pace."BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer first announced the plan to cut the sample size in June of this year, citing budget constraints and declining response rates that made the survey more expensive and difficult to conduct.The plan would reduce 5,000 households starting in early 2025, bringing the total down to 55,000. BLS received approximately $700 million in funding in the fiscal year that just ended in September. Advocacy group "Friends of BLS" and former White House economists recently urged lawmakers to increase funding by about $20 million for fiscal year 2025, but current proposals in the House and Senate fall far short of this request. The short-term funding bill passed in September will keep the government running until December, which includes $6 million in support for the CPS.

ChainCatcher news, TRON (TRX) network founder Justin Sun responded on X to the previous incident regarding his unrecognized election as the acting Prime Minister of the micro-nation Liberland. He expressed his happiness to see the community elect him as the Prime Minister of Liberland, with the main points as follows:Liberland is not just a country; it embodies a political philosophy that advocates for freedom, minimal government intervention, and individual autonomy.As acting Prime Minister, the goal is to actively promote the small government concept, not only within Liberland but also as a model for the world. Our success can inspire other countries to adopt liberal principles, demonstrating that minimalist government can bring stability and prosperity without excessive regulation or coercion. By adhering to this approach, we will further solidify Liberland's status as a beacon of freedom and individual autonomy.Looking ahead, envisioning Liberland as a global symbol of liberal ideals, it will become a spiritual home for people around the world who cherish freedom. Just as Vatican City represents the central spiritual authority for Catholics, Liberland will become the heart of the liberal movement. Liberals around the world may have their own countries and nations, but Liberland will be their ideological home: a place that respects and embodies their beliefs in freedom, autonomy, and voluntary governance.What truly makes Liberland unique is that it is the first country where the relationship with citizens is based not on lineage or geographical boundaries, but on shared principles and values. There are no compulsory obligations, no taxes, and no mandates imposed on citizens. Everything is built on voluntary participation and mutual respect, believing that all governments should operate this way—eventually, if not now.Liberland is a powerful example of the relationship between a state and its citizens, committed to further advancing this vision during my tenure as Prime Minister.Previous news, according to a document disclosed by @tier10k, the unrecognized micro-nation Liberland announced the results of its latest parliamentary elections. TRON (TRX) network founder Justin Sun won in this election and was nominated as acting Prime Minister by Liberland President Vit Jedlička. The official statement from Liberland stated that the election was completed at 5 AM Central European Time on October 6, marking the first full deployment of the country's blockchain-based election system. The election process used a simple set of rules, fully algorithmic, aimed at providing transparency and eliminating doubts about the election results.

ChainCatcher news, CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju posted on social media, "Since the invention of the internet, social media's influence on financial markets has increasingly taken on a religious tone. Elon Musk's Tesla, Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin, and various crypto communities are typical examples.The role of the 'prophet' in religion plays a crucial role in driving asset prices up. Prophets endlessly expand their thoughts about the future, often perceived to have reached a state of enlightenment, and this perceived enlightenment generates blind faith. This faith leads to the formation of religious communities that share the same beliefs. The stronger the followers' faith within the community, the more legitimate the asset is considered, even if it does not generate profits or create social value. This is a stunning phenomenon.Investors must now pay attention to the impact of social media on investment decisions. When evaluating a publicly traded company or token project, it is essential to consider whether there is an influential 'prophet' on social media and how strong their followers' faith is.Companies are rushing to enter social media, trying to form religious communities filled with blind faith. However, not everyone can become a prophet. Most fail to attract followers. Especially in the crypto space, if internal efforts to expand influence fail, they may externally hire Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to create false faith. Only a very few projects have succeeded in this regard.The influence of social media on financial markets will continue to grow. As communities are made up of people, this religious tone will deepen. I believe that understanding how religion operates will help in understanding the future of financial markets."

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Canadian Bitcoin mining company Cathedra Bitcoin is halting its seven-year mining operations and adopting a new strategy: to emulate MicroStrategy by purchasing as much Bitcoin as possible on the open market.In the "Bitcoin Treasury Strategy Memo" dated September 16, Cathedra explained that under the new plan, "all capital allocation decisions" will now be based on maximizing the company's Bitcoin reserves on a per-share basis—this is the "most important" metric for many major shareholders.Cathedra stated that Bitcoin-based mining operations have not provided sufficient shareholder value. By market capitalization, 9 out of the 10 largest Bitcoin mining companies now hold less Bitcoin per share than three years ago, adding, "Meanwhile, other publicly traded companies have adopted clear policies to increase the per-share Bitcoin price, most notably MicroStrategy, which has been rewarded by the stock market."Cathedra indicated that it will shift to developing data operation centers to generate "predictable cash flow" to purchase more Bitcoin, and will retain the Bitcoin produced by its existing mining operations, suggesting that the company will not completely abandon mining.Data shows that the company currently holds 23 Bitcoins, valued at $2.5 million, making it the 45th largest Bitcoin corporate holder. Cathedra's statement indicates that the company plans to adhere to its Bitcoin strategy in the long term and notes that it is currently in the "early stages of a decades-long trend," where Bitcoin will become the "dominant global reserve asset."

ChainCatcher news, QCP Capital stated in an official post that after breaking the $61,000 mark last weekend, the cryptocurrency fell following Trump's second assassination attempt. Before the Asian market opened, a lack of liquidity led to the liquidation of nearly $70 million in short positions, exacerbating the decline. Notably, Bitcoin rose 13.8% from $58,000 to $66,000 in the same week of July 13 when Trump first survived an assassination attempt.TOKEN2049 is currently underway, and the FOMC meeting will be held on Wednesday (September 18), with uncertainty still surrounding whether to cut rates by 25 basis points or 50 basis points. As the Federal Reserve approaches its first rate cut of this round, market tensions are escalating, amplifying the impact of any unexpected macro data. The likelihood of a 50 basis point cut has surged from 30% last Monday to 59%. This is reflected in the increasing volatility, with Bitcoin's implied volatility rising by 8 and Ethereum by 20 last Friday.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve's Goolsbee stated that as inflation cools, the Federal Reserve's policy has passively tightened. There is ample reason to believe that the Federal Reserve's forecast regarding interest rate cuts will be realized.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin Shi reports, Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius stated that they believe the Federal Reserve "has ample reason" to cut interest rates at the July meeting, but they have not changed their forecast that the Fed will start cutting rates in September. Based on the latest unemployment and inflation data, a federal funds rate of 4% is deemed appropriate, while the current rate is 5.25%-5.5%.Therefore, a rate cut is expected to begin soon. Reasons for taking action in July include the volatility of monthly inflation, which, if there is a temporary re-acceleration, could make a rate cut in September difficult to justify, as well as the undeniable motivation for the Fed to "avoid starting rate cuts in the last two months of the presidential campaign." While this does not mean the Fed cannot start cutting rates in September, July is indeed more appropriate.

ChainCatcher news, Ampleforth protocol development company Fragments announced that the Ampleforth Foundation's decentralized low-volatility commodity currency SPOT project has completed a $1 million strategic round of financing, with participation from Coinbase Ventures.It is reported that SPOT aims to combine the characteristics of fiat currencies such as the US dollar and assets like gold or Bitcoin to create a "fully decentralized" and "significantly low-volatility" asset that can be used in the on-chain economy. The project team stated that SPOT does not intend to maintain stability like stablecoins. The SPOT flatcoin, currently available on Ethereum, will also be launched as part of the protocol on Coinbase's incubated Layer 2 network Base.

ChainCatcher message, Coinbase Assets announced on platform X that, according to a recent review, the platform will suspend trading of Circuits of Value (COVAL), Rai (RAI), and Wrapped Ampleforth (wAMPL) around 02:00 Beijing time on July 20. Trading on Coinbase.com (both simple and advanced trading), Coinbase Exchange, and Coinbase Prime will be suspended. The order books for COVAL, RAI, and wAMPL have been moved to limit order mode. Limit orders can be placed and canceled, and matching may occur.In addition, Coinbase will suspend trading of Synthetix (SNX) for New York users around 02:00 Beijing time on July 20. Trading for New York users on Coinbase.com (both simple and advanced trading), Coinbase Exchange, and Coinbase Prime will be suspended. Synthetix (SNX) trading will still be available in supported regions.

ChainCatcher news, according to a research report by Cointelegraph, through a sample security analysis of 1,000 new meme coins launched on the Base chain from March 19 to 25, it was found that the vast majority of meme coins on the network have security vulnerabilities that could lead to significant losses for users, with nearly one-fifth of meme coins being malicious, using various means to steal user funds.The automatic auditor on the trading analysis platform DEXTools analyzed these tokens to determine whether each project implemented three basic security measures: locking liquidity, verifying contracts, and the absence of honeypot scams. The analysis showed that 908 projects (accounting for 90.8% of the sampled tokens) failed to meet at least one of the security conditions. David Schwed, COO of security firm Halborn, stated, "This situation highlights the challenges faced by projects that may not have the resources to hire security experts or conduct independent assessments of their smart contracts." He added that many projects simply copy and paste existing tokens, meaning that flaws are replicated.According to the analysis, 16.9% of the projects were suspected of fraud due to malicious means such as exaggerating sales "taxes" or setting conditions that prevent owners from selling tokens. A total of 121 projects were identified as potentially fraudulent. Additionally, 48 projects had sales tax rates as high as 100%, which is tantamount to outright robbery. Notably, the forms of meme coin scams are diverse, and the automatic auditor may mislabel some tokens or even overlook some creative scams. As for the other 230 tokens that do not have locked liquidity or verified contracts, Vesper, founder of MYSTCL, stated, "There is no legitimate reason for the contracts of the tokens to be unverified." Coinbase provided a rather templated response to this phenomenon, pointing out that Base is permissionless.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, last week, the SEC requested the court to deny Terraform Labs' hiring of Dentons as its advisor, objecting to the $166 million paid by Terraform Labs to its lawyers. The SEC claimed that part of this "suspicious" amount was transferred to an "opaque escrow fund," and that this transfer was done intentionally to avoid paying a potential judgment from its enforcement actions.In a filing on Monday, Terraform Labs again requested authorization for legal fees, stating that this is crucial for responding to the SEC's lawsuit and complying with the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Terraform Labs stated that the SEC's objection is baseless and should be dismissed. Terraform Labs stated in the filing: "The SEC, which is pursuing the debtor in the SEC's enforcement action, raising such a strong objection to the debtor spending its own funds to ensure an adequate defense, is a disturbing example of government overreach." The company claimed that the SEC's true motive is to distract from the upcoming trial on March 25.The company also pointed out that the SEC's allegations regarding the hiring of Dentons contained erroneous legal interpretations and false claims.