The US Securities and Exchange Commission will convene a public roundtable on September 17 to examine the shift toward continuous trading in American equity markets. The session will take place at the agency’s headquarters in Washington and will address preparations for overnight sessions as well as operational and resilience requirements in a 24-hour environment.

Commission leadership indicated that US equity markets are advancing toward extended trading periods that include nighttime hours. The goal is closer alignment with jurisdictions that already operate continuous sessions.

The discussion occurs as several major exchanges expand or prepare longer trading windows. Nasdaq began discussions with US regulators in March on offering five-day-a-week, 24-hour trading, with a target launch in the second half of 2026 subject to regulatory clearance. The London Stock Exchange is preparing a nighttime trading venue for early 2027. Other platforms, including Cboe, are likewise advancing plans for extended hours, a development that would give retail participants access previously limited largely to cryptocurrency markets.

BitMEX is set to remove 65 derivative contracts and trading pairs in July, a sharp increase from the 19 delistings recorded across the first six months of the year. The exchange cited insufficient trading interest as the primary factor, in tandem with its decision to wind down operations.

In early July the platform delisted 21 derivative contracts. Two weeks later it removed nine spot pairs for the same reason. On Thursday it placed an additional 35 derivative contracts in the delisting queue, bringing the monthly total to 65.

The firm stated that the contracts were being removed because of limited trading interest and the forthcoming closure of the exchange. On Thursday BitMEX confirmed that it would end all exchange services on September 23 at 4:00 a.m. UTC. The decision followed a strategic review of the business and the broader cryptocurrency industry, without further elaboration on specific causes.

A restructuring adviser noted that the closure illustrates broader pressures confronting mid-sized centralized exchanges. Liquidity has increasingly concentrated among the largest market participants, while regulatory compliance costs continue to rise.

Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego said on Thursday that ethics language in the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act draft released by Senate Republicans on Wednesday falls short and does not represent a serious effort. He indicated he would collaborate with Republican colleagues on alternative wording.

The proposed text includes provisions that would prohibit all US federal officials, including the president, from issuing or sponsoring any digital asset. Democrats have described the ethics section as insufficient. Gallego stated that the draft failed to reflect months of prior bipartisan work and announced plans to submit revised language in coordination with Senator Thom Tillis and other Republicans. He affirmed that discussions remain active.

Senate Republicans have rejected characterizations of the ethics measures as weak. Senator Bernie Moreno described the draft as containing the strongest ethics language in US history.

BitMEX is the subject of a proposed class action lawsuit filed on Thursday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York that accuses the cryptocurrency derivatives platform of engineering customer liquidations to capture traders’ Bitcoin collateral. The plaintiffs, BKX Services Inc. and David Namdar, allege combined losses of 622.66 bitcoin, with one claiming at least 305.81 bitcoin and the other more than 316.85 bitcoin.

The complaint asserts that an internal trading desk held privileged access to private customer information and continued to trade during server freezes that blocked ordinary users from managing or closing positions. It further contends that the platform permitted leverage of up to 100 times collateral and automatically liquidated positions while the remaining collateral was allegedly still worth twice the incurred losses. The residual bitcoin was then directed into the platform’s insurance fund, enabling the firm to benefit from the forced liquidations, according to the filing.

The plaintiffs seek the return of the bitcoin at issue along with compensatory and punitive damages. They propose to represent United States customers who acquired bitcoin swap products in transactions dating back to July 23, 2018. A similar class action brought in 2020 under the Commodity Exchange Act was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice on June 30, 2025.

A BitMEX representative stated that the exchange has encountered numerous comparable claims throughout its history and has resolved each one successfully. The firm described the current action as opportunistic and without foundation and said it intends to defend itself vigorously.

The lawsuit was filed on the same day BitMEX disclosed that its owner, HDR Global Trading Limited, would close the platform following a strategic review. Services are scheduled to end on September 23. New registrations have already ceased, and users will be barred from opening fresh positions beginning August 26. The announcement triggered a decline of roughly 90 percent in the platform’s BMEX utility token.

The CLARITY Act remained at the center of US digital asset policy discussions on Thursday, with a Democratic senator criticizing Republican ethics provisions and a major Wall Street chief executive offering support, while a pioneering crypto derivatives exchange announced plans to cease operations after 11 years.

Senator Ruben Gallego said he would collaborate with Republican colleagues, including Senator Thom Tillis, on alternative language after Senate Republicans released draft text for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act this week. The draft included ethics rules that would prohibit all US federal officials from issuing or sponsoring any digital asset. Gallego characterized the ethics section as inadequate and not reflective of prior bipartisan work, stating that his side would submit revised wording and remain engaged in the process.

Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon publicly supported the legislation, describing it as imperfect yet capable of establishing a more consistent regulatory framework that could aid the maturation of digital asset markets. His position diverged from that of other banking leaders who have raised concerns over provisions allowing crypto firms to offer yields on stablecoins outside traditional banking rules. The bill is expected to require bipartisan backing for passage. Some Democrats continue to oppose it on grounds that its ethics measures remain insufficient to address potential conflicts.

Separately, BitMEX, an early developer of cryptocurrency derivatives trading, disclosed that its owner, HDR Global Trading Limited, had decided to close the platform following a strategic review. Exchange services will end on September 23 at 04:00 UTC. The firm advised users to close positions and withdraw funds ahead of the deadline and stated that assets would remain secure and under user control during the transition. No additional details on the decision were provided.

The closure occurs as decentralized derivatives platforms have increased their share of activity relative to centralized venues. Centralized exchange perpetual futures volume declined 10 percent to $12.7 trillion in the second quarter, while decentralized platforms continued to expand.

US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds posted $225.2 million in net outflows on Thursday, ending a seven-session run of inflows and marking their first daily net redemption since July 13. The funds had drawn nearly $1 billion in net inflows across the preceding seven trading days.

Despite the Thursday redemptions, the products still registered approximately $274 million in net inflows for the week through that session. The outflows coincided with a brief dip in Bitcoin below $65,000, as US equities declined amid renewed tensions between the United States and Iran. Bitcoin later traded at $65,403 after reaching a session low of $64,600.

Market sentiment gauges also softened. A widely tracked crypto fear and greed measure declined three points to 28 and remained in fear territory on Friday.

In parallel, US-listed spot Ether exchange-traded funds extended their inflow sequence to five consecutive sessions, taking in a net $26.3 million on Thursday.

The European Union will prohibit Belarusian nationals and residents from owning, controlling or managing crypto exchanges and other service providers regulated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework from August 25. The measure forms part of an amendment to the bloc’s sanctions regime against Belarus adopted on Thursday over that country’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The decision takes effect on July 24, with the broadened crypto restriction applying one month later. It widens an earlier limit that covered only firms offering crypto wallet, account or custody services. Under the updated rules, Belarusian nationals and residents may not own or control any European Union-based entity that supplies additional crypto-asset services defined by the regulation, nor may they serve on its governing body.

Those services encompass the operation of trading platforms, the exchange of crypto assets, the execution and transmission of client orders, the placement of crypto assets, the provision of transfers, and the delivery of investment advice or portfolio management. The change arrives weeks after the regulation’s transition period concluded on July 1, when unauthorized crypto firms were required to cease operations or face enforcement measures.

The Belarus restriction aligns with a wider European effort to address crypto platforms and financial channels alleged to assist Russia in circumventing sanctions linked to the conflict in Ukraine. On the same day the bloc adopted its latest package of measures against Russia, it extended a transaction ban to 14 crypto-related service platforms based outside the European Union and created a mechanism permitting prohibitions on dealings with any foreign crypto provider employed by Russia to evade existing restrictions. The package builds on a June proposal that had identified 11 such platforms.

In parallel, British authorities in May imposed sanctions on the Panamanian company operating the HTX platform over alleged links to Russia-connected financial networks involving sanctioned entities. The platform stated that regulatory compliance constitutes its highest priority and that it strictly follows the rules applicable in the jurisdictions where it conducts business.

The Penghua Oil exchange-traded fund recorded a net intraday subscription of 61 million shares on July 24 as investors purchased oil sector exposure after recent weakness. The fund last traded at 1.27 yuan at 2:00 p.m. local time.

Average daily tanker traffic through a key Middle East strait has declined to fewer than 10 vessels since July 12. The reduction has postponed expectations of a recovery in regional crude supply and provided near-term support for oil prices.

Short-term oil prices remain primarily influenced by geopolitical risks. Over the medium to longer term, any easing of conflict could leave global crude benchmarks vulnerable to pressure from excess supply. Unexpected geopolitical developments retain the potential to produce sudden price moves and heighten volatility.

The fund tracks the CSI Guosen Oil and Gas Index. As of June 30 its ten largest constituents were Jerry’s Shares, PetroChina, CNOOC, Sinopec, China Merchants Shipping, Guanghui Energy, COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation, Jovo Energy, Xinao Shares and China Merchants Energy Shipping. Those holdings represented 71 percent of the index.

Bitcoin traded near $65,000 following a roughly 13 percent advance from its late-June low around $58,000. On-chain metrics indicate the rebound represents a relief rally rather than a confirmed recovery in the broader market cycle.

Unrealized profits across the network fell from approximately $1.4 trillion at the October 2025 peak to about $400 billion by late June, the lowest level of the current cycle. The net unrealized profit and loss measure reached a deeper trough in June than during the February decline, even at comparable prices, reflecting a transfer of coins that raised the market’s overall cost basis. Unrealized losses remained between $200 billion and $300 billion for most of 2026, a pattern consistent with late-stage capitulation. July produced modest improvement, with unrealized profits recovering to roughly $500 billion. A clearer bullish indication would require expansion beyond the spring peak near $580 billion.

Futures demand turned net positive in July, expanding by 30,000 to 50,000 bitcoin. That increase was about one-fifth the scale of the April expansion that previously propelled prices toward $82,000. Spot demand stayed negative throughout the year, contracting by roughly 200,000 bitcoin each month. Aggregate demand reached nearly minus 550,000 bitcoin in early June.

Bitcoin currently trades below three of the four primary on-chain valuation benchmarks. The realized price of $52,900 stands as the remaining support level. The short-term holder cost basis at $69,500, approximately 6 percent above present levels, marks the first significant upside threshold. A breach of $52,900 would point to a deeper bear market, with one projection indicating a potential fourth-quarter low near $44,000.

The Federal Reserve’s forthcoming interest-rate decision could amplify price movement in either direction. A sustained move above $69,500 might open the way toward $76,200, while rejection at that level raises the prospect of another test of $58,000.

The group of seven leading technology companies recorded a combined market value loss of $797 billion in a single trading session, marking their steepest drop since April 2025, as an index tracking the stocks fell 4.8 percent. The selloff drove the S&P 500 lower by 1.2 percent and the Nasdaq 100 by 1.9 percent, after quarterly results from Alphabet and Tesla intensified investor concerns over the sustainability of heavy artificial intelligence investments.

Alphabet increased its full-year capital expenditure outlook to as much as $205 billion. Tesla reported profits well short of forecasts, with its chief executive stating that 2026 would bring substantial further capital outlays. Alphabet alone spent $45 billion in the second quarter, pushing its free cash flow into negative territory for the first time since becoming a public company.

Tesla shares fell 15 percent, their largest one-day decline since March 2025. Alphabet dropped 7.1 percent, its sharpest retreat since May 2025. Microsoft declined 2.2 percent, Amazon 4.6 percent and Meta 3.4 percent. Apple posted the mildest loss among the group after largely avoiding the recent wave of artificial intelligence spending; its shares have risen 11 percent so far this month.

The Magnificent Seven index now stands 11 percent below its late-May peak, representing an erasure of roughly $2 trillion in market capitalization. An asset management executive described the core difficulty as the sheer volume of spending without visible returns on investment, calling the episode a convergence of pressures that also includes rising oil prices linked to an intensifying conflict involving Iran. A chief investment officer at a wealth firm noted that these companies once held some of the strongest balance sheets in corporate America but have shifted toward heavier asset bases, prompting questions about investment returns and the transparency of associated debt.