1. US Initial Jobless Claims for the Week Ending August 2 at 226,000, Expected 221,000
US initial jobless claims for the week ending August 2 were 226,000, with expectations of 221,000. The previous value was revised from 218,000 to 219,000.
2. Trump to Sign Executive Order Potentially Allowing 401(k) Retirement Funds to Invest in Cryptocurrencies and Alternative Assets
US President Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at easing the path for 401(k) retirement accounts to include alternative assets such as private equity, real estate, and cryptocurrencies. The order will instruct the Department of Labor to re-examine regulatory guidance under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974 and collaborate with the Treasury Department, Securities and Exchange Commission, and other agencies to study potential rule adjustments to support this transition.
3. Vitalik: Prioritize ZK Rapid Withdrawals with the Goal of Instant Cross-L2 Settlement on L1
Vitalik Buterin stated that several major Ethereum Layer 2 networks have entered the first phase of security standards, and the next goal should be implementing native withdrawals based on ZK proof systems, prioritizing this over the second phase. He suggested using a "2-of-3" hybrid proof system comprising ZK, OP, and TEE to balance security and speed, noting that as ZK technology matures and costs decrease, this path becomes more feasible. The ultimate goal is to achieve near-instant asset transfer and settlement across L2 on L1 through aggregation technologies, under economically acceptable conditions.
4. US Imposes Tariffs on Southeast Asian Mining Machines, with Import Tax Rates up to 21.6%
After ending a 90-day tariff suspension, the Trump administration will officially impose reciprocal tariffs on Bitcoin mining machines from Southeast Asia starting August 7, with US import tax rates reaching up to 21.6%. Luxor Technology noted that the US has become one of the least competitive countries for mining machine imports. This will encourage US mining companies to seek overseas expansion, while mining machine manufacturers also expand domestic production capacity.
5. Report: Over $1 Million in Crypto Assets Stolen by Malicious Smart Contract Disguised as MEV Robot
Over $1 million in crypto assets were stolen by a malicious smart contract disguised as an MEV trading robot. The scam guided users through AI-generated YouTube tutorial videos to deploy contracts on Remix and transfer ETH to addresses controlled by attackers, using techniques like XOR obfuscation and decimal-to-hexadecimal conversion to hide fund flows. One address received approximately 244.9 ETH (about $902,000), with the corresponding video still online and over 380,000 views. SentinelLABS warns users to be cautious of "free trading robots" promoted on social media and to thoroughly review contracts, even on test networks, to avoid financial risks.
