Good morning, Coin Discoverers!

CRYPTO

• BTC: $59,292.40(+0.46%)YTD (+34.68%)

• ETH: $2,584.82(+0.45%)YTD (+9.82%)

• BNB: $564.16 (-1.36%)YTD (+79.28%)

*Crypto numbers as of 5:00 am EST on August 21th

Investors maintain Bitcoin amid volatility

Analysts note that institutional investors tend to hold onto their bitcoin investments despite rising volatility. This growing institutional interest is underscored by the fact that over 60% of major global hedge funds are now investing in bitcoin through ETFs.

Wintermute analysts noted that, despite a more than 20% drop in bitcoin's price during the second quarter, these institutions remained steadfast, continuing to accumulate. This behavior highlights the increasing mainstream acceptance of bitcoin and the growing institutional interest in it as a viable investment asset.

Galxe has launched the alpha mainnet of its Layer 1 Gravity chain

Galxe has launched the alpha mainnet of its Layer 1 Gravity chain, bringing all of its products on-chain with this release.

The full launch of the Gravity Mainnet is scheduled for Q2 2025.

Back in 2022, Galxe secured $10 million in funding, with significant contributions from Multicoin Capital and Dragonfly Capital.

BadgerDAO Founder Proposes Bitcoin-Powered Ethereum Layer-2

As Bitcoin enthusiasts strive to bring decentralized finance to the leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization, developers are working on layer-2 solutions that extend Bitcoin's utility through Ethereum. One such project is Corn, a new layer-2 solution created by BadgerDAO founder Chris Spadafora.

It was only a matter of time.

In the ETH community, there’s always been an unspoken appreciation for BTC. That sentiment has shifted, and now builders are eager to tap into the lucrative potential of Bitcoin's trillion-dollar market.

DOGS targets a $550 million market cap, with pre-market trading volume surpassing $4 million

The DOGS token is on track to achieve a $550 million market cap when it officially launches on August 23, 2024. Pre-market trading has already seen volumes exceed $4 million on platforms like Bitget, reflecting strong anticipation and interest in the token.

Speculative investors are particularly drawn to this TON blockchain-based memecoin, which has garnered significant attention in the market. Active trading has been observed on exchanges such as Bitget, KuCoin, and Gate.io, where DOGS is currently priced at approximately $0.001 during the pre-market phase.

STOCKS

• DOW: 40,834.53(-0.15%)

• S&P: 5,597.12 (-0.20%) 

• NASDAQ: 17,816.94 (-0.33%)

*Stock numbers as of market close on August 20th

Vattenfall has partnered with leading Swedish industry players to invest in new energy projects

Sweden's largest utility, Vattenfall, has teamed up with several major industrial firms to explore investments in new fossil-free power production. This collaboration aims to address the rising electricity demand driven by decarbonization efforts and the transition to greener energy sources.

Vattenfall CEO Anna Borg noted, "We have long anticipated a significant increase in demand as industries electrify both directly and indirectly as part of the green transition." The joint initiative underscores the commitment to meeting growing energy needs while advancing sustainability goals.

Johnson & Johnson will acquire medical device manufacturer V-Wave for up to $1.7 billion

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) announced on Tuesday that it will acquire the privately held medical device company V-Wave for up to $1.7 billion. This acquisition marks J&J's second major move this year to expand its footprint in the heart disease device market. The deal involves an initial payment of $600 million, with additional potential payments of up to $1.1 billion contingent on achieving regulatory and commercial milestones.

This acquisition is part of J&J’s broader strategy to drive growth beyond 2025, when its blockbuster psoriasis drug Stelara is anticipated to face competition from biosimilars. The company has been actively pursuing acquisitions to strengthen its portfolio and ensure continued market leadership.

REAL ESTATE

• 15-year: 6.00%

• 30-year: 6.56%

*Mortage rates via Mortgage News Daily

Tax audits, NAR updates, appraisals, down payment assistance

Confusion is common, whether it's about raccoons mistaking Tesla trucks for something else or other misconceptions. However, for the 700+ attendees at the Western Secondary near Los Angeles, the focus is clear: staying in business, supporting consumers, and securing the best execution in secondary markets to benefit loan officers and account executives.

A key aspect of this is staying informed on regulations. To that end, a free 45-minute webinar titled "Regulation Central" will be held today at 3 PM ET, sponsored by Polunsky Beitel Green and featuring attorneys Peter Idziak and Brian Levy, along with AHMC President Matt VanFossen. Naturally, interest rates are also a critical factor in these discussions.

TECH

Google AI can detect diseases by analyzing the sound of your cough

In March, Google introduced its bioacoustic foundation model, Health Acoustic Representations (HeAR). This model was developed by the Google Research team, who trained it using 300 million pieces of audio data from a diverse and anonymized dataset. Specifically, the cough detection model was trained with around 100 million cough sounds.

The research indicates that AI and machine learning models can analyze how a person speaks—including factors like tone, pitch, and pace—to detect potential health issues, such as dementia. This advancement highlights the potential of AI in early disease detection through acoustic analysis.

QUICK RECAP

#1. i3 Energy (I3E.L) shares surged up to 33.7% on Tuesday after Gran Tierra Energy (GTE.TO) proposed a £174.1 million acquisition.

#2. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund plans to buy Boeing 777 and Airbus 350 jets for Saudia and Riyadh Air.

#3. Canada's Couche-Tard is considering a takeover of Japan's Seven & i, potentially marking the largest foreign buyout of a Japanese company.

#4. HSBC Holdings is considering selling its South Africa operations, focusing on Asia, Bloomberg reported, with no retail banking involved.

#5. An arbitration panel will assess Hess's secret oil value in Guyana, central to Chevron’s $53 billion offer for Hess.