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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Urgency, when genuine, helps teams act quickly and meet real deadlines. But when urgency becomes the default mode, it turns into a source of constant pressure. Over time, this leads to burnout, poor decision-making and reactive behavior that harms long-term goals. The best leaders are starting to shift this mindset. They help their teams separate real urgency from false urgency. They guide people to pause, think and plan rather than rush, respond and regret. Related: Burnout Threatens Employee Well-Being and Productivity — Here’s How to Stop It From Infiltrating Your Workplace The problem with treating everything as urgent When every request is marked “ASAP,” it eventually stops meaning anything. People get used to running at full speed regardless of the situation. In the short term, things get done. But over time, the costs add up: Staff fatigue increases: People stop distinguishing between what’s critical and what’s just loud. Important work is delayed: Urgency often leads teams to focus on fast tasks, not meaningful ones. Team dynamics break down: People begin blaming one another for delays, missed details or errors that stem from rushing. The truth is, urgency should be rare. When everything is urgent, nothing is. Real vs. false urgency Before training a team to rethink urgency, leaders must first understand the difference. Real urgency is tied to clear, time-sensitive outcomes. A security breach. A client presentation tomorrow. A product defect before a public launch. These are valid reasons to act fast. False urgency often comes from poor planning, vague expectations or habits that reward being busy. It shows up as: Emails marked high priority without explanation Slack messages with “urgent” in all caps, sent during off-hours Rushed deadlines that aren’t connected to any real risk or outcome Leaders are panicking and passing that stress to the team The best leaders know how to filter these signals and help their teams do the same. Related: Long Work Hours Lead to Burnout — Not Productivity. Learn When to Step Back From Certain Tasks — And When to Step Up How top leaders rethink and reframe urgency 1. Model calm responses — even under pressure People look to leadership to determine the seriousness of an issue. If the leader panics, everyone else tends to follow. Leaders who stay grounded, even during actual high-stress situations, train their team to assess rather than react. When something important comes up, they ask: “What’s the actual deadline here?” “What happens if we don’t act right now?” “Is this urgent, or is it just loud?” This type of thinking starts to spread. Teams begin asking these same questions before jumping into action. 2. Build a culture of thoughtful planning False urgency often results from unclear planning. The best leaders invest time upfront to prevent chaos later. They set clear expectations for: Project timelines Review cycles Communication rules for actual emergencies They make sure teams have enough notice for major tasks, and they push back on unrealistic timelines from other departments or clients. This doesn’t mean avoiding deadlines; it means preventing unnecessary ones. 3. Introduce a shared language around urgency When everyone defines “urgent” differently, confusion takes over. Effective leaders establish straightforward systems to categorize requests. For example: Critical: Must be addressed immediately. Clear consequences if delayed. High: Needs attention within 24-48 hours. Standard: On track for delivery within regular timelines. Low: Can be deferred or reviewed when time allows. These definitions help teams prioritize instead of treating every request the same. 4. Reward thoughtful work, not just fast work Speed often gets attention. The person who replies in five minutes is praised more than the one who responds in two hours with a better solution. Top leaders change this. They recognize: Work that avoids rework Thoughtful solutions that prevent future problems People who ask clarifying questions instead of saying “yes” to everything This shift teaches teams that the best work isn’t always the quickest; it’s the most accurate, useful and durable. When real urgency strikes: Set clear, temporary protocols Urgency can’t be avoided entirely. There will be times when fast action is necessary. Strong leaders make this clear, but they also make it temporary. They say things like: “This needs to be done by the end of the day, and here’s why. We’ll return to normal workflow tomorrow.” This prevents panic from spreading and reminds the team that urgency is the exception, not the rule. When repeated often, it creates discipline. People learn to shift gears when needed, but they don’t live in that mode full-time. Managing communication expectations Urgency often shows up in how people communicate, especially in remote or hybrid setups. Leaders who want to reduce false urgency establish clear boundaries: No expectation of instant replies: Unless marked critical, messages can be addressed during working hours. Use subject lines or Slack labels: This helps the team instantly understand the priority level without guessing. Avoid back-to-back urgent emails: If everything you send is marked urgent, the team will start ignoring it or, worse, resenting it. Related: Don’t Let the ‘Urgent’ Overtake the ‘Important’ What to do if your team is already operating in constant urgency If your team is stuck in the habit of constant rushing, the fix won’t happen overnight. But it can be done with consistent action. Acknowledge the pattern: Call it out in a team meeting. Share the goal of creating a healthier workflow. Make it clear this is not about slowing output, it’s about improving results and reducing stress. Audit current requests: Review the last two weeks of “urgent” items. How many were truly time-sensitive? What could have been avoided with better planning? Introduce priority levels: Start labeling tasks with real urgency levels. Encourage team members to do the same when assigning or requesting work. Protect team focus: Block time for deep work. Reduce unnecessary meetings. Allow time buffers around deadlines to accommodate last-minute changes without turning everything into a fire drill. Train direct reports to do the same: Encourage managers under you

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. The journey from a corporate cubicle to the helm of a startup is a well-trodden path. Many successful entrepreneurs, from Elon Musk to Sara Blakely, cut their teeth in corporate environments before launching their ventures. But what drives this trend? Why do so many entrepreneurs emerge from the structured world of Corporate America? Drawing on my Rich Habits research, which studied the daily habits of wealthy and poor individuals, we can uncover key factors that explain this phenomenon. Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success. Why the corporate training ground is a breeding ground for skills Corporate America serves as a de facto training ground for future entrepreneurs. My research has found that wealthy individuals, including many entrepreneurs, consistently engage in habits like continuous learning, goal-setting and disciplined time management. Corporate environments naturally foster these traits. Employees are exposed to structured systems, deadlines, and performance metrics, which instill discipline and accountability — I found these qualities in 88% of the wealthy who set daily goals compared to just 2% of the poor. In corporate settings, individuals often gain expertise in specific industries, from finance to technology to marketing. This deep domain knowledge is critical for identifying market gaps and opportunities. For example, working in a corporate marketing department might reveal inefficiencies in customer acquisition strategies, inspiring an entrepreneurial solution. 68% of the wealthy in my study pursued self-education to enhance their skills, a habit often honed in corporate roles through training programs, mentorship, and on-the-job learning. Moreover, corporate jobs provide access to networks of professionals, clients and suppliers — resources that are invaluable when launching a business. I found that 79% of wealthy individuals actively network, a practice often developed in corporate settings where collaboration and relationship-building are part of the job. Related: 10 Things Wealthy People Do Every Day Financial stability as a launchpad One of the biggest hurdles for aspiring entrepreneurs is financial risk. Corporate America often provides the financial stability needed to take the leap. My research found that 65% of wealthy individuals had multiple streams of income before achieving success, often starting with a stable corporate salary. This financial cushion allows future entrepreneurs to save capital, pay down debts or fund early-stage ventures without immediate pressure to generate profits. Corporate employees also gain insight into cash flow management, budgeting and resource allocation — skills critical for running a business. For instance, a mid-level manager overseeing a department budget learns to prioritize spending and optimize resources, directly applicable to bootstrapping a startup. 94% of the wealthy live below their means, a habit often cultivated in corporate jobs where steady paychecks encourage prudent financial planning. The push factor: Dissatisfaction and ambition While Corporate America equips individuals with skills and resources, it also fuels the desire to break free. My research revealed that 76% of wealthy individuals pursue their dreams and passions, compared to just 10% of the poor. Corporate environments, with their rigid hierarchies and limited upward mobility, can frustrate ambitious individuals who crave autonomy and impact. This dissatisfaction often pushes high-performers to entrepreneurship, where they can control their destiny. Take the example of Reed Hastings, who worked at a software company before founding Netflix. The constraints of corporate life — bureaucracy, slow innovation and lack of ownership — often clash with the entrepreneurial mindset. 70% of the wealthy focus on big-picture goals, a trait that corporate employees with entrepreneurial aspirations develop as they grow frustrated with incremental progress in their roles. Related: Why I Walked Away From a Career to Start My Own Business Risk tolerance and resilience Entrepreneurship demands a stomach for risk, and Corporate America inadvertently trains individuals to handle it. My work shows that 52% of wealthy individuals took calculated risks, compared to just 6% of the poor. Corporate employees often face high-stakes projects, tight deadlines, or performance reviews, which build resilience and decision-making under pressure. These experiences prepare them to navigate the uncertainties of entrepreneurship, from pitching to investors to weathering cash flow challenges. Additionally, corporate failures — missed promotions, failed projects or layoffs — teach valuable lessons about persistence. I found that 86% of the wealthy believe in overcoming failure, a mindset forged in the corporate world where setbacks are common but not career-ending. The corporate-to-entrepreneur pipeline The transition from Corporate America to entrepreneurship isn’t accidental — it’s a logical progression fueled by skill-building, financial stability, and a hunger for more. My Rich Habits research illuminates why this pipeline exists. The habits of the wealthy — discipline, continuous learning, networking and risk-taking — are often cultivated in corporate environments, giving employees the tools to succeed as entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the frustrations of corporate life push ambitious individuals to seek greater freedom and impact. So, the next time you hear about a corporate employee launching a startup, it’s no surprise. Corporate America isn’t just a job — it’s a launchpad for the entrepreneurial dream. Read More

The independent film studio, A24, has reached critical and commercial success with many films (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Uncut Gems, Moonlight) and often works with some of the biggest names in the business (Adam Sandler, Robert Pattinson, Michelle Yeoh). So when the first trailer dropped for Marty Supreme this week, a movie about a ping-pong star, played by A24 darling Timothée Chalamet (the film also stars Fran Drescher and Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow), a jarring, unmistakable voice can be heard. Is that…Kevin O’Leary? Related: ‘First Piece of Advice I Gave My Kids About Money’: Kevin O’Leary Says You Can Be a Millionaire on a $65,000 Salary. Here’s How. The “Shark Tank” star and venture capitalist plays a 1950s tycoon in the film — a work of fiction but based on a real person, American table tennis legend Marty Reisman. Playing a midcentury businessman came easy for O’Leary, who told TMZ (in his signature pajama bottoms) that he didn’t “take any acting lessons.” “[The directors] said just be yourself and see what happens,” O’Leary said. The writers of the film were looking for a “real a–hole, and [said] you’re it,” he added. Kevin O’Leary and Timothee Chalamet are seen filming at the movie set of the ‘Marty Supreme’ in Times Square, Manhattan, on October 02, 2024, in New York City. Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images | Getty Although some people were shocked to see O’Leary have such a prominent part in the trailer, photos surfaced of his role last fall. And he has fourth billing, per ScreenRant, which means it isn’t a small cameo. Usually, when a non-acting celebrity makes an appearance in a feature film, it’s a short part (Eminem’s hilarious role in Happy Gilmore 2, for example), or the person plays a version of themselves. But in this film, O’Leary’s character is married to Gwyneth Paltrow’s. We’ll see how film critics rate his performance when the movie is released on December 25, 2025. “You have to spend 30% of your day outside your comfort zone,” O’Leary said. Related: Kevin O’Leary Says This Is the One Skill He Looks For in a Leader — But It’s ‘Almost Impossible to Find’ Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success. Read More

The AI-focused blockchain project Qubic announced the community’s intention to target Dogecoin on X. Aug 18, 2025, 5:47 a.m. Dogecoin nursed losses on Monday as the community behind Qubic, which recently attacked Monero, voted to target the Dogecoin network over Zcash and Kaspa by a big margin. At the time of writing, DOGE traded at over 22 cents, representing a 4% decline on a 24-hour basis, according to CoinDesk data. The cryptocurrency chalked out a bullish golden crossover last week, but the bullish pattern failed to inspire bullish momentum. Early Monday, the AI-focused blockchain project Qubic announced the community’s intention to target Dogecoin on X, stating, “There are ongoing discussions about $DOGE and preparation will take time.” It added that “questions around blockchain resilience are being raised and we may have tools to address them.” Sergey Ivancheglo, the founder of the Qubic network, sought a community vote on which application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-enabled proof-of-work (PoW) blockchain should be targeted with a 51% attack. From a list that included Kaspa and Zcash, the community overwhelmingly voted for DOGE. “The Qubic community has chosen Dogecoin,” Ivancheglo, announced on X via his handle Come-from-Beyond. Qubic recently launched a successful 51% attack on Monero, gaining majority control over the computing power used to secure the privacy network. DOGE leads CVD decline DOGE’s futures open-interest-adjusted cumulative volume delta (CVD) indicator has dropped nearly 1% in the past 24 hours, the largest among the top 25 cryptocurrencies by market value, according to data source Velo. CVD, or Cumulative Volume Delta, is a technical indicator that measures the net buying or selling pressure in a market over a specific period. It is a running total of the difference between buying and selling volume. A negative CVD indicates that selling pressure is more substantial than buying pressure. This means that a greater number of market participants are selling a particular asset than buying it. It is often seen as a bearish signal, suggesting that the price is likely to drop or continue its decline. Most cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ETH, have a similar bearish profile. Meanwhile, LINK is the only token, boasting a positive CVD. BTC Drops below $116K Bitcoin , the leading cryptocurrency by market value, fell nearly to $115,000 early Monday, extending the decline from Thursday’s record high of over $124,000. The decline follows a hotter-than-expected U.S. producer price inflation on Friday, which weakened the case for a 50-basis-point Fed rate cut in September. That said, the central bank is still expected to reduce the borrowing cost by 25 basis points. “Given the persistent uncertainty surrounding key economic indicators, the Federal Reserve has thus far maintained a cautious stance on interest rate cuts. The recent U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) for July doesn’t make that any easier,” analysts at Coinbase Institutional said in a weekly report. “Nevertheless, we see this as an opportunity. We think the Fed’s eventual focus on the broader economic picture, including the labor market, will ultimately lead to 25 bps rate cuts in September and October,” analysts added. Some observers expect the Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lay the groundwork for the September move during this speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium later this week. Read more: Asia Morning Briefing: Crypto’s Rising Leverage Trades Show Signs of Stress, Galaxy Digital Says Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. Omkar Godbole Omkar Godbole is a Co-Managing Editor and analyst on CoinDesk’s Markets team. He has been covering crypto options and futures, as well as macro and cross-asset activity, since 2019, leveraging his prior experience in directional and non-directional derivative strategies at brokerage firms. His extensive background also encompasses the FX markets, having served as a fundamental analyst at currency and commodities desks for Mumbai-based brokerages and FXStreet. Omkar holds small amounts of bitcoin, ether, BitTorrent, tron and dot. Omkar holds a Master’s degree in Finance and a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation. X icon AI Boost “AI Boost” indicates a generative text tool, typically an AI chatbot, contributed to the article. In each and every case, the article was edited, fact-checked and published by a human. Read more about CoinDesk’s AI Policy. More For You Solana Briefly Hits 100K TPS Under Stress Load, Boosting SOL Appeal The data showed that Solana could theoretically sustain 80,000–100,000 TPS in real operations like transfers or oracle updates under peak conditions. What to know: Solana’s mainnet briefly achieved over 100,000 transactions per second, with a peak of 107,540 TPS. The high TPS was driven by ‘noop’ program calls, which are lightweight instructions used to test network capacity. Actual user-facing throughput remains lower, with effective throughput for payments and applications around 1,000 TPS. Read full story Read More

Crypto loans are back near bull-market highs, but last week’s $1B liquidation shows leverage is cutting both ways. Aug 17, 2025, 11:58 p.m. Good Morning, Asia. Here’s what’s making news in the markets: Welcome to Asia Morning Briefing, a daily summary of top stories during U.S. hours and an overview of market moves and analysis. For a detailed overview of U.S. markets, see CoinDesk’s Crypto Daybook Americas. Leverage in crypto markets is surging back to bull-market levels, even as last Thursday’s pullback reminded traders how quickly overextended bets can unwind. Galaxy Research’s Q2 State of Crypto Leverage shows crypto-collateralized loans expanded 27% last quarter to $53.1 billion, the highest since early 2022, powered by record demand in DeFi lending and a renewed appetite for risk. That backdrop set the stage for last week’s shakeout. Bitcoin’s retreat from $124,000 to as low as $118,000 triggered more than $1 billion in liquidations across crypto derivatives, the largest long wipeout since early August. Analysts framed it as healthy profit-taking rather than the start of a reversal, but it underscored how fragile the market becomes when leverage builds this quickly. Galaxy’s analysts argue that stress points are already visible. In July, a wave of withdrawals on Aave pushed ETH borrowing rates above Ethereum’s staking yields, breaking the economics of the popular “looping” trade where staked ETH is used as collateral to borrow more ETH. The unwinding triggered a rush to exit staking positions, sending Ethereum’s Beacon Chain exit queue to a record 13 days. Galaxy has also flagged that borrowing costs for USDC in the over-the-counter market have been climbing since July, even as on-chain lending rates remain flat. The spread between the two has widened to its highest level since late 2024. That disconnect suggests demand for dollars off-chain is outpacing liquidity onchain, creating a mismatch that could amplify volatility if conditions tighten further. With institutional demand and ETF inflows still supporting the bullish backdrop, strategists remain constructive on crypto. But between ballooning loan volumes, concentration of lending power, DeFi liquidity crunches, and a widening gap between on-chain and off-chain dollar markets, the system is showing more points of stress, Galaxy writes. Thursday’s $1B flush was a warning that the return of leverage is cutting both ways. Market Movers BTC: Volatility has plunged across markets ahead of Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech, with traders betting on September rate cuts, but some warn complacency could mask risks as BTC trades at $118,061.51, up 0.44%. ETH: A record $3.8B in Ether is queued for unstaking with a 15-day wait, adding potential profit-taking pressure even as ETF and treasury demand surges, with ETH trading at $4,524.10, up 2.13%. Gold: Gold is trading at $3,332.95, down 0.11%, as hotter U.S. inflation data cut Fed rate-cut bets and left XAU/USD consolidating above key $3,310 support ahead of Powell’s Jackson Hole speech. Elsewhere in Crypto Stablecoin Boom Has Made Crypto Ramps ‘Sexier’ M&A Targets, Says VanEck VC (Decrypt) Why Circle and Stripe (And Many Others) Are Launching Their Own Blockchains (CoinDesk) Gemini Hires Goldmans, Citi, Morgan Stanley and Cantor as Lead Bookrunners For its IPO (CoinDesk) Sam Reynolds Sam Reynolds is a senior reporter based in Asia. Sam was part of the CoinDesk team that won the 2023 Gerald Loeb award in the breaking news category for coverage of FTX’s collapse. Prior to CoinDesk, he was a reporter with Blockworks and a semiconductor analyst with IDC. X icon More For You Solana Briefly Hits 100K TPS Under Stress Load, Boosting SOL Appeal The data showed that Solana could theoretically sustain 80,000–100,000 TPS in real operations like transfers or oracle updates under peak conditions. What to know: Solana’s mainnet briefly achieved over 100,000 transactions per second, with a peak of 107,540 TPS. The high TPS was driven by ‘noop’ program calls, which are lightweight instructions used to test network capacity. Actual user-facing throughput remains lower, with effective throughput for payments and applications around 1,000 TPS. Read full story Read More

Institutions ramped up BTC exposure in Q2 through spot ETFs like IBIT and crypto-linked stocks, signaling growing comfort with the asset class. Aug 17, 2025, 8:00 p.m. Wall Street ramped up its exposure to bitcoin in the second quarter, adding positions not only in spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) but also in U.S. stocks closely tied to the cryptocurrency’s price, according to new filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Brevan Howard nearly doubled its position in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) during the second quarter, according to a securities filing. The macro-focused hedge fund held 37.9 million shares at the end of June, up from about 21.5 million in March. The stake was worth more than $2.6 billion based on IBIT’s closing price on June 28, making Brevan Howard one of the largest reported institutional holders of IBIT alongside Goldman Sachs, which boosted its position to $3.3 billion in IBIT and Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Trust (FBTC). The banking giant also held $489 million worth of the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), according to a filing. Goldman’s ownership of the ETFs isn’t necessarily a direct wager by its trading desk on bitcoin’s price; rather, it more likely represents positions held by Goldman Sachs Asset Management on behalf of its clients. Brevan Howard, best known for macro trading, however, has long been active in the crypto space and operates a dedicated digital asset division called BH Digital. The unit manages billions in assets and invests in blockchain infrastructure, decentralized finance and related technologies. Harvard, Wells Fargo and more Other major IBIT investors include Harvard University, which reported a $1.9 billion stake in the ETF, and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company, which continues to hold $681 million. In terms of U.S. banks, Wells Fargo nearly quadrupled its holdings of IBIT to $160 million, up from $26 million in the previous quarter, while maintaining a $200,000 stake in the Grayscale Bitcoin Fund (GBTC). Cantor Fitzgerald also boosted its holdings to over $250 million while also increasing stakes in crypto-related stocks, including Strategy (MSTR), Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD), among others. Trading firm Jane Street revealed holding a $1.46 billion stake in IBIT, which represents the largest single position in its portfolio after Tesla (TSLA) at $1.41 billion. It increased its stake in MSTR while reducing its holdings of FBTC. Spot bitcoin ETFs like IBIT, which launched in January, allow investors to gain exposure to bitcoin’s price without directly holding the cryptocurrency. That structure offers traditional institutions an avenue to participate in the crypto market through familiar brokerage accounts and custodial arrangements. Norway buys more For some overseas entities, gaining exposure to bitcoin is easier through U.S.-listed companies that hold large amounts of BTC on their balance sheets. That’s the approach being taken by Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, along with several other European state-backed investors, which are opting for equity stakes in crypto-adjacent firms rather than holding the crypto directly. Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), the investment arm of the Norwegian central bank and the entity that manages the country’s $2 trillion pension fund, now indirectly holds 7,161 BTC, according to a new note from K33 Research. That figure is up 192% from 2,446 BTC a year ago, and up 87% from the 3,821 BTC it held at the end of 2024. (Source: NBIM, K33 Research via X) The largest portion of its exposure — 3,005 BTC — comes through shares in Strategy. The rest is spread across companies like Marathon Digital, Coinbase, Block, and Metaplanet. K33 also counted GME (GameStop) and several smaller holdings as contributing to the total. Still, the exposure remains tiny in context. Norway’s fund owns stakes in thousands of companies across global markets, and the value of its bitcoin-linked investments is a fraction of its total holdings. At a current market price of $117,502 per BTC, the fund’s 7,161 BTC is worth around $841 million — or less than 0.05% of the $2 trillion portfolio. The sharp increase over the past year may signal growing institutional comfort with the asset class, but it doesn’t represent a major strategic shift—yet. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. Helene Braun Helene is a New York-based markets reporter at CoinDesk, covering the latest news from Wall Street, the rise of the spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds and updates on crypto markets. She is a graduate of New York University’s business and economic reporting program and has appeared on CBS News, YahooFinance and Nasdaq TradeTalks. She holds BTC and ETH. X icon AI Boost “AI Boost” indicates a generative text tool, typically an AI chatbot, contributed to the article. In each and every case, the article was edited, fact-checked and published by a human. Read more about CoinDesk’s AI Policy. More For You Solana Briefly Hits 100K TPS Under Stress Load, Boosting SOL Appeal The data showed that Solana could theoretically sustain 80,000–100,000 TPS in real operations like transfers or oracle updates under peak conditions. What to know: Solana’s mainnet briefly achieved over 100,000 transactions per second, with a peak of 107,540 TPS. The high TPS was driven by ‘noop’ program calls, which are lightweight instructions used to test network capacity. Actual user-facing throughput remains lower, with effective throughput for payments and applications around 1,000 TPS. Read full story Read More

Chainlink’s LINK Outperform Top 50 Tokens, as Analyst Calls It ‘Very Undervalued’ LINK surged 18% to $26.05, outpacing peers as analysts highlight undervaluation, strong chart signals and Chainlink’s August product announcements. Updated Aug 17, 2025, 8:39 p.m. Published Aug 17, 2025, 6:24 p.m. Chainlink’s LINK token jumped 18% to $26.05 on Sunday, according to CoinDesk Data, outpacing the top 50 cryptocurrencies by percentage gain as analysts and traders cited momentum and recent fundamental catalysts. What Analysts Are Saying Altcoin Sherpa described LINK as “one of the best coins right now,” pointing to chart strength that could carry toward $30. He explained that round-number levels like $30 often act as psychological barriers where sellers take profits, so traders should be cautious about chasing the move too late. Zach Humphries, another analyst, argued that LINK remains “very undervalued” at current prices. He emphasized that Chainlink underpins much of decentralized finance by delivering the price feeds and cross-chain services many protocols rely on. From his perspective, the token should be treated as a bet on critical infrastructure rather than just another speculative asset. Milk Road highlighted the strong trading backdrop. The publication noted a 66% surge in 24-hour trading volume and said LINK’s clean breakout above $24.50 added conviction for momentum traders. They tied the bullish tone back to two key August developments: the launch of Chainlink’s new onchain reserve and its data partnership with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Chainlink Reserve On Aug. 7, Chainlink introduced the Chainlink Reserve, a smart contract treasury designed to steadily accumulate LINK over time. The mechanism works by converting the project’s revenue — paid in stablecoins, gas tokens, or fiat — into LINK and then locking those tokens onchain for multiple years. The conversion process, called Payment Abstraction, automates this workflow. It uses Chainlink’s own services — price feeds for fair conversion rates, automation to trigger transactions, and CCIP to consolidate fees from different chains — before swapping into LINK via decentralized exchanges. Chainlink says the Reserve has already accumulated more than $1 million worth of LINK, with no withdrawals planned for several years. It also earmarks 50% of fees from staking-secured services such as Smart Value Recapture to feed the Reserve, creating a recurring stream of inflows. The initiative serves two strategic purposes. First, it strengthens the link between adoption and token demand by ensuring usage revenues convert directly into LINK. Second, it provides transparency: anyone can view inflows, balances, and the timelock at reserve.chain.link. Chainlink has framed the Reserve as one piece of a broader economic design that includes user-fee growth and cost reductions via the Chainlink Runtime Environment. For investors, the practical takeaway is that network growth can now translate into steady, programmatic accumulation of LINK on the open market. Chainlink’s dashboard shows the reserve now holds about 109,663 LINK tokens, with a market value of roughly $2.8 million. The data also highlights that the average cost basis of these holdings is $19.65 per token, underscoring the program’s early accumulation strategy. ICE Partnership On Aug. 11, Chainlink also announced a partnership with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the operator of the New York Stock Exchange. The collaboration integrates ICE’s Consolidated Feed, which provides foreign-exchange and precious-metals rates from more than 300 venues, into Chainlink Data Streams. ICE is one of several blue-chip contributors to these datasets, which are aggregated by Chainlink to create fast, tamper-resistant data feeds for use onchain. By incorporating ICE’s market coverage, Chainlink aims to make its feeds more attractive for banks, asset managers, and developers building tokenized assets or automated settlement systems. Chainlink Labs described the integration as a watershed moment for institutional adoption. The thinking is that traditional finance players need proven, high-quality data to interact with blockchain applications, and bringing ICE’s feeds onchain helps meet that standard. The partnership marked one of the clearest examples yet of a major Wall Street market data provider engaging with blockchain infrastructure. By giving decentralized applications direct access to ICE’s financial data, it positioned Chainlink as a bridge between traditional markets and decentralized finance. Looking Ahead Analysts highlight LINK’s strong trend, undervaluation and accelerating momentum, suggesting the token is in a position of strength as investors digest Chainlink’s recent strategic moves. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. Siamak Masnavi Siamak Masnavi is a researcher specializing in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency regulations, and macroeconomic trends shaping the crypto market. He holds a PhD in computer science from the University of London and began his career in software development, including four years in the banking industry in the City of London and Zurich. In April 2018, Siamak transitioned to writing about cryptocurrency news, focusing on journalism until January 2025, when he shifted exclusively to research on the aforementioned topics. AI Boost “AI Boost” indicates a generative text tool, typically an AI chatbot, contributed to the article. In each and every case, the article was edited, fact-checked and published by a human. Read more about CoinDesk’s AI Policy. More For You Solana Briefly Hits 100K TPS Under Stress Load, Boosting SOL Appeal The data showed that Solana could theoretically sustain 80,000–100,000 TPS in real operations like transfers or oracle updates under peak conditions. What to know: Solana’s mainnet briefly achieved over 100,000 transactions per second, with a peak of 107,540 TPS. The high TPS was driven by ‘noop’ program calls, which are lightweight instructions used to test network capacity. Actual user-facing throughput remains lower, with effective throughput for payments and applications around 1,000 TPS. Read full story Read More

Volatility Vanishes Across Markets as Traders Brace for Powell’s Jackson Hole Speech The decline in volatility across asset classes likely reflects expectations for easy monetary policy and economic stability; however, some analysts are warning of potential downside risks. Aug 17, 2025, 6:00 p.m. A pervasive calm has taken hold of asset classes as traders look forward to Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell’s speech at the annual Jackson Hole Symposium, scheduled for Aug. 21-23. Bitcoin’s (BTC) 30-day implied volatility, as measured by Volmex’s BVIV and Deribit’s DVOL index, has declined sharply in recent months, hovering near two-year lows of around 36% last week, according to TradingView data. Similarly, the CME Gold Volatility Index (GVZ), which estimates the expected 30-day volatility of returns for the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD), has more than halved over the past four months, dropping to 15.22%—its lowest level since January. The MOVE index, which tracks the 30-day implied volatility of Treasury notes, has also declined in recent months, reaching a 3.5-year low of 76%. Meanwhile, the VIX, widely regarded as Wall Street’s “fear gauge,” fell below 14% last week, down substantially from its early April highs near 45%. A similar vol compression is seen in FX majors such as the EUR/USD. Rates are ‘still high’ The pronounced slide in volatility across major assets comes as central banks, particularly the Fed, are expected to deliver rate cuts from restrictive territory, rather than amid a crisis. “Most major economies are not easing from ultra-low or emergency levels like we saw after the financial crisis or during COVID. They’re cutting from restrictive territory, meaning rates are still high enough to slow growth, and in many cases, real rates, adjusted for inflation, are still positive. That’s a big shift from the last easing cycles, and it changes how the next phase plays out,” pseudonymous observer Endgame Macro noted on X, explaining the bull run in all assets, including cryptocurrencies and stock markets. According to the CME’s FedWatch tool, the Fed is expected to cut rates by 25 basis points in September, resuming the easing cycle after an eight-month pause. Investment banking giant JPMorgan expects the benchmark borrowing cost to drop to 3.25%-3.5% by the end of the first quarter of 2026, a 100-basis-point decrease from the current 4.25%. Per some observers, Powell could lay the groundwork for fresh easing during this Jackson Hole speech. “The path to rate cuts may be uneven, as we have seen over the last two years, where markets have been eager for rate cuts and sometimes disappointed that the Fed has not delivered them. But we believe the direction of travel for rates is likely to remain lower,” Angelo Kourkafas, a senior global investment strategist at Edward Jones, said in a blog post on Friday. “With inflation treading water and labour-market strains becoming more pronounced, the balance of risks may soon tip toward action. Chair Powell’s upcoming remarks at Jackson Hole could validate the now-high expectations that, after a seven-month pause, rate cuts will resume in September,” Jones added. In other words, the decline in volatility across asset classes likely reflects expectations for easy monetary policy and economic stability. Markets too complacent? However, contrarians may view it as a sign that markets are too complacent, as President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs threaten to weigh on economic growth, and the latest data points to sticky inflation. Just take a look at the price levels for most assets, including BTC and gold: They are all at record highs. Prosper Trading Academy’s Scott Bauer argued last week during an interview with Schwab Network that volatility is too low following the recent round of economic data, with more uncertainty on the horizon. The argument for market complacency gains credence when viewed against the backdrop of bond markets, where corporate bond spreads hit their lowest since 2007. That prompted analysts at Goldman Sachs to warn clients against complacency and take hedges. “There are enough sources of downside risks to warrant keeping some hedges on in portfolios,” Goldman strategists led by Lotfi Karoui wrote in a note dated July 31, according to Bloomberg. “Growth could surprise further to the downside,” dis-inflationary pressures could fade or renewed concerns over Fed independence may fuel a sharp selloff in long-dated yields. In any case, volatility is mean-reverting, meaning periods of low volatility typically set the stage for a return to more turbulent conditions. Omkar Godbole Omkar Godbole is a Co-Managing Editor and analyst on CoinDesk’s Markets team. He has been covering crypto options and futures, as well as macro and cross-asset activity, since 2019, leveraging his prior experience in directional and non-directional derivative strategies at brokerage firms. His extensive background also encompasses the FX markets, having served as a fundamental analyst at currency and commodities desks for Mumbai-based brokerages and FXStreet. Omkar holds small amounts of bitcoin, ether, BitTorrent, tron and dot. Omkar holds a Master’s degree in Finance and a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designation. X icon More For You Solana Briefly Hits 100K TPS Under Stress Load, Boosting SOL Appeal The data showed that Solana could theoretically sustain 80,000–100,000 TPS in real operations like transfers or oracle updates under peak conditions. What to know: Solana’s mainnet briefly achieved over 100,000 transactions per second, with a peak of 107,540 TPS. 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U.S. stock futures pointed higher on Sunday evening ahead of a critical stretch for markets as investors brace for fresh clues on rate cuts and tariffs. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 48 points, or 0.11%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.12%, and Nasdaq futures added 0.18%. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was flat at 4.322%. The U.S. dollar was down 0.07% against the euro but up 0.07% against the yen. Gold fell 0.25% to $3,374.10 per ounce. U.S. oil prices dropped 0.27% to $62.63 per barrel, and Brent crude fell 0.41% to $65.58. Energy markets will also be in focus this week amid continued diplomacy to end Russia’s war on Ukraine as harsher U.S. sanctions on Moscow could target its oil exports, though President Donald Trump refrained from announcing any fresh penalties after ceasefire talks Friday failed to produce a deal. Stocks have notched two consecutive weekly gains, with the S&P 500 hitting a fresh all-time high last week. That’s as corporate earnings have continued to come in strong and as the latest inflation readings were mixed but still haven’t set off panic about the effect of tariffs. With the labor market also looking weaker, Wall Street overwhelmingly sees the inflation data giving the Federal Reserve a green light to resume rate cuts next month, further fueling market optimism. But those views will be tested this week. On Wednesday, the Fed will release minutes from its policy meeting in July, when central bankers kept rates steady though two officials dissented. The details should show how much debate occurred and to what extent other policymakers were leaning a certain way. Then the main attraction will take place on Friday, when Fed Chair Jerome Powell will deliver a speech at a gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The annual event previously has served as an opportunity for policymakers to tease forthcoming rate moves. Last year, Powell signaled a pivot to cuts, saying “the time has come for policy to adjust” and that “my confidence has grown that inflation is on a sustainable path back to 2%.” But he may not drop big hints this year, potentially setting up Wall Street for major disappointment. Meanwhile, earnings season is winding down, but the coming week will feature several top retailers. Home Depot reports Tuesday, with Lowe’s and Target due on Wednesday. Walmart will put out its numbers on Thursday. Their quarterly updates will provide new insights into how much tariffs are affecting prices and who is picking up the extra costs. The precise impact of tariffs on inflation remains somewhat of a mystery. While companies may be absorbing much of the tariff costs for now, it’s not clear how much longer they can keep it up and how much consumers will be able to shoulder later. If the retail giants keep eating tariff costs, that will show up on the bottom line and in their guidance. Citi doesn’t expect consumers to get hit with big price hikes in the future, even as more levies are expected to roll out. “Softer demand means firms will have difficulty passing tariff costs on to consumers,” chief US economist Andrew Hollenhorst said in a note. “While some firms might still attempt to slowly increase prices in coming months, the experience so far suggests these increases will be modest in size. This should reduce concerns about upside risk to inflation and increase concerns that decreased profit margins will cause firms to pullback on hiring.” Introducing the 2025 Fortune Global 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in the world. Explore this year’s list. Read More

Rose Hammond pushed authorities for years to lower the 55 mph speed limit on a two-lane road that passes her assisted living community, a church, two schools and a busy park that hosts numerous youth sports leagues. “What are you waiting for, somebody to get killed?” the 85-year-old chided officials in northwest Ohio, complaining that nothing was being done about the motorcycles that race by almost daily. Amid growing public pressure, Sylvania Township asked county engineers in March to analyze whether Mitchaw Road’s posted speed is too high. The surprising answer: Technically, it’s 5 mph too low. The reason dates back to studies on rural roads from the 1930s and 1940s that still play an outsized role in the way speed limits are set across the U.S. — even in urban areas. Born from that research was a widely accepted concept known as the 85% rule, which suggests a road’s posted speed should be tied to the 15th-fastest vehicle out of every 100 traveling it in free-flowing traffic, rounded to the nearest 5 mph increment. But after decades of closely following the rule, some states — with a nudge from the federal government — are seeking to modify if not replace it when setting guidelines for how local engineers should decide what speed limit to post. Drivers set the speed The concept assumes that a road’s safest speed is the one most vehicles travel — neither too high nor too low. If drivers think the speed limit should be raised, they can simply step on the gas and “vote with their feet,” as an old brochure from the Institute of Transportation Engineers once put it. “The problem with this approach is it creates this feedback loop,” said Jenny O’Connell, director of member programs for the National Association of City Transportation Officials. “People speed, and then the speed limits will be ratcheted up to match that speed.” The association developed an alternative to the 85% rule known as “City Limits,” which aims to minimize the risk of injuries for all road users by setting the speed limit based on a formula that factors in a street’s activity level and the likelihood of conflicts, such as collisions. The report points out the 85% rule is based on dated research and that “these historic roads are a far cry from the vibrant streets and arterials that typify city streets today.” Amid a recent spike in road deaths across the country, the Federal Highway Administration sent a subtle but important message to states that the 85% rule isn’t actually a rule at all and was carrying too much weight in determining local speed limits. In its first update since 2009 to a manual that establishes national guidelines for traffic signs, the agency clarified that communities should also consider such things as how the road is used, the risk to pedestrians, and the frequency of crashes. Leah Shahum, who directs the Vision Zero Network, a nonprofit advocating for street safety, said she wishes the manual had gone further in downplaying the 85% rule but acknowledges the change has already impacted the way some states set speed limits. Others, however, are still clinging to the simplicity and familiarity of the longstanding approach, she said. “The 85th percentile should not be the Holy Grail or the Bible, and yet over and over again it is accepted as that,” Shahum said. Rethinking the need for speed Under its “20 is Plenty” campaign, the Wisconsin capital of Madison has been changing signs across the city this summer, lowering the speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph on local residential streets. When Seattle took a similar step in a pilot program seven years ago, not only did it see a noticeable decline in serious injury crashes but also a 7% drop in the 85th percentile speed, according to the Vision Zero Network. California embraces the 85% rule even more than most states as its basis for setting speed limits. But legislators have loosened the restrictions on local governments a bit in recent years, allowing them to depart from the guidelines if they can cite a proven safety need. Advocates for pedestrians and bicyclists say the change helps, but is not enough. “We still have a long way to go in California in terms of putting value on all road users,” said Kendra Ramsey, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition. “There’s still a very heavy mindset that automobiles are the primary method of travel and they should be given priority and reverence.” But Jay Beeber, executive director for policy at the National Motorists Association, an advocacy organization for drivers, said following the 85% rule is usually the safest way to minimize the variation in speed between drivers who abide by the posted limit and those who far exceed it. “It doesn’t really matter what number you put on a sign,” Beeber said. “The average driver drives the nature of the roadway. It would be patently unfair for a government to build a road to encourage people to drive 45 mph, put a 30 mph speed limit on it, and then ticket everyone for doing what they built the road to do.” 80 is the new 55 Fears about oil prices prompted Congress in the 1970s to set a 55 mph national maximum speed limit, which it later relaxed to 65 mph before repealing the law in 1995 and handing the authority to states. Since then, speed limits have kept climbing, with North Dakota this summer becoming the ninth state to allow drivers to go 80 mph on some stretches of highway. There’s even a 40-mile segment in Texas between Austin and San Antonio where 85 mph is allowed. Although high-speed freeways outside major population centers aren’t the focus of most efforts to ease the 85% rule, a 2019 study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — a research arm funded by auto insurers — illustrates the risks. Every 5 mph increase to a state’s maximum speed limit increases the chance of fatalities by 8.5% on interstate highways and 2.8% on other roads,