U.S. hiring momentum cooled sharply in June, with the latest Nonfarm Payrolls report showing just 57,000 net new jobs. That marked a steep drop from May's downwardly revised 129,000 and undershot the 115,000 consensus estimate tracked by Dow Jones. Revisions were also a drag, cutting a combined 74,000 jobs from the initial May and April figures. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.2%, but the decline came alongside a weaker labor-force participation rate. Participation fell 0.3 percentage point to 61.5%, the lowest level since March 2021. The Household Survey painted an even darker picture than the Establishment Survey, indicating a loss of 507,000 jobs. On that measure, about 1,700,000 people have lost jobs so far in 2026. More commentary is available at Kitco.

Gold is struggling to find firm footing around the $4,100 level as investors head into a data-heavy week, with U.S. inflation figures set to test the Federal Reserve's tightening bias. Analysts say the metal may be trying to form a base after last month's steep decline, but warn that key support could come under pressure once the next CPI report hits. The market has failed to sustain upside momentum and is on track for another weekly loss, unable to hold convincingly above $4,100. Trading this week was shaped by a renewed flare-up in Middle East fighting, which has added to the global energy crunch, pushed oil prices higher, and reignited inflation concerns. Spot gold was last at $4,097.86 an ounce, down nearly 2% from last week. The full article is available at Kitco.

Security researchers say a suspected exploit is moving millions of dollars from Hedera to Ethereum, putting users and incident responders on alert and pushing HBAR down more than 2%. What researchers are seeing Security researcher Specter reported that an attacker bridged about $3.7 million from Hedera to Ethereum using LayerZero, then converted WBTC proceeds into ETH. Specter also shared two wallet addresses believed to be connected to the activity. On-chain trackers later observed the suspected haul increasing. CryptoBull360 estimated the suspect wallet at roughly $5.8 million, consisting of about 3,203 ETH (around 80% of holdings) with the balance held in WBTC. Blockchain security firm PeckShield produced a separate snapshot estimating about $5.25 million bridged. At the time of its analysis, PeckShield reported the wallet held approximately 2,360 ETH (about $4.25 million) and 15.58 WBTC (about $1 million). PeckShield also noted the wallet's initial funding traced back to a 1 ETH deposit routed through Tornado Cash, describing this as chain history rather than proof of the attacker's identity. Market impact and response HBAR was trading near $0.069 and fell more than 2% after the reports circulated. Researchers described the theft as active and changing, with multiple inbound transfers in a short window followed by swaps into ETH once funds reached Ethereum. Neither Specter nor PeckShield has attributed the activity to a specific actor. Hedera had not issued an official statement at the time of reporting. Security teams continue monitoring the addresses and publishing updates as additional on-chain activity appears. Broader backdrop The episode follows a string of recent crypto security incidents: Blockaid warned of an active exploit targeting Summer.fi with estimated losses of about $6 million; Ctrl Wallet said it will wind down following a Cardano wallet exploit; and Secret Network proposed migrating SCRT from Cosmos to Arbitrum, citing security and liquidity concerns. The situation remains fluid. Market participants will be watching for any containment measures from Hedera and for further attribution or recovery updates from the security community.

Bonzo, a Hedera-based lending protocol, saw its total value locked (TVL) drop 77% after an oracle exploit siphoned roughly $9 million from the platform—one of the largest security incidents to date on the Hedera network. The attack focused on Bonzo's oracle setup, the price-feed system lending markets use to value collateral and execute liquidations. The incident report released by Bonzo said the breach originated at the oracle provider layer rather than from a flaw in Bonzo's own smart contracts. That distinction is significant, as vulnerabilities at the oracle level can impact any protocol relying on the same data source. The losses triggered a rapid wave of withdrawals. TVL is widely treated as a key confidence gauge for lending protocols, and a decline of this scale typically reflects depositors prioritizing capital flight over waiting for clarity on whether their individual positions were affected. With liquidity and collateral exiting the system, the protocol's ability to operate as an active lending market is materially impaired. For users who still have funds deposited, the recovery outlook remains uncertain. While Bonzo has attributed the root cause to its oracle provider, it has not outlined a compensation or reimbursement plan for affected depositors. The event also highlights the broader risk profile of oracle dependence across DeFi. Hedera's DeFi segment is relatively small compared with other chains, which makes a $9 million exploit disproportionately impactful for network-level sentiment. Protocols that share the same oracle provider may now reassess their exposure, reinforcing the industry push toward stronger automated defenses and diversified oracle sources. Bonzo's next steps will likely hinge on whether the team can recover funds, mitigate the vulnerability, and restore trust as reflected in its depleted TVL. Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.

Analysts increasingly say semiconductors make up only about 25% of total AI infrastructure spend. The remaining 75% is flowing to power management, cooling, and the physical buildout of data centers. Two companies positioned squarely in that larger slice—Vertiv Holdings and Bloom Energy—posted quarterly results that underscore why investors are focusing on the "picks and shovels" of AI. Vertiv, which supplies power and thermal management systems for data centers, reported Q1 2026 revenue of $2.65 billion, up 30% year over year. Organic growth was 23%, while adjusted earnings per share jumped 83%. Backlog has climbed above $15 billion, and management lifted full-year sales guidance to about $13.75 billion. Bloom Energy delivered an even sharper acceleration. Quarterly revenue surged 130% from a year earlier to $751 million, and the company returned to profitability with net income of roughly $71 million. Bloom also broadened its relationship with Oracle to include up to 2.8 GW of capacity and secured a financing arrangement with Brookfield for as much as $25 billion. A related shift is playing out among former Bitcoin miners. With access to high-power sites and established ties to energy providers, many are moving into AI data center hosting. IREN, which has roots in crypto mining, landed a $3.4 billion agreement with Nvidia for GPU cloud computing and announced a 5 GW infrastructure partnership. For investors tracking the theme, attention is moving away from chip unit sales and toward power capacity—measured in gigawatts—and backlog growth at suppliers such as Vertiv and Bloom. Vertiv's $15 billion-plus backlog points to demand visibility extending into 2027 and beyond. Bloom's expansion with Oracle to 2.8 GW signals that even the largest enterprise buyers are committing to alternative power solutions for AI buildouts.

ChainCatcher reports that Coinglass data show $76.96 million in crypto liquidations across the market over the past 24 hours. Long liquidations totaled $30.15 million, while short liquidations reached $46.81 million. By asset, Bitcoin saw $5.59 million in long liquidations and $5.55 million in short liquidations. Ethereum recorded $4.41 million in long liquidations and $21.02 million in short liquidations. In total, 45,677 traders were liquidated globally during the period. The largest single liquidation was $2.49 million on Hyperliquid's ETHUSD market.

Actions are doing the talking in the gold market heading into the second half of the year. Two recent central bank surveys delivered a clear signal: the World Gold Council reported a record 45% of central banks expect to increase their own gold reserves over the next 12 months, and OMFIF's annual poll found reserve managers continue to rank gold among their favored reserve assets as they diversify in an increasingly fragmented global financial system. Surveys capture intentions. What has unfolded since then has added real weight to that message, as central bank balance sheets increasingly reflect a preference for gold. Full story at Kitco.

ChainThink, citing DefiLlama data as of July 12, said Polymarket generated $1.88 million in revenue over the past 24 hours, overtaking Canton and Hyperliquid to become the third-highest revenue-earning crypto protocol. DefiLlama data also shows Polymarket's cumulative protocol revenue has surpassed $94 million.