The best-performing ETF in the US this year is not tied to crypto, AI, or any other technology trade. It is the Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF, or BWET, which Protos said has risen 5,100% over the past year and 3,600% since January 1, 2026. The fund is built around long positions in forward freight agreements and a rolling basket of near-dated freight futures, with roughly 90% of its exposure linked to the Middle East-to-China supertanker route, including traffic affected by Hormuz. According to the report, BWET’s rise has tracked a sharp jump in oil tanker charter rates as conflict around Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Bab el-Mandeb disrupted shipping conditions. Protos said the fund started 2026 with just $2 million in net assets and now holds $200 million. It also noted that BWET fell more than 40% within two weeks after a June 17 memorandum signed by Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian to reopen Hormuz raised early hopes for peace, then recovered those losses by July. The article added that BWET jumped another 10% on Friday morning and traded above $700 per share for the first time after imagery circulating online appeared to show a massive smoke plume over Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline. Fund sponsor Amplify, however, warned that the product’s extraordinary gains reflected unusually favorable market conditions and may not be repeated.

Apple unveiled its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, on Sept. 9, with a starting price of $1,999, preorders set for Oct. 16, and retail sales beginning Oct. 23. Goldman Sachs estimated first-year shipments at 14 million units in a base case and 35 million in a bullish case, but the potential upside for suppliers is not evenly distributed. The biggest direct beneficiary, according to the report, is Shin Zu Shing because the hinge is a new component that does not exist in standard iPhone models. The hinge is described as one of the hardest parts to manufacture in a foldable phone. It contains about 100 components and uses materials including liquid metal alloy, titanium, and stainless steel. Media reports citing supply-chain sources said a joint venture between Shin Zu Shing and Foxconn subsidiary FII secured about 65% of orders, while Amphenol took the remaining 35%. By contrast, suppliers already present across the broader iPhone lineup, such as TSMC and Foxconn, may see only incremental gains. Samsung Display is supplying foldable OLED panels under an exclusive three-year deal, leaving Taiwanese panel makers out of that segment entirely. The report also noted that shipment forecasts vary sharply, from 6 million to 35 million units, making precise profit estimates difficult at this stage.

Bitcoin fell nearly 2% on Monday, slipping back below the $80,000 mark in thin holiday liquidity, erasing most of the weekend gains. The retreat came as U.S. markets were closed for Labor Day, reducing market depth and increasing short-term volatility. CoinGlass reported $178 million in total liquidations over the past 24 hours, with long and short positions relatively balanced. Liquidity clusters are concentrated around $80,500 and $78,800. QCP Capital noted that volatility has contracted sharply, and traders are waiting for a new catalyst. This week's U.S. inflation data, due Thursday and Friday, could be the key event to set the direction and potentially alter expectations for the Federal Reserve's rate path. Despite the pullback, Bitget chief analyst Ryan Lee highlighted Bitcoin's resilience, saying the fact that it held high ground even after strong U.S. jobs data—which typically boosts bond yields and the dollar—suggests the market does not view potential Fed hikes as the sole driver of price action. Meanwhile, spot Bitcoin ETF inflows remain in the spotlight, with a single-day net inflow of $730 million, the highest since January.

Blockchain security firm Hacken reports that nearly half of USDT in circulation ($91.3B on Tron) is managed by a 2-of-3 multisig contract lacking delay, cancellation, or revocation mechanisms. An attacker compromising two keys could seize full contract control. Tether reuses the same six signer keys on Ethereum, Avalanche, and Celo, posing cross-chain risks. Bluechip upgraded Tether's corporate rating to C after a KPMG audit showed reserves exceeded liabilities by $6.8B. Yet Hacken gave USDT a cybersecurity score of only 3.3/10, citing no automatic reserve proof check and no minting cap. Hacken has not assessed USDC; Bluechip's previous B+ rating for USDC used an older methodology.

Unchained Premium featured a conversation with Rodrigo Coelho, CEO of Edge & Node and a founding member of Ampersend, about the project’s effort to make it safer to hand money over to AI agents. The discussion focused on a core problem in agent-based systems: how to reduce costly mistakes when models hallucinate or when prompts are manipulated through injection attacks. Coelho also explained why Ampersend chose to launch on Base and described the project’s work with enterprise names including BNY Mellon. The interview did not present agentic commerce as an immediate breakthrough. Coelho said the boom imagined by many backers remains far off, putting the emphasis on infrastructure rather than hype. The episode framed Ampersend as one attempt to build the controls needed before broader adoption can happen. The Unchained Premium page also listed subscriber benefits, including a 14-day free trial that renews at $7 per month, full transcripts of episodes, a members-only Telegram community, and the option to submit questions for guests on the main show.

Bitcoin's recent price action has shown heightened correlation with gold, with Bitwise's research head calling it 'amplified gold.' But the four-year cycle theory suggests a potential bear market bottom around November 2026 if historical patterns hold, while Galaxy's research head expects a correction floor between $40,000 and $46,000. Fidelity's VP counters that the cycle is not a precise timing rule.

Bitcoin rallied about 25% in August, its strongest August since 2017, driven by the Treasury's expanded buyback, Washington's crypto policy push, and a record $1.4 billion short squeeze. The $81,000-$82,000 zone is the key resistance separating a trend reversal from a bear market rally. September's focus: the $76,000-$78,000 support, continued ETF inflows, and the long-end yield. Analysts view any pullback as a potential late-cycle buying opportunity.

Solana treasury company DeFi Development Corp (DFDV) has proposed a public offering of up to $20 million in Variable Rate Series C perpetual preferred stock, earmarking the proceeds for additional SOL purchases. The preferred shares carry a par value of $10 and a variable dividend with an initial annual rate of 13%; the first scheduled dividend date is Oct. 1, 2026. A 12-month dividend reserve fund will be established at closing and may be funded with cash, financial instruments or crypto assets. R.F. Lafferty & Co is the book-running manager. DFDV said the funds will be used for general corporate purposes, including buying more SOL and other crypto-related investments. The announcement follows a week in which DFDV resumed accumulation, paying an average $98.14 for about 19,000 SOL and lifting its holdings to around 2.33 million SOL. SOL was changing hands near $103. CEO Joseph Onorati said the company is built to provide leveraged exposure to Solana. The offering adds to a broader trend of listed SOL treasury firms including SOL Strategies, which is cleared for Nasdaq, and Classover, which previously announced a $500 million reserve build.