According to BlockBeats, on July 24, due to the escalating risks in Middle Eastern shipping, tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest level in two and a half months, and oil prices rebounded to around $100 per barrel.

Ship tracking data shows that only one oil tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 23, the lowest level since May 7. In contrast, three oil tankers passed through on July 22.

Data shows that the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) New Giant departed the Strait of Hormuz that day, carrying approximately 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basra crude oil, and is expected to arrive at Rizhao Port in China in mid-August. No ships entered the strait that day.

The U.S. military said it had completed its 13th consecutive night of military strikes against Iran, further exacerbating market concerns about the security of energy transport in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, shipping activity in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has recovered somewhat. On July 23, a total of 32 oil tankers passed through the strait, up from 26 the previous day, with 14 entering the Red Sea and 18 heading towards the Gulf of Aden.

Due to regional risks, some oil tankers have begun to adjust their routes. Data shows that some oil tankers heading towards Asia are choosing to bypass the Suez Canal instead of the traditional Bab el-Mandeb Strait route, which may extend the voyage by nearly three times.

In addition, Saudi Aramco has begun offering additional crude oil loading options through the Egyptian Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir to replace shipments from Red Sea ports, thus mitigating the impact of regional conflict on exports.

According to a report by Politico on July 24, Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego criticized the ethics clauses of the CLARITY Act, recently submitted by Senate Republicans, calling it "not a serious effort."

On Wednesday, Senate Republicans released a draft of the CLARITY Act, which includes ethical restrictions on digital assets and proposes to prohibit all U.S. federal officials (including President Trump) from issuing or endorsing any digital assets.

Democrats believe the ethical clause is insufficient. Gallego stated he will work with Republican Senator Thom Tillis and others to develop a new counter-proposal.

Gallego stated, "We are still in this struggle and will submit new terms."

Republicans countered that the ethical provisions were already stringent enough. Senator Bernie Moreno stated that the draft bill contained "the strongest ethical provisions in American history."

The CLARITY Act aims to clarify the regulatory framework for the U.S. digital asset market, but its provisions concerning conflicts of interest between government officials and crypto assets have become a major point of contention in bipartisan negotiations.

According to BlockBeats, on July 24, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a warning that artificial intelligence is entering the core of the financial system and changing how transactions, credit, regulation, and financial infrastructure operate. However, the large-scale, simultaneous use of AI models could amplify market volatility and bring new systemic risks.

The IMF stated that financial regulators need to focus on three key areas: strengthening governance of AI-driven trading, credit operations, and regulatory technology (SupTech); increasing market transparency regarding AI applications, model reliance, and risk exposure; and enhancing international cooperation to improve the resilience and cybersecurity of the financial system.

The IMF points out that AI is reducing decision-making time in financial markets. Machine learning models are already widely used in trading strategies, high-frequency signal generation, corporate financial statement analysis, and credit risk assessment. In normal market conditions, AI helps improve liquidity, reduce costs, and enhance risk identification capabilities.

However, during periods of market stress, AI can amplify volatility. When numerous AI models simultaneously adjust their positions based on similar data and signals, it could trigger a "herding effect" similar to AI, leading to increased market volatility and even increasing the risk of future "flash crashes."

Furthermore, the lack of transparency in AI models increases the difficulty of regulation. The IMF believes that even large financial institutions may struggle to explain the decision-making logic of AI strategies in extreme market conditions, which could weaken regulators' ability to identify risks in advance.

The IMF also warned that centralized reliance on AI infrastructure is becoming a new source of risk. Many financial institutions depend on a few cloud service providers, data suppliers, and AI model providers; if a key supplier experiences a technical failure, cyberattack, or geopolitical shock, multiple financial institutions could be affected simultaneously.

In the regulatory field, AI is helping central banks and financial institutions improve market monitoring, risk identification, and regulatory efficiency, but the IMF emphasizes that AI should enhance regulatory judgment, not replace human decision-making.

According to BlockBeats, on July 24th, Hyperinsight monitoring showed that a whale (0x511) was still holding onto SK Hynix at high levels. It currently holds 4034 long positions in SKHX with 3x leverage, an average entry price of $1622.6, a position value of approximately $4.942 million, and a liquidation price of $923.67; the unrealized loss is $1.6034 million (-73.5%); it is currently the address with the largest unrealized loss in SKHX.

This long position was initiated in the early morning of June 26 (Beijing time) and has been in place for 28 days. At that time, SKHX was still around $1900. The initial purchase was 325.5 units at an average price of $1898.5, which is 55.1% higher than the current price. During the subsequent decline, the position was averaged down four times at approximately $1659, $1678, $1436, and $1361. After the last addition on July 15, the position has remained unchanged.

Holding the position itself incurs continuous costs: since the long position was opened, the net cost of funding has been approximately $198,200; the current hourly funding rate is approximately +0.00955%, and the direction is still long, so the hourly cost is approximately $472 based on the current position size.

Looking at the bigger picture, this is precisely the work of a trader known for his patience: his previous large trades were all long-term holdings of US stocks – Micron for about 45 days, Marwell for about 29 days, and Cerebras for about 39 days, accumulating a net profit of approximately $494,500. This same patience, once a source of profit, also led him to hold onto his Hynix shares for an increasingly longer period…

Data shows that SKHX (Hyperliquid) rose to a high of $1,302.8 on Hyperliquid today before quickly falling to $1,214.3, a 6.8% drop during the session.