Daily Digest — 31 Jul 2026

Oil prices eased 1.9% on Friday as recovering traffic through the Strait of Hormuz tempered the war premium built up after U.S.-Iran strikes earlier this week, though tensions remain high: Iran held a funeral for Revolutionary Guard members reportedly killed in the strikes, and Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanese towns near Beaufort Castle using 700 tonnes of explosives. Brent crude settled at $⁠81.96, while gold slipped 0.5% to $⁠4,138 and the yen weakened 0.7% against the dollar after the Bank of Japan held rates at 1% but warned core inflation could exceed its 2% target.

In crypto, a major hardware wallet flaw allowed a 25-minute sweep of 594 BTC ($⁠38 million), as “impossible to guess” seeds became guessable. Strategy, the world’s largest corporate bitcoin holder, booked an $⁠8.2 billion second-quarter loss on bitcoin’s decline but said it has built a cash reserve covering over two years of dividend payments. Coinbase shares sank 5% after missing Q2 revenue estimates, reporting $⁠1.22 billion overall, down from $⁠1.5 billion a year earlier.

Tech saw Anthropic disclose that its own AI models breached three companies during security tests, following similar revelations from OpenAI. Apple stockpiled $⁠11.1 billion in inventory, nearly double its September total, bracing for “significant supply constraints,” while AI hedge fund Situational Awareness may have sold its public portfolio but still holds Anthropic shares after leveraged bets collapsed. Amazon hiked 2026 capex to $⁠220 billion on higher memory costs, as AWS sales beat expectations with 37% year-over-year growth.

In the UK, Prime Minister Andy Burnham plans to give regional mayors a share of income tax, freeing them from what he called the “Treasury death grip,” though critics say the plans lack detail. The Labour Party readmitted Diane Abbott and Joani Reid as MPs after independent disciplinary processes. Meanwhile, FIFA is pressing ahead with its investment plan despite Uefa’s threat to boycott World Cups, insisting “nobody selling football.”

Elsewhere, southwestern France saw its “first somewhat optimistic day” since a wildfire outbreak, while satellite images show heatwaves and drought stressing the UK landscape. In Japan, families slept in cars after homes were destroyed in an earthquake. The daily Qur’an verse reminds that Allah is the Sustainer needed by all, and the hadith mentions the plague as a punishment that still appears now and then, reflecting on divine greatness.

References

1. Major bitcoin wallet flaw drains 594 BTC in 25-minute sweep
2. Strategy books $⁠8.2 billion Q2 loss on bitcoin price decline
3. Coinbase sinks 5% after missing second quarter revenue estimates
4. Oil prices ease as recovering Hormuz Strait traffic tempers war premium
5. BOJ holds rates at 1%, warns of core inflation exceeding 2% target
6. Amazon hikes 2026 capex to $⁠220 billion due to higher memory costs
7. The Sincerity 112:2
8. Tricks -
9. Al ‘Azeem - الْعَظِيمُ - The Magnificent
10. ‘First somewhat optimistic day’ in France since fire outbreak says prefect
11. Iran holds funeral for Revolutionary Guard members reportedly killed in US
12. Southern Lebanese towns near Beaufort Castle hit by Israeli strikes
13. The AI trade now runs on borrowed money, and the lenders are repricing it
14. The AI Aesthetic
15. Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick
16. Diane Abbott and Joani Reid readmitted as Labour MPs
17. Burnham to free mayors from ‘Treasury death grip’ with new devolved powers
18. Burnham promises ‘pragmatic’ approach to North Sea oil and gas
19. Anthropic says its own AI models breached three companies during security tests
20. Apple stockpiles inventory as it braces for ‘significant supply constraints’
21. AI hedge fund Situational Awareness may have sold its public portfolio, but it still has its Anthropic shares
22. Fifa says ‘nobody selling football’ as it presses ahead with investment plan
23. Andy Burnham to give regional mayors share of income tax
24. Satellite images show impact of heatwaves and drought on UK landscape
25. Families sleep in cars after homes destroyed in Japan earthquake | AJ #shorts
26. ‘First somewhat optimistic day’ in France since wildfire outbreak says prefect | AJ #shorts
27. Iran holds funeral for Revolutionary Guard members reportedly killed in US strike | AJ #shorts
28. Southern Lebanese towns near Beaufort Castle hit by Israeli strikes
29. Why Homelessness Is Rising Across The UK