☕️ Fed Raises Rates to 4%; Nasdaq Invests $100M in Kraken Parent The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates by 25 basis points amid persistent inflation, while Nasdaq deepened its push into tokenized equities with a $100 million investment in Kraken's parent company.
1. Fed Hikes Rates by 25 Basis Points to Combat Inflation — The FOMC voted unanimously to raise the federal funds rate to a 3.75% to 4% target range. The move follows robust August 2026 job growth of 162,000 nonfarm payrolls and a 3.1% year-over-year wage increase, keeping pressure on risk assets like $BTC and $ETH. 2. Nasdaq Invests $100 Million in Kraken Parent Payward — Nasdaq Ventures is funding Payward to advance the Nasdaq Equity Token infrastructure, targeting a second-quarter 2027 launch. Payward will also integrate Nasdaq market surveillance technology across its trading venues. 3. Russian Finance Ministry Begins Digital Ruble Salary Payments — Ministry employees received optional digital ruble salaries on Oct. 1 via the Bank of Russia platform. The rollout follows the lifting of federal budget spending restrictions on the central bank digital currency in January 2026. 4. Bitcoin Closes Oct. 3 at $84,742 — $BTC ended the UTC day up 0.3% after trading in a tight $84,437 to $85,017 range. Exchange withdrawals of $465.5 million slightly outpaced deposits of $438.1 million among large holders.
📊 Bitcoin trades at $85,316, pushing total market capitalization to $2.86 trillion, while Ethereum sits at $2,703 with gas fees at 0 gwei.
