AlphaScala Daily: NKE cluster buy, jobless claims at 8:30

Good morning.

Jobless claims hit at 8:30 a.m. ET, the only high-importance US print on the tape today. On the signal side, four Nike insiders bought a net $2.17M over the past 30 days, and a ten-insider TSM cluster showed up too, though far smaller at $45K net. Flywire (FLYW) tops the model at 85, with Newmont (NEM) close behind at 82. Bitcoin sits near 79,484, up about half a percent overnight, while GBP/USD slipped to 1.36. Here's what matters.

Markets

• BTC/USD 79,483.61 ▲ +0.58% (BTC)

Today's calendar

• United States: Unemployment Claims

Deal Flow

M&A

• Rockawayx Acquires Relayer Capital, Adds 70% YTD Crypto Fund (Bitcoin) Rockawayx acquired Relayer Capital, adding a fund that returned 70% net in 2025 YTD. Founder Austin Barack stays as CIO. The deal strengthens Rockawayx's U.S. presence and…
• Mirae Asset targets $108B digital asset business with Digital X (Crypto news) Mirae Asset Group targets 150 trillion won ($108 billion) in digital assets by 2027, using acquired exchange Digital X for crypto, stablecoins, tokenized securities and RWAs.

IPOs / Listings

• Deepa Jewellers IPO to open Sept 1 at ₹168-177 band, ₹460 cr issue (BL) Deepa Jewellers IPO opens Sept 1 at ₹168-177 per share, raising ₹460 crore. Proceeds fund working capital. Listing on BSE and NSE on Sept 8.

Funding Rounds

• Bitfinex Securities raises record $50M for Alkemya nickel token (Crypto news) Bitfinex Securities raised $50M via ALKN, a tokenized security tied to $1.64B in nickel. The raise tops its previous $30M record and keeps additional tokens open through Oct. 15.

Restructuring

• Tokenized Stock Risks: Why the Label Doesn't Tell You What You Hold (Crypto Daily) SEC warns that tokenized stock holders may lack voting rights, direct claims and bankruptcy protections. Product structure, not the token name, determines whether you own a share,…

Headline Roundup

Earnings

• Nvidia earnings: can the AI king beat $92B quarterly sales? (CNBC) Nvidia reports earnings Wednesday with $92B in sales expected. The AI king has beaten forecasts every quarter, but shares sold off each time. Can Jensen Huang's team clear the bar…
• Best Buy Raises Full-Year Outlook After Computing-Driven Q2 Beat (CNBC) Best Buy raised its full-year revenue and profit forecasts after comparable sales jumped 4.1% in Q2, far exceeding its earlier guidance. The computing-led surge gives incoming CEO…

Macro

• Amazon keeps betting on Canada as tariffs complicate the math (BI) Amazon expects Canadian package volume to grow faster than in the US through 2029, even as new US tariffs and Canadian retaliation reshape its supply chain.
• Australia's CPI Misses Forecast, RBA Hike Risk Rises (Theconversation) Australian headline inflation eased to 3.5% in July but the RBA's preferred trimmed mean held at 3.6%, keeping the door open for another rate hike. Markets price a steady…
• Roubini Says Higher Bond Yields Signal Growth, Not Recession Risk (Mint) The NYU economist argues rising yields reflect an AI-driven capex boom, not stagflation, and are a positive signal for US equities and growth.
• ECB Digital Euro Rulebook Lays Out Public Payments Infrastructure (Thefinanser) ECB's latest digital euro rulebook details APIs, fraud, settlement, and offline payments. Adoption faces a paradox: useful infrastructure, unclear consumer incentive.

Stocks

• SAF Group backs Timia Capital's $60M tech lending expansion (Betakit) Timia Capital's new $60M CAD credit facility from SAF Group lets it write larger loans to B2B tech firms seeking flexible capital for growth.
• Bayeux Tapestry gets exclusive Battle Brewery beer at British Museum (Retailtimes) Bayeux Lager, a Pilsner-style beer brewed by Battle Brewery, becomes the British Museum's leading beer when the tapestry exhibition opens 10 September 2026.
• Toolstation launches omnichannel gift cards in eight weeks (Retailtimes) Edenred's API platform powers Toolstation's new gift cards, redeemable across 590 UK branches, online and via app, with loads from £1 to £500.
• Raksha Bandhan 2026: Aug 28 muhurat, tree rakhi drive (Mint) Raksha Bandhan 2026 falls on Aug 28 with muhurat from 5:57-9:48 AM. Jharkhand's 'Save Tree' campaign targets rakhis on 1 lakh trees across 700 villages.
• India to Replace Foreign Power Grid SCADA, Citing Cyber Risk (Mint) India's power planning body wants foreign SCADA software replaced by the end of the decade, citing cyber and supply-chain risks to the national grid.
• India's PM Jan Dhan Yojana crosses 59 crore accounts, deposits hit ₹3.17 lakh cr (Mint) The finance ministry says 78% of accounts were opened in rural and semi-urban areas, and about 56% are held by women. Average deposits per account have risen 3.4 times in 12 years.
• 81% Drop in US Alcohol Exports to Canada, New Tariffs Hit Both Sides (BI) US alcohol exports to Canada fell 81% after provincial bans. Now new 50% US tariffs hit Canadian whisky makers like Crown Royal. Both sides say they're losing.
• Meta's $18B teen-safety deal splits free-speech, antitrust camps (BI) Lawyers, academics, and tech researchers weigh in on Meta's $18B deal with 47 states, which ties teen-use restrictions to competing platforms.

Crypto

• Kraken Froze Accounts After HTX-Linked Dust Attack Hit 12,000 Customers (Dailycoin) Kraken locked some accounts after 12,000 dust transfers from HTX-linked wallets triggered compliance freezes. The exchange restored access but still holds funds subject to…
• Coldcard Crisis Drives Hardware Wallet Sales, Security Overhauls (Bitcoin) Bitbox credit-card sales ran roughly tenfold above baseline in August; Trezor and Onekey also saw jumps; a critical bug report surfaced Aug. 26.
• Zerohash refiles OCC trust bank bid after July return (Crypto news) Zerohash refiled for an OCC national trust bank charter on Aug. 19, one month after its first application was returned. The 30-day public comment period opened Aug. 18.
• Why Execution Quality Is Becoming DeFi's Next Infrastructure Battleground (Dailycoin) Faster blockchains still produce poor trades. CoW Swap, UniswapX, and Orbs are treating execution as a dedicated infrastructure layer, separate from settlement.
• CoinGecko reports $3.63B in crypto losses from Jan 2025 to mid-2026 (Crypto Briefing) CoinGecko's report on $3.63B in crypto hacks from Jan 2025 to Aug 2026 shows attack frequency accelerating sharply, with North Korean groups involved in the largest incidents.
• Altcoins Hit 65% of Binance Volume, Highest in Two Years (Cointribune) Altcoins accounted for nearly 65% of Binance trading volumes during the recent rally, their highest share since 2022. The altcoin season index sits at 37, signaling the move is…
• 21Shares Renames ETH, DOT ETFs to Add Staking, Switches Benchmarks (Altcoin Buzz) 21Shares renames its Ethereum and Polkadot ETFs to add "Staking," switches to FTSE Russell benchmarks from CME CF, and moves sponsor fees to quarterly payments.
• UK Hands Bank of England a Formal Stablecoin Mandate (Coingape) The mandate follows the BoE's £40 billion stablecoin issuance guardrail. The stability duty still outranks the new objective; the Lords debate is 7 September.

Forex / Commodities

• Astra Exploration Upgrades to OTCQX From OTCQB Venture Market (BI) Vancouver-based Astra Exploration upgraded to the OTCQX Best Market from OTCQB, trading under ATEPF as it seeks deeper U.S. investor access and liquidity.
• Nova Minerals Ships Antimony Refinery Equipment to Alaska Site (Manilatimes) Nearly 500 tons of crushing and milling equipment left Seattle by barge Aug. 26 for Nova's Alaska site. The shipment, funded by a $43.4 million U.S. Department of War award, puts…
• Welspun Corp Jumps 6% on Rs 1,433 Cr Block Deal from Capital Group, Aberdeen (BL) Welspun Corp shares hit a 52-week high after Capital Group, Aberdeen, and domestic funds bought a 2.4% stake for Rs 1,433 crore. The block deal followed a record Rs 17,200 crore…
• Bessent Put vs. Fed Independence: The Battle Driving Treasuries (Action Forex) The Bessent put and Fed independence push yields in opposite directions through different channels. Friday's Warsh Jackson Hole speech is the next test of which force dominates.
• Nvidia Guidance Lift Meets Sticky PCE as Jackson Hole Looms (FXEmpire) Nvidia's CFO issued first-time FY28 guidance, pushing shares 5% higher. July PCE came in slightly hot. GDP stalled at 1.5%. Warsh speaks Friday.
• Euro and Pound Retreat After US PCE, GDP Beat Forecasts (Action Forex) US PCE accelerated to 3.7%, core PCE 3.6%, both above forecasts. Personal spending and income also beat. Euro and pound fell. Jackson Hole next.
• Horizon Oil Posts Record Production, Expands to Five Countries (SA) Horizon Oil reported record FY26 production of 2.15 million boe and sales, while the Cue acquisition expanded its footprint to five Asia Pacific countries.

Smart Money

• David J. Taylor (R-OH): PURCHASE IBP
• Tim Moore (R-NC): SALE T
• Ed Case (D-HI): PURCHASE AAPL
• David J. Taylor (R-OH): PURCHASE GOOGL
• Insider cluster: TSM: 10 insiders bought in last 30 days, net $45K (90d)
• Insider cluster: NKE: 4 insiders bought in last 30 days, net $2.17M (90d)
• Insider cluster: SPG: 3 insiders bought in last 30 days, net $139K (90d)

On the Radar

• Alpha Score top: FLYW (Flywire Corp), Alpha Score 85/100, top of AlphaScala model. Alpha Score of 85 reflects strong overall profile with strong momentum, strong value, moderate quality, strong sentiment.
• Alpha Score top: NEM (Newmont Corporation), Alpha Score 82/100, top of AlphaScala model. Alpha Score of 82 reflects strong overall profile with strong momentum, strong value, strong quality, moderate sentiment.
• Alpha Score top: HBM (Hudbay Minerals Inc.), Alpha Score 79/100, top of AlphaScala model. Alpha Score of 79 reflects strong overall profile with strong momentum, strong value, moderate quality, weak sentiment.
• Alpha Score bottom: BJGPY (Beijing Geekplus Technology Co., Ltd./ADR), Alpha Score 0/100, bottom of AlphaScala model
• Alpha Score bottom: BRAI (Braiin Ltd), Alpha Score 0/100, bottom of AlphaScala model
• COT extreme: Canadian Dollar (CAD): large speculators net short 158,166 contracts, 44.0% of open interest
• COT extreme: New Zealand Dollar (NZD): large speculators net short 32,620 contracts, 36.6% of open interest
• COT extreme: Mexican Peso (MXN): large speculators net long 79,452 contracts, 27.9% of open interest

This Week's Briefings

• Nasdaq: Nasdaq 100 drops 2.3% as Bitcoin rallies 20%; GOOGL top Alpha pick

See you tomorrow before the bell.