Connect with us

Crypto World

BTC remains modestly lower at $69,500 following in line inflation data

Published

on

U.S. inflation, Polkadot upgrade, Solstice-Kamino announcement: Crypto Week Ahead

U.S. inflation data met expectations on Wednesday, reinforcing anticipation that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates steady not just at its March 18 meeting, but likely at the bank’s April meeting as well.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.3% in February, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economist forecasts had been for a rise of 0.3% and January’s increase was 0.2%.

On a year-over-year basis, CPI was higher by 2.4% against expectations of 2.4% and January’s 2.4%.

Core CPI, which excludes food and energy costs, rose 0.2% in February versus forecasts of 0.2% and January’s 0.3%. Year-over-year core CPI was higher by 2.5% versus forecasts of 2.5% and January’s 2.5%.

Advertisement

Under modest pressure for the morning, bitcoin was trading at $69,500 in the minutes following the report, lower by 1.2% over the past 24 hours.

U.S. stock index futures were slightly lower across the board and the 10-year Treasury yield ticked up to 4.18%. The main actor in markets this week, WTI crude oil was higher by 4.2% to $87 per barrel.

Ahead of the data, markets were pricing in a 99% probability that the Federal Reserve would leave interest rates unchanged at its March meeting next week, according to the CME FedWatch tool. For the April meeting, rate cut odds were at just 11% versus 21% one month ago.

February’s inflation numbers, of course, are somewhat old news given the events that have transpired since, namely the war in Iran and spiking oil prices. How much this plays into the Fed’s thinking on interest rates should become more evident following next week’s policy meeting.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Crypto World

SlowMist Introduces Security Framework for Autonomous AI Agents in Crypto

Published

on

SlowMist Introduces Security Framework for Autonomous AI Agents in Crypto

Cybersecurity company SlowMist has introduced a five-layer security framework for AI and Web3 agents, pitching it as a way to reduce the growing risks that come with autonomous systems handling onchain actions and digital assets.

In a Wednesday blog post, the company said the framework centers on a user’s AI agents and combines governance controls through its AI Development Security Solution, or ADSS, with execution-layer tools including OpenClaw, MistEye Skill, MistTrack Skill and MistAgent. The company said the system is designed to create a closed-loop process of checks before execution, constraints during execution and review afterward.

SlowMist’s so-called “digital fortress” aims to defend against risks including prompt injection, supply chain poisoning attacks, data leaks and asset loss due to unauthorized operations or AI agent behavior exploits. It also seeks to reduce risks without sacrificing AI efficiency.

SlowMist’s “digital fortress” security framework. Source: SlowMist

Autonomos AI agents introduce new attack surface in business operations

The push comes as more crypto firms experiment with autonomous tools for trading and execution, introducing “new attack surfaces,” such as supply chain poisoning, which has become a new entry point for hackers embedding secret backdoors into devices, according to SlowMist.

The framework’s governance layer, ADSS, aims to establish auditable security standards for organizations to prevent these risks. It includes AI agent permission constraints, real-time threat checks for external interactions and strengthened onchain risk detection.

Advertisement
ADDS security benefits. Source: SlowMist

ADDS’ core value lies in improving “scattered security actions” into a systematic operation that is “executable, auditable, and sustainable,” SlowMist said.

Related: OpenAI eyes trillion-dollar IPO amid global AI arms race: Report

Autonomous crypto trading bots on the rise

Crypto companies are launching more autonomous crypto trading bots. On Jan. 21, crypto intelligence platform Nansen launched autonomous crypto trading tools that enabled users to execute trades through AI agents and natural language prompts, with cross-chain execution on the Base and Solana blockchains.

Other companies that launched no-code AI trading agents include Coinbase, Bitget, Walbi and Gate.io. These solutions seek to lower barriers to entry for retail investors through automated strategies and conversational interfaces.