Daily Brief · October 4, 2026
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.
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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.
The numbers
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.
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