BP

By Brandon Smith

While the world debates whether blockchain-based Initial Coin Offerings are a fraudulent pyramid scheme, meant to take advantage of gullible investors who are desperate to get rich quick, or a revolutionary "post-equity" way of raising capital, a Norwegian mining company, Intex Resources ASA, has taken the next step in the latter, and last week announced it was issuing the world's first asset-backed Initial Coin Offering, with the resulting tokens being exchangeable for the physical collateral.

Nasdaq 100 futures jumped 0.8% after Apple surged to record highs following a strong beat and optimistic projections ahead of the launch of the company's new batch of iPhones. Eminis are little changed, up 0.1% to 2,475, trailing Asian markets, while European stocks and crude oil fall.

As many traders quietly leave for summer break soaking up even more liquidity as they go, a busy US calendar unfolds in the week ahead, with ISM, PCE price data and, of course, payrolls in the spotlight.

Key Events, courtesy of RanSquawk

Authored by Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian via ForeignPolicy.com,

Declassified documents released last week shed light on the Central Intelligence Agency’s central role in the 1953 coup that brought down Iranian Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh, fueling a surge of nationalism which culminated in the 1979 Iranian Revolution and poisoning U.S.-Iran relations into the 21st century.