Coinbase-Circle USDC collaboration, FOMC minutes, oil price: Crypto Week Ahead

The Federal Reserve's struggle to manage a soft landing, where inflation falls without triggering a recession or a sharp rise in unemployment, will influence markets this week, with Wednesday's FOMC minutes offering a closer look at whether the central bank is considering additional interest-rate increases.

Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said he sees just a 25% chance of a Fed hike in September. Rather, he expects the first move in December, even as he forecasts inflation rising again in early 2027.

Geopolitical developments will also need to be monitored, given their strong influence on volatility expectations and the price of oil.

Higher interest rates make risky assets like cryptocurrencies less attractive.

Within crypto, European Union operators face a Sunday deadline to stop transactions with 14 named crypto platforms, marking the week’s clearest regulatory milestone.

What to Watch

(All times ET)

• Crypto
  • Aug. 18: Coinbase and Circle's USDC collaboration agreement, which governs their revenue-sharing economics, enters its first three-year renewal term.
  • Aug. 23: The EU's ban on transactions with 14 named crypto-asset service platforms becomes applicable.
• Macro
  • Aug. 17, 8:30 a.m.: Canada Consumer Price Index YoY for July est. 2.6% (Prev. 2.8%)
  • Aug. 18, 9:15 a.m.: U.S. Industrial Production MoM for July est. 0.3% (Prev. 0.1%)
  • Aug. 19, 2 a.m.: U.K. Headline CPI YoY for July est. 3.0% (Prev. 2.6%); Core YoY (Prev. 2.6%)
  • Aug. 19, 5 a.m.: Euro area headline inflation YoY (final) for July est. 2.9% (Prev. 2.8%); Core YoY est. 2.5% (Prev. 2.4%)
  • Aug. 19, 2 p.m.: U.S. FOMC Minutes from the July 28–29 meeting
  • Aug. 20, 8:30 a.m.: U.S. Initial Jobless Claims for the week ended Aug. 15 est. 201K (Prev. 209K)
  • Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Japan Headline CPI YoY for July (Prev. 1.7%); Core CPI YoY est. 1.8% (Prev. 1.6%)
  • Aug. 21, 2 a.m.: U.K. Retail Sales MoM for July (Prev. 1.0%)
  • Aug. 21, 4 a.m.: Euro Area S&P Global Composite PMI Flash for August est. 51.6 (Prev. 52.0)
  • Aug. 21, 9:45 a.m.: U.S. S&P Global Composite PMI Flash for August est. 53.2 (Prev. 54.5)
• Earnings
  • Aug. 17: BitFuFu (FUFU), pre-market, $0.01
  • Aug. 18: Canaan (CAN), pre-market, -$0.14
  • Aug. 18: BTCS Inc (BTCS), post-market