Originally published at: Chinese Oil Buying Jumps, Central Banks Add 23 Tonnes of Gold, Study Finds Elevated Toxins in Autistic Kids – Peak Prosperity
Energy
Chinese demand for crude oil has reportedly started to surge, with Shanghai crude now trading above $100 per barrel at a premium to Brent. Bloomberg reported increased Chinese purchases from multiple regions amid reduced Iranian supply. The increase may reflect tactical restocking rather than broad underlying demand recovery.
Meanwhile, US national average gasoline prices reached $4.15 per gallon, the first Labor Day above $4.
Economy
Central banks purchased a net 23 tonnes of gold in July, according to the World Gold Council, led by China and Poland. Year-to-date purchases total 130 tonnes. A WGC survey indicated that 74% of central banks expect reduced US dollar holdings over five years. The Netherlands plans to repatriate 86 tonnes from the US and Canada.
Relatedly, former AQR research head Aaron Brown wrote that foreign central banks have reduced Treasury holdings at the New York Fed by roughly $82 billion since February, while the 10-year yield rose above 4.4%. He noted that global central banks now hold more gold than US government bonds.
Meanwhile, London copper futures exceeded $14,000 per ton. US imports reached a record 200,000 tons in July. Analyst Rafael Barcellos of Bradesco BBI stated that tariff uncertainty is supporting prices. Mine output data from ICSG showed a 1.1% decline in the first half of the year, with further cuts announced by producers in Chile. Morgan Stanley projected the first annual drop in mine supply since 2017. Some market observers believe that the price rally partly reflects buyers front-running potential tariffs.
In the crypto space, Blockstream reported that hackers drained approximately 4,000 BTC from the multisig treasury supporting L-BTC on its Liquid Network. The company stated the incident involved an inflation vulnerability that allowed the creation of additional L-BTC, followed by a peg-out. Reserves now stand at 207 BTC. The hackers left messages requesting contact. Bridge nodes and exchange deposits have been paused. Other Liquid assets such as USDT remained unaffected. Hackers reportedly returned most of the funds after a patch was provided.
Geopolitics
Commentators, including Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, said the U.S. Army is in unusually poor condition after Defense Secretary Hegseth removed Senate-confirmed leaders, leaving the chief of staff, the deputy chief of staff for operations, and key Army command slots in Europe without confirmed occupants. They alleged recruiting reports to Congress understated Mental Category IV enlistments by taking in about 11 percent of such soldiers, then teaching them the test at Fort Jackson and reclassifying most as Category III to stay under the statutory 4 percent cap. The same discussion tied that leadership and personnel picture to low readiness on the F-35, whose proprietary maintenance they said leaves Lockheed Martin in control while aircraft sit at roughly 50 percent mission-capable rates. Pentagon and Army announcements, however, said the service met its fiscal 2026 active-duty recruiting goal four months early with more than 61,500 contracts, extending a stretch in which all active-duty services have met accession targets.
Health
A biomonitoring study in Neurotoxicology and Teratology found elevated levels of pesticides and plasticizers in baby teeth from children with autism compared with controls. The authors reported that 57 of 60 detected compounds were higher in the autism group.
Meanwhile, major food companies are adding protein claims to processed snacks. One commentator described the shift as an effort to replace meat in diets and linked it to certain policy goals. The FDA allows “excellent source of protein” labeling even when amino acid profiles are incomplete.
Environment
A carbon capture facility opened in Sluiskil, Netherlands, developed by Yara International. The project is designed to capture up to 800,000 tons of CO2 annually for storage under the Norwegian seabed. Critics, including Chris, are calling this project one of the biggest wastes of capital in history.
Meanwhile, provisional data cited by The Daily Sceptic showed Greenland’s ice sheet gained about 6 gigatonnes during the 2025/26 hydro-year. A 2021 peer-reviewed reconstruction indicated comparable ice loss rates occurred between 1920 and 1970 (i.e., starting well before man’s alleged impact). That said, multi-decade data indicate an overall net loss in ice sheet mass despite the recent surface gain.
Artificial Intelligence
Chinese defense entities have increased procurement and research into humanoid robots for military use, according to a Reuters review of notices and patents. Unitree released a video of an autonomous humanoid robot combat exercise. Analysts have noted that no armed humanoid robots are yet deployed with operational units.
Sources
White Hats Drain $320M from Blockstream’s Liquid Reserves via Inflation Bug
The Liquid Network said Sunday that purported white-hat hackers withdrew about 4,000 bitcoin, worth about $320 million, from the federation wallet that backs L-BTC.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
Wilkerson: Hegseth Is Gutting Army Leadership, Gaming Recruit Standards, and Missing a Historic Power Shift
This is how we’re running the Pentagon now and this is how they’re running my army, which is sorry. Um and it it’s going to reverberate mightily, I think, in the very near future.Source | Submitted by George Hung
Protein Junk: The Psyop Replacing Real Meat
I suspect this will be the most effective psyop to replace meat yet.
Source | Submitted by Redneck Engineer
Europe’s Billion-Dollar CO2 Plant: All Cost, Negligible Capture
They’re calling it the most European project of all time.
Source | Submitted by IrishPrince
Greenland Icecap Grows 6 Gt as Alarmist Melt Narratives Melt Away
The 2025/26 season actually saw a small increase of 6 Gt in ice mass.
China’s Humanoid Robots Gear Up for Combat as Military Eyes Battlefield Deployment
China’s defense establishment is accelerating research into humanoids’ military uses and planning for their eventual wartime deployment, according to a Reuters review of more than 100 Chinese military procurement notices, academic studies, patents, official publications, government records and defense-company materials.
China’s Oil Demand Rebounds, Lifting Shanghai Crude Above $100
demand for oil is suddenly soaring, sending Shanghai crude above $100
Copper Surges on Tariff Uncertainty and Mine Supply Cuts
Momentum has been driven by near-term physical tightness, as refined copper continues to flow into the US ahead of a potential import tariff.
Central Banks Buy 23 Tonnes of Gold as Dollar Holdings Face Scrutiny
The majority of respondents (74 percent) see moderate or significantly lower US dollar holdings within global reserves over the next five years.
Labor Day Gas Prices Smash Records as Wars and Regulations Tighten Supplies
This year’s Labor Day is now the first in history with a national average above $4 per gallon.
Pesticides in Baby Teeth: Study Ties Early Exposure to Autism Rise
“Sixty compounds were detected in more than 50% of participants (n = 38). Of these, 95% (57/60) were higher in cases compared to controls, and 19/60 were statistically significantly elevated.”
Iran War Shatters the Petrodollar’s 50-Year Grip
The petrodollar loop was always a political arrangement dressed in financial clothing. Now that the politics have changed, the finance is following.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: @WhaleRadarForX, @zbynekvolbeast, @grok, @AdamoMancino, @varrock, DasEvas1, @guo_lin99725, and @indykenro1.
