MEV Bot Drained $7.5M, PCE Tests New Fed Chair, Bitcoin Holds $64K

Crypto News

South Korea's exchange-traded fund market has tilted heavily toward semiconductors, with SK Hynix single-stock leverage products sweeping the domestic return rankings this month. Korea Exchange data shows the TIGER SK Hynix single-stock leverage ETF returned 31.22% between June 1 and June 19, followed by comparable KODEX (31.13%), ACE (29.71%) and SOL (29.67%) products. All seven of the top performers tracked SK Hynix, and roughly 247.7 billion won flowed into the KODEX leverage product alone in the week to June 18. Leveraged ETFs amplify daily moves, rewarding investors in rallies but magnifying losses if the chip trade reverses sharply.

AbraSilver Resource (ABRA) is accelerating development of its Diablillos silver-gold project in Argentina after filing an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate. The report, effective May 6 and disclosed on June 19, confirmed roughly 102 million tonnes of measured and indicated resources grading 65 grams per tonne silver and 0.62 grams per tonne gold. That translates to an estimated 213 million ounces of silver and 2 million ounces of gold hosted in the Salta-region asset. The company said the figures show no material difference from its earlier May disclosure, reinforcing confidence in a project sited in one of Argentina's more mining-friendly jurisdictions.

A parallel technical report under AbraSilver Resources (ABBRF) detailed a larger consolidated resource base, with measured and indicated material totaling 232 million tonnes containing about 248 million ounces of silver and 2.54 million ounces of gold, equivalent to roughly 454 million silver-equivalent ounces. Those figures mark a 25% increase in silver and a 48% jump in gold versus July 2025, using conservative price assumptions of $34.50 per ounce of silver and $3,200 per ounce of gold. Phase-six drilling delivered high-grade hits, including 343 grams per tonne silver over 68.5 metres at hole DDH-26-012, with a 17-metre interval running 917 grams per tonne.

Beyond precious metals, AbraSilver is advancing copper exposure through the Teck Resources-operated La Coipita project, where 11,270 metres of drilling and roughly $23 million of investment produced a 747.5-metre intercept averaging 0.69% copper. Meeting contract terms would create an 80/20 joint venture in Teck's favour. The Salta provincial government has approved the Diablillos environmental impact statement, a key gateway to construction, while the asset's inclusion in Argentina's large-investment incentive regime should improve fiscal stability. AbraSilver also acquired more than 6,200 hectares of surrounding ground for about $4.65 million and is targeting a final investment decision within 2026.

Macro attention now turns to the US personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, due June 25. Forecasts point to the May reading accelerating on both a monthly and annual basis, with energy costs filtering more broadly through the economy. The print carries added weight as the first major inflation data since Kevin Warsh chaired his inaugural FOMC meeting, after which he declined to specify a policy stance. Analysis suggested about half of policymakers favoured a tighter path, and a hot number could harden that hawkish lean. Fed officials Williams and Goolsbee speak June 25, with Kashkari following on June 26.

Crypto's own headline came from a rare reversal in decentralized finance, where the notorious MEV bot Jaredfromsubway.eth was drained of more than $7.5 million. Security researchers said attacker-controlled contracts tricked the bot's automated trading system into granting open token approvals, using fake wrapper tokens and counterfeit liquidity pools disguised as profitable routes. A final sweep then pulled real WETH, USDC and USDT via transferFrom. On-chain research has tied roughly 70% of Ethereum sandwich attacks — which cost traders an estimated $60 million a year across 60,000 to 90,000 monthly incidents — to the same operator, making the exploit an unusual comeuppance.

Taken together, these threads point to capital crowding into proven assets — leading-edge chips and hard-asset silver and gold — even as digital-asset markets confront security risk and macro uncertainty. COINOTAG's aggregate data captures the caution: the Fear & Greed Index sits at 23, deep in Extreme Fear, while Bitcoin dominance has climbed to 70% and total crypto market capitalization holds near $1.84 trillion, with Bitcoin changing hands around $64,000. That dominance reading signals defensive rotation away from altcoins, a pattern often seen in a bear market. The looming PCE print and lingering DeFi exploit risk leave little room for complacency heading into the week.