Sep 4 — Bank stablecoin, BOJ hikes and GPT-6 Astra

• Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are forming a consortium to issue a dollar-backed stablecoin — top-tier bank entry directly challenges Tether and Circle in a fast-growing market. • Japan confirmed a record $96.4B in yen intervention while a BOJ board member floated back-to-back rate hikes — a carry-trade unwind could ripple through global equities and Treasuries. • OpenAI is releasing GPT-6 Astra, positioning it as a frontier milestone — the launch intensifies the AI capex arms race and raises scrutiny on autonomous agent safety.