USDT and USDC are stablecoins pegged one-to-one to the U.S. dollar, each backed by reserves covering every token in circulation. Tether's USDT is the largest stablecoin, with the deepest liquidity across global exchanges. Circle's USDC is the second-largest, with Circle staking its reputation on being a publicly traded company, with frequent audits, U.S. and E.U. licenses, and institutional partnerships.
In this article, we’ll cover the history, use cases, and growth of these two leading stablecoins.
USDT vs USDC: A Side by Side Both USDT and USDC are centralized stablecoins, meaning they are issued and managed by a central company. The firms behind USDT and USDC are Tether and Circle, respectively. Both coins are backed by asset reserves and are redeemable for one dollar per token. For most purposes, both are identical substitutes that can be swapped for the other at negligible cost.
However, the two assets diverge when it comes to their reserve policies and regulatory standing.
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USDT USDT is the biggest stablecoin in the world, and has held that spot for years. It first appeared in 2014 on a layer built on top of bitcoin. Today it runs on more than 15 blockchains, with most of the supply and volume coming from the Tron and Ethereum blockchains.
The company behind USDT is Tether, a privately held company that was originally incorporated in the British Virgin Islands but moved its main operating entity to El Salvador in January 2025. Paolo Ardoino runs the company as chief executive.
Tether's Q1 2026 report had its total reserves valued at ~$191.8 billion. Roughly $141 billion of that sits in short-term U.S. Treasuries, ranking Tether among the largest holders of U.S. government debt in the world. The remainder of the reserves are spread across physical gold, bitcoin, secured loans, and a bucket of other investments.
Profits for the company have been outsized lately, with around $1 billion in net income for the first quarter of 2026 alone. These are primarily generated through interest on its reserve assets.
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USDC USDC is the second-largest stablecoin in the world. It was launched in 2018 through Centre, a joint venture between Circle and Coinbase. After that collaboration wound down in 2023, Circle is now the sole issuer.
Circle is based in New York, with Jeremy Allaire as chief executive. It is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange after having IPO’d in June 2025 under the ticker CRCL. Being a listed company, Circle files audited financial statements, and anyone can buy the stock to get exposure to its business.
USDC's reserves are held in the “Circle Reserve Fund”: a government money market fund managed by BlackRock, alongside cash reserves held in various banks. Circle’s reserves are mostly assets such as short-dated U.S. Treasuries, overnight repurchase agreements, and cash. These are reviewed by Deloitte on a monthly basis.
Similar to Tether, Circle's revenue comes almost entirely from the interest its reserves generate. However, they hand a large portion of that income to distribution partners, with Coinbase among the largest beneficiaries. In the first quarter of 2026, those distribution costs came close to 60% of Circle's total revenue.
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USDT vs USDC: Which is More Transparent? In terms of transparency, Circle’s USDC is the more transparent of the two, and that gap has been Circle's main selling point for years. Circle publishes monthly attestations from Deloitte and files audited financials with the SEC.
On the other hand, Tether publishes quarterly attestations. An attestation means an accountant has confirmed that on one particular date, the reported reserves matched the amount of tokens outstanding. However, it does not check whether reserves were borrowed or shuffled around in other periods of time.
A full audit, on the other hand, covers a whole reporting window, which Tether has never done before. However, it does ostensibly plan on doing so: in early 2026, the company engaged a Big Four firm, reported to be KPMG, for its first full independent audit. Completion of the audit is still unclear as of July 2026.
The skepticism behind USDT’s reserves is not baseless. In 2021, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) fined Tether $41 million for claiming that USDT was fully backed by dollars between 2016 and 2019, when at times it was not. The New York Attorney General settled a separate case for $18.5 million the same year.
USDT vs USDC: Which is More Regulatory Compliant? Regulation is the aspect in which the two differ most. Circle became the first global stablecoin issuer to comply with the European Union's MiCA regulatory framework in 2024. In July 2026, the company was also granted approval to run a national trust bank in the United States, operating as Circle National Trust, which puts USDC custody under federal supervision.
USDT’s regulatory footing in the U.S. is far less solid. From July 2025 onwards, the GENIUS Act restricted payment stablecoins to U.S.-domiciled issuers. Tether, being headquartered in El Salvador, failed to qualify. In response, Tether launched a separate stablecoin called USAT in January 2026, issued by Anchorage Digital Bank with Cantor Fitzgerald as custodian. This separate stablecoin is aimed solely at the American market.
USDT failed to qualify under Europe’s MiCA as well, which led to exchanges, including Binance, Kraken, and Coinbase removing or restricting the stablecoin for E.U. users.
USDT vs USDC: Which is Safer? In terms of safety, neither token has ever failed to return to a dollar after momentary de-pegs, which have happened several times in the past.
USDC's worst de-peg was in March 2023, when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed with $3.3 billion of Circle's cash reserves (about 8% of Circle’s total reserves at the time). In reaction to this, USDC fell to roughly 87 cents over the weekend of the news before a federal backstop guaranteed SVB's deposits and Circle reopened redemptions, at which point the peg snapped back.
USDT's worst de-pegging event occurred in May 2022, when the collapse of TerraUSD led to mass panic in the market, causing USDT to briefly trade near 95 cents before recovering within hours.
How to Choose Between USDT and USDC There is no right or wrong answer in terms of choosing between the two stablecoins. For most everyday people, the difference is negligible: the decision often comes down to whichever stablecoin is the most easily accessible. However, for anything that involves U.S. or European regulated finance, institutional treasury work, or retail users who prioritize a clear regulatory standing, USDC is the better choice.
It is worth noting that many firms who utilize stablecoins don't even choose at all. Exchanges and trading desks routinely hold both and swap between them depending on the corridor, the counterparty, and the compliance box that needs ticking.
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Frequently Asked Questions 1. Is USDC safer than USDT?
Though both stablecoins are relatively low risk. However, USDC is often considered the lower-risk option because Circle is a publicly traded company and its reserves are reviewed monthly by Deloitte.
2. Which is bigger, USDT or USDC?
USDT. As of July 2026, it had around $184 billion in circulation, close to 60% of the stablecoin market, against about $73 billion for USDC, or roughly a quarter of the market.
3. Can USDT or USDC lose its dollar peg?
Both have momentarily lost their pegs in the past. USDC did so during the March 2023 banking crisis, and USDT during the May 2022 TerraUSD collapse. In both cases, both stablecoins restored their dollar peg within days.
4. Are USDT and USDC regulated under the GENIUS Act?
USDC is fully regulated under the GENIUS Act. USDT does not qualify under the GENIUS Act because Tether isn't a US-domiciled issuer.
5. Do USDT or USDC pay interest?
No. Holders of USDT and USDC do not earn interest for simply holding the stablecoins. Some exchanges and DeFi platforms offer yield on stablecoin deposits, but that yield comes from the platform's own lending or rewards, not from Tether or Circle.
6. Can I swap between USDT and USDC?
Yes. Major exchanges have both USDT and USDC listed. Since the two are essentially one dollar, converting between them typically costs very little.
7. What backs USDT and USDC?
Both USDT and USDC are backed by short-term U.S. Treasuries, overnight repo, and cash. However, USDT’s reserves also include assets such as gold, bitcoin, secured loans, and other investments.
Disclaimer: This article was produced with the assistance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT/xAI’s Grok and reviewed and edited by our editorial team.
Circle, the creator of the popular stablecoin USDC, and Fireblocks, a leading provider of digital asset custody and management solutions, are collaborating to advance the adoption of stablecoins in institutional finance. Their joint efforts aim to address major challenges hindering the use of blockchain-based settlements among businesses and financial institutions, particularly in areas like compliance, governance, and international security standards.
Stablecoin transaction volume increases rapidlyRecent figures show that stablecoin activity in global payments has climbed sharply. In 2025, stablecoins recorded $33 trillion in transaction volume, reflecting a 72% year-over-year increase. For the first time in early 2026, stablecoin settlements on a monthly basis outpaced ACH transactions, signaling a significant shift in the financial sector toward blockchain-based payments.
Fireblocks reported that stablecoins have become the predominant digital assets on its platform, making up 69% of all digital asset trades processed. USDC, developed by Circle and pegged to the US dollar, emerged as the most transacted stablecoin within the Fireblocks network this year, overtaking industry giant USDT in popularity among institutional users.
Stablecoins now represent nearly 70% of digital asset trades on Fireblocks, with USDC becoming the top choice for institutional transfers and settlements across multiple blockchains.
Despite the rise in adoption, many companies face operational hurdles when integrating stablecoins into their treasury and payment workflows. Key challenges include managing liquidity, securing funds for gas expenses on various blockchains, performing reconciliations, and complying with regulatory screening processes.
While stablecoins allow payment providers to reduce their reliance on traditional correspondent banking systems, organizations still need to address requirements such as sanctions compliance during cross-border transfers.
Mini dictionary: Fireblocks, a digital asset custody and transfer platform, offers secure infrastructure for businesses and institutions to move, store, and manage digital assets across multiple blockchains.
Circle Gateway offers multi-chain USDC managementAddressing these operational complexities, Circle has launched the Circle Gateway, now integrated with Fireblocks. This solution enables businesses to hold and manage their USDC balances across all supported blockchains in a single virtual wallet, instead of juggling multiple liquidity pools on different networks.
With Gateway, companies consolidate USDC operations, eliminating the need for individual gas fees on destination chains and removing dependencies on external liquidity bridges. This innovation simplifies internal processes and reduces operational risks and costs.
Through the Circle Payments Network (CPN), companies can achieve near-instant settlement of USDC into various fiat currencies, supporting payments in over 50 countries. The network connects banks, payment processors, and virtual asset providers, streamlining global payments and reducing bottlenecks associated with the legacy correspondent banking system.
FeatureTraditional Correspondent BankingCircle Gateway + CPNSettlement SpeedSeveral hours to daysAlmost instantCurrency CoverageLimited, slower onboarding50+ countries supportedLiquidity ComplexityMultiple liquidity poolsSingle virtual walletGas Fee DependencyNot applicableEliminatedSanctions ComplianceIntegrated but slowerFully supportedGrowing demand for enterprise-scale stablecoin solutionsIndustry analysts suggest that the future of stablecoins will focus on expanding scalability and integrating robust security and compliance guardrails. As more enterprises adopt on-chain payment and treasury systems, they are increasingly seeking solutions that combine the speed and transparency of blockchain with the risk controls demanded by the corporate sector.
The current integration between Circle and Fireblocks signals a broader shift: stablecoins are evolving from basic trading tools to critical financial infrastructure. Their ongoing development is expected to further drive adoption among traditional institutions, provided that compliance requirements and operational efficiency continue to improve.
Stablecoins are no longer limited to trading—they are becoming core components of global payment systems and treasury operations for institutions.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
SK Group Chairman responds to SK Hynix's stock price plunge: Avoid frequent trading and hold for the long term.
SK Group Chairman and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Choi Tae-won responded to the sharp plunge in SK Hynix’s stock price, saying that while he cannot predict SK Hynix’s share price movement next month, investors should avoid frequent trading, as long-term holding may be more conducive to preserving assets. Choi believes that as the AI industry develops, demand for memory will continue to expand. He noted that AI is currently like a "4-year-old child," and as it matures into a full-fledged industry, it will inevitably require more memory, with related demand potentially growing exponentially. He also pointed out that SK Hynix’s stock had risen rapidly earlier, leading to a sharp pullback when market expectations shifted, adding that prices that surge too quickly sometimes need adjustments to align with reality. When discussing South Korea’s AI industry strategy, Choi stated that South Korea cannot compete with China on cost nor surpass the U.S. in model quality, so it should build infrastructure, develop applications suited to domestic needs, and explore niche markets, with a long-term shift from exporting memory chips to exporting computing power and "intelligence."
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Institutions: U.S. corporate executives are offloading stocks at a nearly record pace.
US corporate executives are offloading stocks at the second-fastest pace in over two decades. For some investors, this is a classic warning sign, as it signals that those with the deepest insight into a company’s operations are taking a cautious stance on the current market. Data from EPFR Global Market Intelligence shows that in the first half of 2026, US corporate insiders collectively sold $776 billion worth of stocks, a 20% increase from the same period last year. Over the past 20+ years, only 2021 saw larger sell-offs, when the market was fueled by massive pandemic-era stimulus funds. EPFR analysts including Winston Chua wrote in a report: “Insider trading activity indicates that at current valuation levels, corporate executives have no strong willingness to increase their stock holdings.” Additionally, insider buying activity remains sluggish. In the first half of 2026, insiders purchased just $69 billion worth of company stock, barely above the seven-year low of $67 billion set in the same period last year. (Jin10)
19 minutes ago
US semiconductor, storage, and optical communication stocks extended their pre-market losses, with SanDisk and Applied Materials both falling more than 6%.
According to BIT (bit.com) market data, US semiconductor stocks were broadly lower in pre-market trading. Applied Materials fell 6.10%, Lam Research dropped 5.46%, TSMC declined 4.70%, KLA slipped 4.68%, Arm and Intel both fell 4.52%, AMD dropped 4.42%, Micron Technology fell 4.24%, and Nvidia was down 2.95%. The storage sector led losses: SanDisk fell 6.10%, Western Digital dropped 5.75%, Seagate Technology declined 5.63%, Micron Technology slipped 4.24%, and SK Hynix fell 3.49%. Optical communication concept stocks plunged collectively: Coherent fell 6.26%, Applied Optoelectronics dropped 6.00%, Credo declined 5.76%, Corning slipped 5.51%, Ciena fell 5.17%, and Astera Labs was down 5.08%.
19 minutes ago
The "Big Short" Michael Burry: Now an excellent time to bottom-fish Hong Kong stocks
The Big Short protagonist Michael Burry said today that with the appeal of South Korean and Japanese markets and the SOXX semiconductor sector waning, now is an ideal time to turn to the Hong Kong market to seek undervalued stocks. He believes some low-valued Hong Kong stocks are poised to perform well once capital flows shift away from South Korea, Japan and the semiconductor sector.
19 minutes ago
US stock futures fall, with intensified selling pressure on semiconductor stocks driving investors to shift to other sectors.
U.S. stock index futures fell, with selling pressure on semiconductor stocks intensifying, prompting investors to seek investment opportunities in other market segments. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped more than 2%, while S&P 500 futures fell over 1%. Nvidia (NVDA.O) led losses among the "Magnificent Seven" in pre-market trading, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index is nearing a bear market and set to extend Thursday’s declines. However, even though the S&P 500 closed 0.5% lower on Thursday, 369 of its constituent stocks advanced and 132 declined, indicating the market’s overall breadth remains healthy. Barclays strategist Venu Krishna stated, "Enthusiasm for AI capital expenditure is starting to cool, but the semiconductor sector still significantly outperforms the broader market in stock price performance, while software stocks continue to lag. This shows recent market rotation is gradual rather than decisive." (Jinshi)
19 minutes ago
OKX.AI Genesis Hackathon Extended to July 28
Official announcement: The OKX.AI Genesis Hackathon has seen rising developer enthusiasm since its launch. To give builders more time to refine and deploy Agent Service Providers (ASP), the submission deadline has been extended to July 28 at 7:59 (UTC+8). Participants can continue to submit their works via the OKX.AI official website and post project introductions on X. OKX.AI is an economic system built specifically for Agents. The Genesis Hackathon features a total prize pool of $100,000, aiming to encourage developers to build ASP that solve real-world needs and drive the implementation of the Agent economy.
Circle has integrated its Gateway and Circle Payments Network with Fireblocks, giving institutional customers new ways to manage USDC across blockchains and settle cross-border payments.
Summary
Circle and Fireblocks integrate Gateway and CPN, giving institutions USDC settlement across multiple blockchain networks. Fireblocks customers can use unified USDC balances and send local fiat payouts across 50-plus countries. Stablecoins account for 69% of Fireblocks transaction volume, showing growing institutional demand for digital settlement. The services are now available directly through Fireblocks’ existing infrastructure, including its transaction controls, approval systems and audit records.
The integration targets trading firms, neobanks and payments companies that use stablecoins for treasury operations and international settlement. According to Fireblocks, stablecoins accounted for 69% of all digital asset transaction volume on its platform during the second quarter of 2026. The company also said USDC became its leading stablecoin earlier this year.
Circle Gateway allows institutions to maintain one virtual USDC balance across supported networks instead of keeping separate pools on each blockchain. Funds can move to supported chains when required, while incoming USDC can automatically return to the unified balance. Fireblocks said the system also reduces the need to hold separate gas tokens for destination networks.
Circle Payments Network connects USDC with local fiat payouts The second part of the integration brings Circle Payments Network, or CPN, into the Fireblocks Network for Payments. Customers can send USDC and route payments to recipients who receive local fiat currency through supported providers in more than 50 countries. The companies said settlement can take minutes rather than relying on multi-day correspondent banking processes.
Circle 🤝 @FireblocksHQ
Gateway and Circle Payments Network are now accessible through Fireblocks, helping institutions manage USDC operations with the policy controls, approvals, and audit trails they already use.
→ Unified USDC balances across supported chains with Gateway… pic.twitter.com/JPEZoF9Hdd
— Circle (@circle) July 16, 2026 Meanwhile, Fireblocks will apply its existing policy controls to Gateway transfers and CPN payouts. These include transaction approvals, counterparty lists, sanctions screening and Travel Rule processes. The aim is to let institutions use stablecoin payment rails without building a separate control system for each network or payment corridor.
The rollout builds on a partnership Circle and Fireblocks announced in September 2025. At the time, the companies said Fireblocks customers would gain access to Circle products, including Gateway and CPN, as financial institutions increased their use of stablecoins for payments and treasury operations.
As crypto.news previously reported, Circle expanded CPN in April with Managed Payments, a service designed to let banks and fintech companies use USDC-based settlement without directly managing digital assets or blockchain infrastructure. That service handles parts of the stablecoin process while participating institutions continue sending and receiving fiat currency.
Moreover, Circle added Nium to CPN in May, connecting USDC settlement with payout infrastructure spanning more than 190 countries and 100 currencies. The Fireblocks integration now adds another institutional access point to the network.
Fireblocks said stablecoin transaction volume reached $33 trillion across the wider market in 2025, up 72% year over year. With Gateway and CPN now available inside its platform, customers can manage cross-chain USDC liquidity and fiat payouts under the same operating and compliance controls they already use for other digital asset transactions.
Visa has launched an enterprise stablecoin platform that allows banks, fintech companies and payment providers to manage digital dollars through a single system.
Summary
Visa launches an enterprise stablecoin platform with Open USD as its first supported digital asset. Banks and fintechs can mint, store, transfer and redeem stablecoins through one Visa-managed operating system. Open USD’s shared revenue model adds pressure on Circle as competition for institutional stablecoin flows grows. The Visa Stablecoin Platform, or VSP, will initially support Open USD, the stablecoin introduced by Open Standard in June.
The platform gives institutions access to tools for minting, redeeming, storing and transferring Open USD. Visa has also added Wallet-as-a-Service infrastructure, blockchain connectivity and its existing risk and security systems. The company said clients can use the service alongside its traditional payments network rather than replacing their current infrastructure.
Visa Chief Product and Strategy Officer Jack Forestell said “the hard part isn’t the concept, it’s the operational reality” when institutions adopt stablecoins. He said VSP gives clients one place to manage stablecoin operations while using controls and network infrastructure already provided by Visa.
Open USD adds another challenge to Circle’s USDC model The launch gives Open USD a direct route into Visa’s institutional customer base. The token uses a different economic structure from established stablecoins such as Circle’s USDC. Open Standard plans to offer fee-free minting and redemption while sharing most reserve income with participating partners after operating costs.
More than 140 companies backed the Open USD initiative when it was announced on June 30. The group includes Visa, Mastercard, BlackRock, Coinbase and several other companies across finance, technology and crypto. Visa had already reported a stablecoin settlement run rate of about $7 billion as of March 2026.
The new platform arrives as investors continue to assess how Open USD could affect Circle’s business. As crypto.news reported, Circle shares fell after Open USD was announced, as markets reacted to a model that could return more reserve income to companies distributing the stablecoin.
Pressure increased this week when Mizuho downgraded Circle and cut its price target from $85 to $50. As previously reported by crypto.news, the bank said Open USD could put more pressure on Circle’s margins by changing how stablecoin reserve income flows to distribution partners. However, Open USD still needs to build the liquidity, regulatory reach and market adoption that USDC has developed over several years.
Visa’s launch moves Open USD from a consortium-backed stablecoin proposal toward institutional payment infrastructure. Banks and fintechs using VSP can access Open USD through Visa-managed tools while connecting stablecoin operations with existing payment products.
For Circle, the competition is now expanding beyond stablecoin issuance. Open USD has gained distribution partners, while Visa is building the systems institutions can use to manage the token directly. The next test will be whether financial companies adopt those tools at enough scale to challenge USDC’s established position in regulated digital-dollar payments.
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The Swiss Franc surged over 0.20% in early trading, pulling the EUR/CHF pair toward 0.9230 and stalling its month-long uptrend The Franc's resurgence is driven by safe-haven demand amid rising Middle East geopolitical tensions and cooling Eurozone growth optimism The Swiss National Bank is ready to actively intervene in the currency markets to prevent the Franc from strengthening too aggressively and hurting exports The EUR/CHF exchange rate has shown resilience over the past month, with the pair advancing approximately 0.25% overall. However, the Swiss franc has recently strengthened. In two of the last three trading days, the franc has gained value.
This recovery accelerated on Friday, with the franc appreciating by over 0.20% in early European trading. This move pushed the EUR/CHF pair back towards the 0.9230 level. So, what is driving this sudden reversal of fortune, and what does it tell us about the broader market sentiment?
What is Boosting the Swiss Franc? The Swiss Franc’s recent rise is due to escalating global risks and changing monetary policy expectations. Investors are again seeking safe havens. Risk-on sentiment had briefly pushed up the Euro earlier this month, but the sudden collapse of the US-Iran deal and renewed military action in the Middle East have brought renewed geopolitical anxiety to markets. This tension has also driven crude oil prices higher, exposing energy-reliant European economies and making Switzerland’s resilience stand out.
There’s also a policy angle. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has held its policy rate at zero and, as Trading Economics notes, has repeatedly said it’s ready to intervene if the franc strengthens too much. Yet, it hasn’t acted. This restraint, somewhat counterintuitively, has actually given traders more confidence to hold franc positions. The immediate threat of aggressive SNB pushback now appears lower than markets had anticipated.
Underpinning these factors is Switzerland’s economic structure. Its disinflationary environment and comparatively stable economy contrast with the Eurozone’s ongoing challenges with slow industrial growth, particularly in Germany.
The European Central Bank is scheduled to meet on July 23, 2026. While the market anticipates no change to the key deposit rate, which stands at 2.25%, policymakers are signaling a data-dependent approach without committing to a specific future rate path.
What Does This Say About Risk Sentiment? Franc strength is usually shorthand for caution. When investors put their money into Switzerland’s currency instead of looking for higher returns elsewhere, it usually means they’re not feeling very confident about taking risks, at least for a while.
This happens even when things seem a bit better, like when talks between the US and Iran gave some temporary breathing room. However, underlying geopolitical tensions maintain demand for safe-haven currencies.
In essence, this situation reflects a market balancing the potential for economic recovery against ongoing uncertainties, including energy prices and differing monetary policies among major central banks. The performance of the franc serves as an indicator of these market forces. Until geopolitical tensions in the Middle East subside, the franc’s tendency to attract capital is likely to continue exerting downward pressure on the EUR/CHF pair.
What is the current benchmark policy interest rate maintained by the Swiss National Bank to support its domestic economic stability?
The Swiss National Bank has maintained its benchmark expansionary policy interest rate at exactly 0% throughout 2026.
Why has safe-haven demand returned to boost the Swiss Franc against the Euro during mid-July trading sessions?
Renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the collapse of the U.S.–Iran deal have pushed investors toward defensive safe havens.
How does the franc’s performance reflect broader market sentiment?
It indicates cautious risk appetite, with investors seeking stability during geopolitical uncertainty while monitoring recovery signals.
Zcash (ZEC) is up over 2% on Friday, recovering from an 8% decline the previous day. The privacy coin maintains its retail strength with a rising funding rate despite a minor contraction in ZEC futures Open Interest. Technically, ZEC retains a structural upward trend above its crucial moving averages with an upside toward $690.
Retail support holds amid minor pullbackCoinGlass data shows the ZEC futures Open Interest (OI) dropped over 5% in the last 24 hours to $1.10 billion, reflecting a contraction in active perpetual contracts, which aligns with Thursday’s pullback. However, the surge in funding rate to 0.0228%, from 0.0100% the previous day, reflects a buy-the-dip approach among traders.
Zcash derivatives data. Source: CoinGlassZcash holds a bullish near-term bias above its 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $476 and the 200-day EMA at $390. At the time of writing, ZEC is up 2% on Friday from its 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level at $520, measured over the $690 to $184 downswing, which reinforces a supported trend structure.
A steady upward trend could target the previous swing high of $690, and a breakout could extend the rally to the 127.2% Fibonacci extension at $987.
Momentum is constructive, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovering near 58 with more upside before reaching the overbought levels. At the same time, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is rising into positive territory alongside its signal line, suggesting that buyers retain control.
ZEC/USDT daily price chart.On the downside, initial support is aligned with the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement at $520, where a deeper pullback could attract dip-buying interest near the 50-day EMA at $476.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Rigetti (RGTI 7.54%) is building a risky but fascinating quantum hardware story. Its U.S.-based Fab-1 facility, government-linked research, and superconducting quantum platform could matter more if America treats domestic quantum capability as strategic infrastructure.
Stock prices used were the market prices of July 7, 2026. The video was published on July 16, 2026
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Cronos, an EVM-compatible L1 chain, launched $EURC, $USDC, and the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) of the U.S.-based fintech entity Circle. The rollout denotes a notable landmark for the network as it readies for the Cronos app’s upcoming debut. As Cronos disclosed in its official announcement, it is the earliest blockchain ecosystem to unveil all 3 Circle-backed products at the same time. The respective integration is poised to deliver consumers, institutions, and developers with seamless access to fully compliant stablecoin infrastructure.
Cronos Natively Incorporates $USDC and CCTP to Bolster Infrastructure The launch of $EURC, $USDC, and the CCTP protocol of Circle on the Cronos network highlights a key move. The integration is set to provide institutions, developers, and consumers with streamlined access to compliant stablecoin infrastructure. Additionally, the move focuses on simplifying transfers across chains and supporting a wider range of notable financial apps across the ecosystem.
Simultaneously, the launch is associated with the Cronos app’s development. It is a mobile-first trading entity developed through the Cronos blockchain with notable support from Crypto.com. Specifically, the application is anticipated to permit consumers to efficiently trade their tokenized stocks, prediction market assets, and cryptocurrencies from one account. Additionally, the platform is poised to provide almost 10x buying power, availability in over 183 jurisdictions, and round-the-clock market reach.
Apart from that, native $USDC is set to play the role of a central settlement asset operating in the Cronos app. Following the launch of the platform, consumers will get the capability to deposit their $USDC tokens and use an inclusive balance for the trading of diverse asset classes. Each of the transfers on the platform will witness its settlement in $USDC, marked by redeemability for U.S. dollars on a 1:1 ratio.
Accelerating Worldwide Stablecoin Adoption According to Cronos, a critical element of this development is the inclusion of the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) of Circle. The protocol allows consumers to shift $USDC between compatible blockchain ecosystems without depending on 3rd-party bridges or wrapped tokens. With this mechanism, consumers will get the ability to transact $USDC from over 20 compatible chains to Cronos. Additionally, $EURC’s integration further broadens the platform’s stablecoin offerings. Overall, with the merger of native $EURC, $USDC, and CCTP integration, Cronos focuses on elevating its position as a prominent blockchain ecosystem for compliant digital asset operations and worldwide financial innovation.
AUTHOR
Umair Younas is a cryptocurrency-related content writer linked with this work since 2019. Here, at Blockchainreporter, he serves as a news and article writer. He is a crypto, blockchain, NFTs, DeFi, and FinTech enthusiast. He has strong command over writing authentic reviews about brokers and exchanges and he has collaborated with our education team to write educational content as well. He has a dream to raise awareness among people about digital currencies. His works are well-researched and brimmed with information hence they provide fresh insights. Stay tuned to his posts if you want to stay up-to-date with the crypto-verse.
Key Takeaways A unanimous Senate resolution opposes presidential clemency for Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced FTX founder Every single senator supported the measure — zero objections were recorded The bipartisan initiative was spearheaded by Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego Bankman-Fried received a conviction in November 2023 across seven charges related to FTX’s $8 billion implosion While President Trump granted pardons to crypto personalities like Changpeng Zhao and Ross Ulbricht, he has refused to extend mercy to Bankman-Fried On July 16, the United States Senate delivered a striking unanimous verdict: no pardon or sentence reduction should be granted to Sam Bankman-Fried, the architect behind the spectacular FTX cryptocurrency exchange failure.
U.S. Senate Unanimously Opposes Clemency for FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a nonbinding resolution stating that FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried should not receive a presidential pardon, sentence commutation or any other form of federal clemency… pic.twitter.com/u9yO9gHhVw
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 16, 2026
Identified as S. Res. 772, the resolution sailed through without opposition under unanimous consent rules. In practical terms, this means zero senators stepped forward to contest it.
The initiative originated on June 17 through a collaborative effort between Senator Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming Republican, and Senator Ruben Gallego, Arizona Democrat. Both legislators chair opposite ends of the Senate Banking Committee’s cryptocurrency subcommittee.
“He received fair judicial proceedings,” Lummis stated during the resolution’s introduction. Gallego delivered a more direct assessment: “Keep him locked up.”
While the resolution carries symbolic weight rather than legal authority to prevent a presidential pardon, it transmits an unmistakable political message to the executive branch.
Understanding the FTX Disaster and Bankman-Fried’s Legal Downfall Bankman-Fried faced judgment in November 2023, resulting in convictions on seven criminal counts connected to FTX’s catastrophic failure. Federal prosecutors characterized the scheme as among the most significant financial crimes in American history.
U.S. customers suffered losses exceeding $8 billion. Bankman-Fried remains incarcerated with an anticipated release date around 2044.
The fraud’s core involved redirecting billions in FTX customer funds to Alameda Research, Bankman-Fried’s proprietary trading operation. These misappropriated funds financed speculative trades, startup investments, campaign contributions, and luxury properties in the Bahamas.
The operation collapsed in November 2022 following CoinDesk’s publication of Alameda’s financial records, which exposed that the company’s asset base consisted predominantly of FTT, FTX’s proprietary digital token.
Within days, Binance announced plans to liquidate its FTT position. This announcement precipitated a token value crash, massive customer withdrawals, and FTX’s bankruptcy declaration on November 11, 2022.
Contrasting Trump’s Treatment of Other Cryptocurrency Cases President Trump has extended executive clemency to other prominent cryptocurrency personalities. This year witnessed pardons for Binance’s founder Changpeng Zhao and Ross Ulbricht, who created Silk Road.
These clemency grants sparked widespread conjecture that Bankman-Fried might receive similar treatment. His relatives actively pursued White House advocacy on his behalf.
However, the administration clarified in January that pardoning Bankman-Fried was not under consideration. The Senate’s universal support for the resolution solidifies this stance.
Bankman-Fried’s legal challenge to reverse his conviction also failed in appellate court, making presidential clemency his sole remaining avenue.
The Senate’s action demonstrates that while cryptocurrency regulatory matters may receive lenient consideration, massive fraud targeting customers remains unforgivable.
Sandisk (SNDK 12.63%) became a stand-alone public company again in early 2025 when it was spun out from Western Digital (which had acquired it in 2016). The separation was intended to position Sandisk's management to concentrate its resources and focus on NAND flash memory and enterprise-grade solid-state drives (SSDs) at a time when hyperscalers were sharply accelerating capital spending on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure.
That meant that Sandisk could more easily accelerate capacity expansions and technology road maps tailored specifically to the explosive storage requirements of large language model (LLM) training and inference deployments.
At the time of this writing, Sandisk stock trades at $1,539 -- a gain of roughly 3,748% from its 52-week low of $40 per share. The magnitude of this move inevitably prompts the question of whether the market has already priced the most optimistic upside scenario for Sandisk into its stock or whether meaningful appreciation potential remains.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Analyzing Sandisk's business amid the AI memory supercycle Sandisk designs, manufactures, and sells NAND flash memory chips and the SSDs built from them. These products serve as the high-speed storage layer that AI systems rely on to hold training data and real-time inference outputs. As generative AI workloads scale up, the volume of data that must be stored and accessed has grown at a much faster pace than traditional enterprise or consumer storage demand ever did.
The result has been a memory supercycle in which both chip sales volumes and average selling prices are rising in tandem. Memory supplies are now far short of demand, and prices have soared. Sandisk's data center revenue and earnings per share (EPS) are growing at triple-digit percentage rates year over year, underscoring the company's operating leverage and improving gross margins as the adoption rates for AI surge toward ongoing compute capacity limits.
SNDK Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts. TTM = trailing 12 months. EPS = earnings per share.
Storage demand is becoming more secular During Sandisk's most recent earnings call, management told investors that the company had signed a series of multiyear supply contracts worth $42 billion. These agreements lock in sales volumes and prices, and provide Sandisk with clear revenue visibility well into the latter half of the decade.
Because the contracts are tied to the multiyear build-out of AI data centers rather than to a short-term device upgrade cycle, Sandisk's order book appears stable. That's a notable contrast to the boom-and-bust pattern that has historically plagued memory and storage producers. Investors can view the current demand surge as more secular and durable than transitory.
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Sandisk stock could continue soaring So far this year, Sandisk stock has rocketed upward by 563% -- making it the top performer in the Nasdaq-100 by a mile. With that said, smart investors understand that absolute percentage gains reveal very little about a company's valuation.
For the current fiscal year, Wall Street analysts estimate that Sandisk will report $66.51 in EPS. However, by next fiscal year, the consensus forecast points to a meaningful step change in profitability, with EPS expected to reach $208.22. On that basis, Sandisk trades at a modest forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of just 7.6.
SNDK PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts. PE Ratio = price-to-earnings ratio.
In my view, Sandisk is set up for further valuation expansion based on a straightforward premise: AI infrastructure spending is projected to reach trillions of dollars annually over the next several years, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and storage form one of the indispensable pillars of that build-out. This positions Sandisk's earnings base to continue compounding through the combination of chip volume growth, pricing power, and operating leverage.
While periods of consolidation and sharp pullbacks in the stock are likely, any material decline would simply reset the entry point for a company whose AI-driven trajectory remains intact. On that basis, I see Sandisk as a compelling stock to buy and hold rather than as a name to exit in the wake of its tremendous rally.
Someone just walked into BonkDAO, spent roughly $4.4 million on tokens, and walked out with approximately $20 million from the treasury. Not by hacking smart contracts. Not by finding a zero-day exploit. By simply showing up to vote when nobody else did.
Welcome to the era of the “apathy attack,” a term coined by Dr. NickA (Nick Almond), Head of Governance at Jito Foundation, to describe a governance exploit pattern that has now hit DAOs from Compound to BonkDAO. The vulnerability isn’t in the code. It’s in the community.
How the BonkDAO attack unfolded On July 6, 2026, an attacker acquired enough BONK tokens to surpass the DAO’s 1% quorum requirement. Only about 2.9% of total participants actively voted on the malicious proposal, spread across just 7 wallets. The proposal passed and drained roughly 4.43 trillion BONK tokens, valued at approximately $20 million, from the treasury.
Post-attack, the stolen tokens were reportedly moved into a newly established “BONK 2.0” multisig DAO controlled by the attacker and their associates.
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The irony is thick: BonkDAO specifically set its quorum at 1% as a measure to deter apathy by making governance participation easy. Instead, the low threshold made governance capture trivially cheap.
Compound’s earlier warning shot Compound, one of DeFi’s most established lending protocols, faced its own governance crisis back in July 2024. Declining voter participation created the conditions for a similar exploit pattern, where proposals could be pushed through without meaningful community consensus. The incident was serious enough that Compound established the Compound Governance Working Group specifically to boost engagement and prevent future attacks.
Dr. NickA has drawn a direct line between these incidents, framing them as part of the same systemic vulnerability. The attack vector doesn’t target code. It targets disengagement. Historical data on DAO voter participation paints a grim picture. Turnout across token-weighted DAOs can dip below 10%, and in some cases falls as low as 0.1% to 3%.
The governance paradox The BonkDAO attack is especially instructive because the $4.4 million spent to acquire tokens yielded roughly $20 million in stolen assets. That’s nearly a 5x return on a governance exploit.
Some protocols have experimented with alternative models. Quadratic voting, conviction voting, and delegate systems all attempt to solve different aspects of the participation problem. But none have achieved widespread adoption, and the dominant model remains one-token-one-vote with fixed quorum thresholds.
What this means for investors Traders and investors evaluating DAO-governed protocols should be paying close attention to governance participation metrics. A protocol with consistently low voter turnout and a large treasury is essentially advertising its vulnerability. The ratio of treasury size to quorum cost becomes a rough measure of exploit profitability.
The emergence of “BONK 2.0” as an attacker-controlled entity adds another wrinkle. If stolen governance tokens can be reorganized into new structures that claim legitimacy, the attack doesn’t just drain a treasury. It fragments a community. Recovery becomes a legal, social, and technical challenge all at once.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
After a hot start following its IPO, Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX 3.08%), better known as SpaceX, has seen its stock price come back down to Earth. The price is now approaching its IPO price of $135 per share.
Investors who couldn't get in on the IPO may be wondering whether to buy the stock if it dips below that number. Here's what history has to say.
Image source: Getty Images.
How well do IPOs hold up over the long run? Most IPO stocks see a pop on their first day of trading. Underwriters intentionally underprice offerings to ensure enough demand to fully allocate the stock offering and guarantee success for the company. Indeed, SpaceX closed its first day of trading about 19% above its IPO price, which is about average based on data dating back to 1960.
But most investors aren't interested in SpaceX's short-term outcomes. The company's value is based on its potential to disrupt multiple industries over the long run. The stock should appeal to investors who believe in CEO Elon Musk's ability to build more efficient reusable rockets, expand its satellite constellation, and reshape broadband internet access and artificial intelligence (AI). So, looking at how IPOs usually hold up after at least three years of trading can provide valuable insight.
For investors who buy just any new IPO as it comes to market, the long-term results aren't great. Even with a big first-day pop, the average IPO since 1980 (excluding the 1999-2000 dot-com bubble) produced worse returns than the overall market, according to data compiled by professor Jay Ritter. He found that all IPOs produce an average return of 44.2% from their IPO price over three years, but that trails the weighted-average market return by 1.6%.
But tech stocks specifically do significantly better. Tech IPOs produced average three-year returns of 73.3%, massively outperforming the market by 25.8%. And if you dig a little bit deeper, big tech stocks with sales exceeding $100 million (adjusted for inflation) perform even better. These companies have delivered an average three-year return of 82.5% and outperformed the market by 43.1%. Even if they're unprofitable, they still produce excess returns of 41.7% on average, according to Ritter's data.
In other words, history is on SpaceX's side as a large tech company making its public debut. Still, there are a few reasons to remain cautious about buying SpaceX, even at its IPO price.
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The SpaceX IPO is a special case SpaceX was the largest IPO in history, raising over $85 billion after underwriters exercised their option to buy additional shares. With a valuation of about $1.75 trillion, it's already a massive business. But that valuation puts its price-to-sales ratio above 90. And valuation still matters.
According to a University of Florida 2026 study of IPOs, since 1980, only 14 other IPOs have had over $100 million in sales and a price-to-sales ratio above 40. The average three-year return from their IPO price was just 3.1%, trailing the market average by 15.4%. While it's a small sample size, there's a clear correlation between IPO price-to-sales valuation and returns. The lower the valuation, the better the returns. SpaceX has one of the highest price-to-sales ratios in the market.
There's additional concern that SpaceX's stock price could be weighed down as lockup periods expire and early investors and employees can sell their shares. Interestingly, the same University of Florida study found that companies that float a smaller percentage of shares (SpaceX offered about 5% of the company's shares) end up outperforming companies that sell a larger portion of the equity at their IPO. That said, there's never been a company the size of SpaceX with so many shares locked up. That's a lot of capital for the market to absorb over the next six months or so.
The truth of the matter is that SpaceX is unlike any IPO we've ever seen. Using historical averages to project SpaceX's future stock price can only go so far. The actual results will depend on the same thing that applies to every stock in the market, whether old or new. Will the company perform better than the market expects? If it does, the stock price could outperform the market average. At its current valuation, the market is setting a very high bar for SpaceX to exceed.
SpaceX shares fell in after-hours trading after closing below their IPO price for the first time on Thursday.
The decline came after the company's 13th Starship test flight was aborted less than a second before liftoff.
The setback added to investor concerns as bearish bets against the stock continue to rise.
The stock dropped about 4.5% in after-hours trading after the launch was scrubbed, extending losses from the regular session when it closed at $131.11, below its June IPO price of $135.
The shares are now down roughly 19% since the company's market debut last month.
The failed launch comes as investors closely monitor SpaceX's progress in advancing its reusable rocket programme, which is central to its ambitions in satellite internet, lunar exploration and future artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Industry experts noted that launch delays and test failures are common during rocket development, though the timing alongside the stock's recent decline has increased investor attention.
The Starship rocket was set to lift off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas when an automatic hold was triggered during engine ignition.
The rocket's 33 Raptor engines began firing before the system shut them down moments before launch.
"We did trigger a hold on the booster that aborted our liftoff as we were starting to light those Raptor engines," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said during the company's livestream.
Chief Executive Elon Musk later confirmed that the launch had been halted because several engines failed to start properly.
"Some of the engines didn't start, triggering an automatic launch abort," Musk wrote on X.
"To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed & replaced. The most probable launch timing is early next week."
Thursday's mission would have marked the first flight of the upgraded Starship V3 configuration since SpaceX completed the largest IPO in US history.
The test programme remains under scrutinyThe latest setback follows another imperfect Starship test in May.
Although the rocket reached space successfully, multiple engines failed to reignite during the Super Heavy booster's landing sequence, causing it to crash into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Federal Aviation Administration subsequently ordered an investigation before clearing the vehicle for another launch earlier this week.
"The final mishap report cites the two most probable root causes for the loss of the Super Heavy booster as heat effects on propulsion system components during the ascent and erroneous engine alarm system settings," the FAA said.
SpaceX implemented four corrective measures, including software and hardware updates, before Thursday's planned launch.
The mission also aimed to deploy 20 next-generation Starlink satellites designed to test new communications capabilities before intentionally burning up during atmospheric re-entry.
The weakness in SpaceX shares has coincided with a sharp increase in bearish positioning.
According to Ortex Technologies, investors betting against the stock are sitting on approximately $8.7 billion in unrealised profits as the shares have fallen from a post-IPO high of $225.64, Reuters reported.
"SpaceX has been a rollercoaster for the short sellers, and it has ended up firmly in their favor," Ortex co-founder Peter Hillerberg said.
"Rather than take profits, the bears kept adding the whole way down."
Nearly 49% of the company's tradable shares are now on loan to short sellers, according to Ortex, creating the potential for heightened volatility.
The research firm estimates that every $1 move in SpaceX shares represents more than $300 million in gains or losses for bearish investors.
Much of the recent pressure reflects broader concerns about expensive technology valuations and debt-funded artificial intelligence investments.
Analysts remain divided on valuationThe stock's decline has prompted debate over whether the recent correction presents a buying opportunity.
Former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson argued that valuations remain stretched despite the sell-off.
"Don't even think about bottom-fishing this one, as it still trades at 92 times trailing revenues," Tilson wrote.
"That means it's still nearly 10 times overvalued, given that I think a generous multiple for the stock would be 10 times revenues."
Piper Sandler initiated coverage of SpaceX on Thursday with a Neutral rating and a $156 price target.
The brokerage said it remains positive on the company's long-term prospects but expects near-term challenges, including staged lock-up expirations, uncertainty surrounding a potential Tesla acquisition, and the substantial capital expenditure required to develop orbital AI data centres.
The firm also noted that annual investment requirements could run into tens of billions of dollars before investors gain confidence in the company's long-term strategy.
Despite the recent weakness, Wall Street remains broadly optimistic.
According to LSEG data, 27 of the 32 analysts covering SpaceX recommend buying the stock, while four have neutral ratings and only one maintains a sell recommendation, suggesting that most analysts continue to view the recent decline as a short-term setback rather than a change in the company's longer-term growth outlook.
SpaceX stock price has fallen below its initial public offering (IPO) price price just one month after the company’s blockbuster market debut. Investors who bought SpaceX stock at the IPO price of $135 on June 12 would now be sitting on a loss.
Namely, a $10,000 investment made at the initial SpaceX IPO price of $135 per share on June 12, 2026, would now be worth approximately $9,706, with the space exploration leader trading just barely above $131 as of press time, July 17.
SpaceX 24-hour stock price chart. Source: Finbold The losses come after a rather turbulent first month of trading following the largest IPO in history. Indeed, Elon Musk’s company debuted with an initial valuation of around $1.77 trillion and closed the first trading session with a market capitalization above $2 trillion.
In just four days, SPCX shares hit an intraday high of roughly $211 before broader market weakness kicked in and profit-taking and renewed concerns over the company’s valuation sent the stock lower.
SpaceX shares fell below their $135 IPO price for the first time on July 15, reaching a session low of $132.28 before recovering to close at $135.27. By press time, the price had gone even lower, to the aforementioned $131.
The decline has reduced SpaceX’s market capitalization to approximately $1.72 trillion, a significant retreat from the roughly $2.9 trillion valuation recorded just four days after its debut.
Why did SpaceX stock crash? First and foremost, the selloff reflects growing investor concerns regarding SpaceX’s valuation and financial outlook as the company approaches its first earnings report in August.
Currently, analysts expect SpaceX to generate between $34 billion and $43 billion in revenue this year, up from $18.7 billion in 2025. However, many investors are on edge as SpaceX recorded a net loss of approximately $4.9 billion in 2025.
Shareholders are also watching for a potential increase in selling pressure later in 2026. For instance, insider share unlocks following the upcoming quarterly could expand the public float, allowing some employees to sell portions of their holdings.
Looking ahead, SpaceX’s growth is driven by several prospects. The most important of those are its Falcon launch business, expanding Starlink satellite internet network, Starship development, and potential artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure projects.
However, the company faces significant execution risks as it invests heavily in these technologies. With its first earnings report as a public company approaching, investors will be watching whether management can turn technological leadership into financial performance strong enough to justify the multi-trillion-dollar valuation and deliver gains to early and future backers.
Featured image via Shutterstock
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Say what you will about Elon Musk, but he has never blinked on his Tesla vision.
Through years of skeptics declaring Tesla (TSLA 0.87%) was doomed, he kept promising a future of electric cars, self-driving fleets, and humanoid robots, and he kept plowing money back into those bets.
With the stock slipping below $400 and second-quarter earnings due July 22, some investors are wondering whether this dip is the moment to buy into that conviction.
Image source: The White House.
The founder-led lens There is a reason founder-led companies command loyalty, and Tesla is the textbook case. Musk holds an enormous personal stake and has worked to increase his voting control, which means his fortune rises and falls with the same shares ordinary investors own.
Rather than harvesting profits, he keeps funneling them into ambitious projects: the robotaxi rollout, the Dojo supercomputer, the Optimus robot, and the energy business. To believers, that relentless reinvestment amid constant criticism is the whole point.
It signals an owner playing a decade-long game while Wall Street frets over the next quarter. Founders who refuse to sell their vision have, more than once, been proven right long after the doubters moved on.
The July 22 reality check That is the romantic case. The sober one is that Tesla's most recent quarter showed the tension clearly. Deliveries actually beat expectations, yet the stock fell as investors focused on shrinking margins, softening sales in North America, and the heavy spending required to chase all those moonshots.
The stock still trades at a valuation that assumes the autonomous future arrives more or less on schedule, and Musk's timelines have a long history of slipping. Buying specifically to front-run one earnings report is less an investment than a coin flip, because a single print can swing hard in either direction.
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The takeaway for investors So should you buy the dip before July 22? I would gently separate the two questions tangled up in that headline.
Believing in Musk's founder-led vision is a legitimate, decade-long call, and plenty of investors are comfortable backing a leader who has never wavered. But timing a purchase to a specific earnings date is a different, riskier game, and Tesla's lofty valuation leaves little cushion if the report disappoints.
If you are putting hard-earned savings to work here, the better question is not "before or after July 22," but whether you are willing to own an expensive stock through years of volatility on the strength of a vision that is still unproven. Decide that first, and the earnings date matters a lot less.
Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) extended its decline heading into Friday as investors questioned whether SpaceX could realistically finance a takeover of Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle company.
Tesla fell 0.9% to $391.06 on Thursday, while SpaceX slid 3.1% to $131.11, below its $135 IPO price.
The parallel weakness matters because any acquisition would probably rely heavily on SpaceX stock.
As that currency loses value, the rocket company would need to issue more shares, increasing dilution and making an already complicated transaction harder to justify.
Tesla was valued at about $1.4 trillion on Thursday, while SpaceX’s retreat from its post-IPO peak has reduced the purchasing power of its equity.
An all-stock acquisition would require SpaceX to create and distribute a substantial block of new shares to Tesla investors.
Gary Black, managing partner of The Future Fund, estimated that such a deal could dilute existing SpaceX holders by roughly 25%.
“At $132 and sinking, SPCX can’t just buy TSLA in a 25% dilutive equity deal,” Black wrote on X.
Those who think $SPCX will buy $TSLA don’t understand the concept of board fiduciary duty. Sure, Elon owns 82% of the SPCX voting control (and 42% of overall SPCX equity) but that doesn’t magically let the SPCX board off the fiduciary hook. At $132 and sinking, SPCX can’t just…
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) July 16, 2026 Dilution does not mean investors immediately lose one-quarter of their money. It means their ownership would be spread across a much larger share count.
The combined company would therefore need to generate enough additional earnings or strategic value to compensate them.
Black has separately warned that conglomerates often inherit the valuation multiple of their slower-growing component.
Under one scenario, he estimated that combining the companies could erase about $750 billion of equity value unless unusually large revenue or cost synergies emerged.
Also read: SpaceX stock has erased all its IPO gains, but a 76% rally may be brewing
Musk’s influence over both companies could shape discussions around any potential transaction, but it would not eliminate the need for independent scrutiny, shareholder protections and a process designed to address conflicts of interest.
Black argued that SpaceX’s board still owes fiduciary duties to shareholders and could not simply disregard the financial effect of a heavily dilutive acquisition.
The related-party conflict would be obvious.
Musk leads Tesla and controls most SpaceX voting power, placing intense scrutiny on the exchange ratio, valuation assumptions, negotiations and any role assigned to independent directors.
SpaceX’s controlled-company status gives Musk exceptional authority, but it does not make minority investors indifferent to price.
The companies already have growing financial links.
Tesla disclosed that it invested $2 billion in SpaceX common stock in March, representing less than 1% ownership.
It also recognised $87 million of first-quarter revenue from SpaceX purchases of Megapack energy-storage products.
Those links strengthen the industrial argument for closer collaboration across energy and computing.
They also make governance more sensitive, because directors would need to distinguish genuine shareholder benefits from transactions that primarily consolidate Musk’s businesses.
Since 2017, Iason Gabriel has worked at the tech giant, trying to anticipate – and think through – the impact of AI. But as commercial and geopolitical pressures escalate, can ethicists make any difference?
Alphabet (GOOG 4.46%) (GOOGL 4.48%) stock has climbed in the triple digits over the past three years as the company benefited from two things -- the strength of its long-established businesses and an extra boost from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Even people who don't recognize the name "Alphabet" may actually be big users of the company's flagship product, Google Search.
The search engine is the world's most popular, with more than 90% market share. And the advertising across the Google platform makes it the company's biggest revenue driver. On top of this, Alphabet also generates significant revenue from its Google Cloud business, and AI has helped this unit's growth truly take off in recent quarters.
Considering these points, should you buy Alphabet before a potential catalyst on July 22? Let's find out.
Image source: Getty Images.
Alphabet's biggest revenue source Before we talk about this upcoming event, though, let's catch up on the Alphabet story so far. As mentioned, advertising represents the company's biggest revenue source. For example, in the latest quarter, Google advertising, at more than $77 billion, accounted for 70% of total revenue. And this ad revenue climbed 15% from the year-earlier period.
Advertisers rush to the Google platform because they know they will easily find us, their target audience, there. And now, thanks to Alphabet's work in AI, Google Search is getting better, which is driving increased usage, and that should prompt advertisers to keep coming back and even spend more. This use of AI in search pushed queries to a record level in the recent quarter.
Alphabet has developed its own large language model, Gemini -- it's the AI driving Google Search, it serves as an AI assistant to Google users, and Gemini also serves Google Cloud customers.
Gemini has recently made significant progress in market share. While OpenAI's ChatGPT still is the world's No. 1 AI assistant, its market share fell below 50% recently for the first time, TechCrunch reported, citing Sensor Tower's State of AI Report for 2026. Gemini is the second most-used AI assistant after ChatGPT -- they hold 27.7% and 46.4% market share, respectively.
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Backlog almost doubles Meanwhile, Alphabet's cloud business has experienced enormous growth. In the first quarter, revenue soared more than 60% to $20 billion, and backlog almost doubled from the previous quarter to more than $400 billion. Though Google Cloud has seen revenue climb in recent years, the AI wave has offered the business an extra lift -- and considering the general sustained demand that Alphabet and others in the space are seeing, this is likely to continue. In the quarter, Alphabet said the biggest driver of cloud revenue was AI solutions.
Now, let's consider what is on the agenda for July 22. Alphabet is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings after the closing bell. The message we've heard from others in the AI space in the previous quarter and in recent days offers us reason to be optimistic about the company's report. For example, ASML, a chip equipment maker, this week increased its annual sales forecast for a second time this year amid high AI chip demand.
A look at valuation It's also important to note that, while Alphabet isn't the cheapest of its fellow tech stocks, it still trades at a very reasonable level -- at 25x forward earnings estimates. This offers investors a solid entry point, and this level may also prompt investors to get in on the stock, particularly after a strong earnings report.
Meanwhile, Alphabet is a great choice for both cautious and aggressive investors as it offers something to please both of these groups. Alphabet built a strong business prior to the AI boom, excelling in search and cloud computing, so its successes aren't tied to the future of AI. But AI offers the company an extra growth opportunity over time.
All of this makes Alphabet a buy -- but you don't have to rush to get in on the stock prior to the earnings report. This is because short-term shifts in stock price won't have much of an impact on your returns if you hold on for the long term -- and long-term investing is the best way to go. This means you can take your time and buy Alphabet shares before or after July 22 -- and potentially set yourself up for a long-term win.
Amazon (AMZN 1.92%) has been one of the best-performing stocks ever on the market, but it's not so hot right now. It's underperforming the S&P 500 with a 7% year-to-date increase, right smack in the middle of the "Magnificent Seven" stocks.
One Wall Street analyst sees Amazon stock gaining 50% over the next 12 months. If that were to happen, Amazon would reach $4 trillion in total value. Here's how it could work.
Opportunities in AI Amazon's biggest opportunities today are in artificial intelligence (AI). It was in a position to harness the opportunity when AI exploded almost four years ago, since its cloud services company, Amazon Web Services (AWS), is the largest of its kind, accounting for nearly 30% of the global market, according to Statista.
Image source: Amazon.
This business is growing at the rate of an AI upstart, which is basically what it is. However, it's leveraging Amazon's backing and cash to get ahead.
Some examples of recent performance: Spending on Bedrock, AWS's signature AI building platform, increased 170% sequentially in the 2026 first quarter, and the number of developers using Kiro, AWS's agentic AI coding tool, more than doubled.
This trend is also driving growth into AWS as a whole, which had been slowing. AWS sales increased 28% year over year in the first quarter, the highest growth in 15 quarters, and on a base close to twice the size of what it was 15 quarters ago.
"We have never seen a technology grow as rapidly as AI," said CEO Andy Jassy.
Adventures in e-commerce and more The company's engine is still e-commerce, which represented more than 60% of total sales in the first quarter. Amazon accounts for more than 40% of all U.S. e-commerce, according to Statista, and the continued shift to online shopping benefits perhaps Amazon more than any other company in the world. Amazon recently overtook Walmart as the largest company in the world by sales, driven by the e-commerce machine.
E-commerce is still growing by double digits, and management is constantly improving the value proposition. It now reaches hundreds of markets with one-hour delivery, and 2,000 markets with three-hour delivery, and it's planning to have same-day delivery available in 4,500 U.S. cities by the end of the year.
Amazon continues to acquire smaller companies that support its businesses, and it's also rolling out its own new ventures. One project to watch is Amazon Leo, formerly Project Kuiper, which is a direct competitor of Space Exploration Technologies' Starlink business. It's just launching and much smaller than Starlink, but it has already made some important deals with companies including Delta Airlines, which will use it for in-flight Wi-Fi, and Apple, which will use it for Apple Watches and other products.
Can Amazon stock gain 50% by next year? Amazon has been demonstrating fine performance recently, and it has robust long-term opportunities. However, its performance hasn't been enough to quell market fears about AI overspending and failing to recoup its investments.
At the current price, Amazon trades at under 30 times trailing-12-month earnings, just off a 10-year low. That gives the stock some space to rise.
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For Amazon to reach $4 trillion, keeping the P/E ratio constant, net income would need to increase 50% over the next 12 months. It grew 31% in 2025, and 50% is possible but a high goal. However, if it grows 31% again in 2026, the stock could still gain 50% at a higher P/E ratio.
Management is guiding for operating income to increase only slightly year over year in the second quarter. It's cash outlays for the AI build-out are eating into profitability, and management says it's short-term pressure for long-term gain. However, Amazon stock may have limited upside in the short term without a skyrocketing valuation if profits are pressured.
The consensus analyst target price for Amazon stock over the next year or so is 30%, reaching close to $3.5 trillion in value, and there's more of a case for that to happen.
The current state of Nvidia's stock (NVDA 2.43%) makes little sense on the surface. Despite reporting 85% yearly revenue growth in its latest quarter, the stock sells for just 32 times earnings, the same as the S&P 500's average P/E ratio.
Some of that may have to do with the gains of nearly 1,700% since the fall of 2022, or the implied growth limitations of its $5.1 trillion market cap when considering the law of large numbers. However, another possible explanation is the unprecedented spending on AI and the historical tendency for such spending sprees to end in disaster.
Admittedly, investors do not know whether the ghosts of events past are hampering the present growth of the chip stock. Still, even if it is true, should investors care? Let's take a closer look.
Image source: Nvidia.
Historical precedent and Nvidia Indeed, this historical precedent is not one investors should dismiss. Experienced investors might remember how the internet spending boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s gave way to the dot-com bust. Looking further back, the boom in automobile spending in the 1920s ended with the Great Depression.
Big tech's AI spending seems reminiscent of such spending sprees. Key hyperscalers pledged to spend $725 billion on capital expenditures (capex) alone. Much of that spending has gone to Nvidia hardware, as the company generated $81.6 billion in revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 (ended April 26).
Also, analysts forecast an 82% revenue surge for fiscal 2027, though they also predict growth slowing to a 41% revenue increase for fiscal 2028.
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One has to assume that the AI boom will not go on forever, and that slower growth could be a sign of further slowing in later years.
However, Nvidia's massive size may partially explain that slowdown, as the higher percentage gains are more difficult to sustain as enterprises grow larger.
Additionally, Nvidia's forward valuation of 24 makes it appear too cheap to ignore, and the forward one-year P/E ratio of 17 would arguably seem reasonable even in an AI bust. Thus, even if slowing growth causes a pullback, the decline would likely not be long-term.
Should investors stay with Nvidia? Amid its growth and valuation, investors should not worry about history undermining the Nvidia investment thesis.
From what is known about the history of boom cycles, investors should assume that the AI boom will end at some point and should invest accordingly.
Nonetheless, the current state of Nvidia appears to insulate the stock from such an occurrence. Investors should expect slower growth after fiscal 2027, though revenue growth appears robust for as far as one can reasonably predict.
Moreover, Nvidia's forward multiples are so low that they already seem to factor in such a slowdown. Although investors should not rule out the possibility of a near-term pullback and less stock price appreciation than in the past, Nvidia should remain safe even if the history of tech boom cycles points to pain later.
Nick Parker, Nvidia's incoming executive vice president of Worldwide Field Operations. Bloomberg/Getty Images Nvidia is ushering in a new era for its global sales organization.
In June, Jay Puri — the chip giant's head of worldwide field operations, and a billionaire who served in Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's inner circle — told the company he is retiring after 21 years. He will transition to an advisory role.
To replace him, Nvidia looked outside its ranks — something of an unorthodox move for a C-Suite synonymous with long tenures, internal promotions, or executives coming in from acquisitions.
Nick Parker, a 26-year Microsoft veteran, joins Nvidia next month. Most recently, he served as executive vice president and chief business officer of Microsoft's worldwide sales and solutions organization.
Prior to his departure from Microsoft, Business Insider learned that Parker had just accepted a role leading its new $2.5 billion Microsoft Frontier Company, which connects 6,000 engineers and industry experts with its customers to help with AI. The role included a CEO title and a bigger head count than Parker's previous role, according to people familiar with the matter.
Per a securities filing, Parker's pay package at Nvidia includes $40 million in stock awards, a $5 million signing bonus, and a $1 million annual base salary.
The hire signals to Wall Street that Nvidia isn't "resting on its laurels" as the dominant AI chipmaker and is eyeing its next chapter of growth, said David Nicholson, chief technology advisor at The Futurum Group.
Puri steered Nvidia's global sales during its rise from a graphics card company into the world's dominant AI chip maker.
Parker inherits a different challenge. Rather than selling more AI chips, Nvidia needs to help customers successfully deploy AI — a job well suited to someone who spent 26 years selling enterprise technology at Microsoft.
Parker also brings deep relationships with governments, cloud providers, and other partners, said Brad Gastwirth, the global head of research and market intelligence at Circular Technology.
As Nvidia pushes deeper into business software, it faces a familiar challenge: helping large, highly regulated companies move from buying AI infrastructure to deploying it.
Earlier this year, Business Insider reported that Nvidia sales executives discussed how Bank of America struggled to deploy the chip giant's AI Factory software, highlighting common hurdles across industries.
Microsoft declined to comment. Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected] or Signal at @geoffweiss.25. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.
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Geoff Weiss You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
Geoff Weiss is a senior reporter on Business Insider’s tech team, where he writes about AI startups and Y Combinator, the intersection of AI and the media industry, and workplace dynamics within top AI labs and chip companies.Previously, Geoff was on the media desk, covering YouTube and Netflix, and themes like the intersection of Hollywood and the creator economy. His work on Netflix’s video podcasting ambitions and Mr Beast’s lessons for Hollywood won second and first prize, respectively, at the 2025 LA Press Club Awards.Prior to joining Business Insider, Geoff was the senior editor of Tubefilter and a staff writer at Entrepreneur. He graduated from New York University with a degree in English Literature.He can be reached at [email protected], on Signal @geoffweiss.25, and on LinkedIn. Have a tip? Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.Selected stories:Nvidia crushed its quarter — and CEO Jensen Huang said in a leaked all-hands that 'the market did not appreciate it'Nvidia will foot the bill for Trump's new visa fees. Here's what CEO Jensen Huang told staff.Massive AI salaries and RTO are fueling a real estate boom in San Francisco: 'It's going to rain money'The AI talent wars are ricocheting across startups. Here's how they're competing with Big Tech.
Ashley Stewart You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
Představenstvo společnosti PayPal údajně považuje společnou nabídku na převzetí od firmy Stripe a investiční skupiny Advent International v hodnotě 53 mld. USD za nedostatečnou. Předložený návrh oceňuje akcie PayPal na 60,50 USD za kus. Vedení PayPalu je však přesvědčeno, že tato částka podhodnocuje potenciál budoucího obratu společnosti a že samotná transakce čelí regulačním i finančním překážkám.
Společnost PayPal prozatím na nabídku oficiálně nereagovala a očekává se, že její představenstvo bude o tomto návrhu nadále jednat.
Akcie PayPal Akcie PayPal (PYPL) v předburzovní fázi obchodování klesají o 2,08 % na 55,55 USD.
Zdroj: Reuters
Michal Šnobl
Fio banka, a.s.
Prohlášení
Související odkazy Americké akcie otevírají na růstové vlně, výsledková sezóna pokračuje druhým dnem Stripe a Advent chtějí údajně koupit PayPal za více než 53 mld. USD (+pohledy analytiků) PayPal zveřejnil výsledky za 1Q: Nový CEO sází na AI, výhled ale sráží slabší Evropa a cestovní ruch PayPal údajně nejedná o svém prodeji se společností Stripe ani s nikým jiným Akvizici PayPalu údajně zvažuje společnost Stripe
Visa, Stripe and Google have joined the x402 Foundation as premier members, adding three of the biggest names in payments and search to an effort to build an open standard for machines that pay each other.
The foundation, affiliated with the Linux Foundation, is developing x402, a protocol that lets AI agents transact with each other and with people directly over the web, without subscriptions or a human typing in card details.
It takes its name from HTTP status code 402, "payment required", a slot reserved in the rules of the web in the 1990s and left empty ever since.
The reason it was left empty is the reason the current membership list is worth reading twice.
Card fees made payments below roughly a dollar uneconomic, because the cost of processing swallowed the transaction.
That single constraint pushed the entire internet towards advertising and subscriptions, the only two models that could clear the fee floor.
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Adyen and Fiserv, the companies that set and collect those fees, are now premier members of the body building the alternative.
Also on the list are Ripple, Shopify, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Circle, MoonPay and the Solana Foundation.
Alin Dragos, a senior manager at AWS Payments, chairs the board.
The foundation has formed a technical steering committee and opened a search for an executive director while expanding membership.
Neutrality as the selling point
The pitch is that no single company should own the pipes.
"You don't want to be in a walled garden when you're dealing with money," said Denelle Dixon, chief executive of the Stellar Development Foundation and a premier member.
That framing is doing real work.
Coinbase built x402 originally, and a standard controlled by one crypto exchange was never going to attract Visa.
Handing it to a Linux-affiliated foundation converts a proprietary protocol into shared infrastructure that competitors can adopt without conceding ground to each other.
The card networks' presence is best read as insurance rather than enthusiasm.
If agent-driven micropayments do reshape how the web gets paid, the incumbents would rather be inside the committee writing the rules than outside watching a settlement layer emerge that routes around them entirely.
What is untested
The members' claim is that agent micropayments could change how content is funded online, replacing adverts nobody watches with fractions of a penny paid per request.
That depends on machines becoming the web's dominant customers, which is a forecast rather than an observation.
It also depends on the companies deploying agents being willing to give them a spending limit and let them use it.
Nothing on the membership list settles either question.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Robinhood’s blockchain experiment is no longer an experiment. The company’s Ethereum Layer 2 network, built on the Arbitrum stack, has crossed $400 million in total value locked, a milestone that puts it ahead of several chains that have been around for years.
For a network that launched on July 1, the speed of capital accumulation is striking. Robinhood Chain sat at roughly $39 million just three days after going live, cracked $100 million within its first week, and blew past $379 million by mid-July.
Where the money is flowing Morpho, a lending market, accounts for roughly $133 million of the total, making it the single largest contributor to Robinhood Chain’s TVL. Uniswap follows with approximately $55 million. Those two alone represent a significant chunk of the ecosystem’s DeFi activity, which DefiLlama pegs at around $207 million.
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Cumulative decentralized exchange volumes on the chain surpassed $650 million within a 24-hour window shortly after launch.
The stablecoin market cap within the ecosystem sits near $357 million, predominantly featuring USDG.
The network has processed over 52 million transactions and supports nearly 1 million addresses.
The TradFi-to-DeFi bridge play The network supports Stock Tokens linked to major equities like NVDA, AAPL, and TSLA, essentially creating tokenized versions of blue-chip stocks that can exist on-chain. Partnerships include Uniswap for liquidity infrastructure and Chainlink for oracle services.
What this means for investors Robinhood’s brokerage app has tens of millions of users who are already comfortable trading stocks and crypto. The $400 million TVL milestone also puts Robinhood Chain in a tier where it starts showing up on institutional radar.
Rapid TVL growth in new ecosystems is sometimes fueled by token incentives or yield farming programs that create artificially high returns. When those incentives dry up, capital tends to leave as quickly as it arrived.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
The US Dollar (USD) has turned lower against the Swiss Franc (CHF) on Friday’s European trading session, after failing to find acceptance above the 0.8100 level, which keeps the immediate bearish structure in place. The Dollar remains weighed by the soft US inflation figures released earlier this week, which have cooled hopes of immediate Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hikes.
US Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) figures confirmed that inflationary pressures moderated in June, favoured by a sharp pullback in Oil prices. These numbers provide the Fed further leeway to assess the economic impact of the volatile energy prices, which practically discards a rate hike in July and cools hopes of one in September.
Geopolitical tensions, on the other hand, remain high, as the US and Iran escalated their reciprocal attacks this week, and Iran threatened to close other energy routes, which might bring the global economy to the edge. This is likely to keep appetite for risk subdued and cushion the US Dollar’s downside attempts.
Technical Analysis: Trading lower within a horizontal channel
USD/CHF trades at 0.8073, with recent price action showing a sequence of lower highs and lower lows, yet within a roughly 120-pip range and with momentum indicators at neutral-to-bearish levels. The four-hour Relative Strength Index (14) is hovering just below the 50 line, while the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator sits marginally below zero, both hinting at subdued bullish conviction.
On the downside, initial support is seen at the July 10 and 15 lows near 0.8030, with key support in the area between early July lows, at 0.8010, and the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement of June's rally, at 0.8007. On the topside, bulls would need to confirm above session highs at 0.8100 to aim for the top of the channel at the area between 0.8135 and 0.8150, which capped rallies in late June and mid-July.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Swiss Franc Price Today The table below shows the percentage change of Swiss Franc (CHF) against listed major currencies today. Swiss Franc was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.
USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHFUSD0.00%0.22%0.00%-0.07%0.29%0.17%-0.19%EUR-0.01%0.22%-0.04%-0.11%0.30%0.16%-0.22%GBP-0.22%-0.22%-0.24%-0.32%0.07%-0.03%-0.44%JPY0.00%0.04%0.24%-0.07%0.30%0.17%-0.20%CAD0.07%0.11%0.32%0.07%0.38%0.26%-0.13%AUD-0.29%-0.30%-0.07%-0.30%-0.38%-0.13%-0.51%NZD-0.17%-0.16%0.03%-0.17%-0.26%0.13%-0.38%CHF0.19%0.22%0.44%0.20%0.13%0.51%0.38% The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Swiss Franc from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent CHF (base)/USD (quote).
The USD/CAD pair trades marginally lower at around 1.4033 during the European trading session on Friday. The Loonie pair edges down as the Canadian Dollar (CAD) outperforms its major currency peers amid fears that oil prices could accelerate further.
Currencies from economies, such as Canada, that are net energy exporters tend to outperform in a high-oil-price environment.
The oil price outlook has improved amid threats from Iran that it will close the Red Sea if the United States (US) strikes on Iranian infrastructure.
On the monetary policy front, Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem said in the press conference, after leaving interest rates unchanged at 2.25%, that the central bank might need to raise interest rates if oil prices remain higher.
Meanwhile, the US Dollar holds Thursday’s recovery move amid fears of a resurgence in US inflation due to rising energy prices.
USD/CAD technical analysis
USD/CAD trades slightly lower at around 1.4033, extending a corrective tone after pulling back from recent highs. The pair now sits beneath the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 1.4107, suggesting a near-term bearish bias as price loses traction relative to the short-term trend benchmark.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 39.6 has retreated from overbought territory and now leans toward the lower half of its range, suggesting that downside momentum is still in play but not yet oversold.
On the topside, immediate resistance is defined by the 20-day EMA at 1.4107, and a sustained recovery above this barrier would be needed to ease the current pressure. On the downside, the pair is expected to extend its decline towards the March 31 high at 1.3967.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Economic Indicator BoC Interest Rate Decision The Bank of Canada (BoC) announces its interest rate decision at the end of its eight scheduled meetings per year. If the BoC believes inflation will be above target (hawkish), it will raise interest rates in order to bring it down. This is bullish for the CAD since higher interest rates attract greater inflows of foreign capital. Likewise, if the BoC sees inflation falling below target (dovish) it will lower interest rates in order to give the Canadian economy a boost in the hope inflation will rise back up. This is bearish for CAD since it detracts from foreign capital flowing into the country.
Intel Corp. is scheduled to report second quarter earnings on July 23, with Visible Alpha consensus pointing to revenue of $14.4 billion, up 12% from a year earlier. Revenue from the Data Center and AI segment is forecast to climb 42% YoY to $5.6 billion, reflecting continued investment by hyperscale cloud providers and enterprises in AI infrastructure and custom processors. INTC recently outlined a €5 billion ($5.7 billion) investment to upgrade its Irish manufacturing campus, part of its broader strategy to expand advanced semiconductor production in Europe and capitalize on rising demand for AI and high-performance computing.
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SummaryBarron's Mid-Year 2026 Roundtable highlights 45 Pro Picks, with yield-based 'dogcatcher' analysis identifying top dividend opportunities.PetroChina and BP emerge as the two 'safer' ideal dividend dogs, with prices below the annual dividend payout from $1K invested.Top ten yield stocks, including SAP, BP, and Exxon Mobil, are projected to deliver 13.85%–61.68% gains by July 2027, with an average net gain of 24.48%.Annaly Capital and AGNC Investment were flagged as cash-poor, with dividend payouts exceeding free cash flow, raising sustainability risks.For best results, focus on stocks with positive free cash flow and wait for price pullbacks to maximize yield and safety in this contrarian dividend strategy.Looking for a portfolio of ideas like this one? Members of The Dividend Dog Catcher get exclusive access to our subscriber-only portfolios. Learn More »31.53K Followers
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
The first half of 2026 was about building and shipping. We brought real-world assets (RWAs) onchain at scale, put AI into the DeFi experience, launched a brand-new Perpetuals with an orderbook engine, and kept CAKE deflationary for a 34th consecutive month.
This mid-year Kitchen Report: PancakeSwap crossed $4.2 trillion in cumulative trading volume, surpassed 190 million all-time users, and landed at #6 on Fortune's inaugural Crypto 100, while becoming one of the largest onchain venues for real-world assets anywhere.
Let's get into it.
Tokenized Real-World Assets on PancakeSwap We've now built a Tokenized Stock Terminal — stocks, ETFs, bonds, gold, dividend-bearing stablecoins, and even pre-IPO exposure — trading around the clock, with zero trading fees, MEV protection, and best-execution routing. Our new Stock page lets you trade all 500+ tokenized assets 24/7 onchain in one place, while serving up the fundamentals of each underlying asset — revenue, EPS, market cap, next earnings and 52-week range.
bStocks bStocks, from Binance, are 1:1-backed tokenized U.S. securities — real shares held in custody, tradable onchain 24/7 with zero fees. They went live on PancakeSwap, on BNB Chain and have grown to 35+ assets, including NVIDIA, Tesla, Circle, Microsoft and Meta, each verifiable 1:1. And they don't just trade — they earn: the SPCXB–USDT farm lets you add liquidity and stack rewards on top of your tokenized-SpaceX exposure.
Ondo Ondo Finance anchors the catalogue with 440+ tokenized U.S. stocks, ETFs and bonds via Ondo Global Markets. Flagship names like SPYon (S&P 500), QQQon (Nasdaq 100), NVDAon and TSLAon trade 24/7 — weekends and holidays included.
xStocks xStocks widens the menu with 130+ tokenized stocks and ETFs — from blue chips to major ETFs. All trade across BNB Chain and Ethereum, gasless and MEV-protected through PancakeSwap X.
Robinhood Robinhood stock tokens round out the lineup, live on Robinhood Chain. 95 tokenized assets are now tradable onchain through PancakeSwap, bringing one of TradFi's most recognizable retail brands into the mix.
More Than Stocks Beyond equities: gold went onchain via XGLD–XAUt (BNB Chain, with Unitas Labs) and USDC–XGLD (Base); dividend-bearing stablecoins apxUSD and apyUSD — the first backed by Digital Asset Treasury preferred equity, via Apyx, launched on Base; and pre-IPO exposure went live via Colb.
Powered by PancakeSwap X PancakeSwap X is the engine under the RWA offerings — gasless, MEV-protected execution with best-price routing. It powers tokenized assets across BNB Chain and Ethereum, and to date has handled $834M+ in volume across 102,000+ trades from 33,500+ swappers.
Altogether, tokenized assets, spanning bStocks, Ondo, xStocks and Robinhood across PancakeSwap X and the AMM, crossed $100M+ in cumulative volume by mid-year, with 31,000+ users and 200,000+ trades.
The AI Kitchen: Agents, Skills & Copilots We put AI across the PancakeSwap ecosystem with rails for autonomous agents, and an assistant in the products where decisions get made.
AI Skills: a modular toolkit that lets AI agents plan DeFi strategies across multiple chains, including Swap, Liquidity and Farming Planners at launch, grown to seven Skills. It works with any LLM agent that reads Markdown, including Claude, Cursor and Copilot.
BNB Agent Studio: PancakeSwap is a launch partner in BNB Chain's Agent Studio, which lets anyone deploy an autonomous onchain agent in minutes, with PancakeSwap as the deep, live venue those agents trade on.
AI where you trade: Chef AI answers anything across the ecosystem, and an AI Copilot on Perps reads the market and pre-fills your direction, size and stops.
A Brand-New Perpetuals Engine We rebuilt PancakeSwap Perps — simple enough for a first trade, powerful enough for your best one. Powered by Aster's order-book infrastructure, the new Perps deliver pro-grade execution with a full order book, up to 200x leverage, and one-tap trades in Simple Mode (it’s a piece of cake), all fully onchain and non-custodial. An AI Copilot makes it smarter still, and a new Portfolio page tracks tokens, Perps positions, and LP history in one view.
PancakeSwap on Base On Base, PancakeSwap has become a default venue for traders and LPs.
The DEX mini-app went live inside the Base App — swap, earn and explore without leaving the experience, with the Base CAKE.PAD mini-app alongside it, meeting millions of users where they already are.
Base on PancakeSwap crossed $100B in cumulative volume and now sits at $113B+, across 3.7M+ traders and 185M+ transactions, powered by top-volume pairs like cbBTC–WETH, WETH–USDC and cbBTC–USDC.
The Deflation Engine: CAKE Tokenomics The first half of 2026 extended PancakeSwap's streak to 34 consecutive months of net supply reduction (every month since September 2023) with cumulative burns now past 56 million CAKE. CAKE's total supply now stands at 335M, well below the 400M hard cap.
You can track every burn live on the Burn Dashboard.
Milestones & Recognition $4.2 trillion in cumulative trading volume across the ecosystem — 190M+ users and 10+ chains, led by BNB Chain, Base, and Arbitrum. $4 trillion on BNB Chain — cementing it as PancakeSwap's anchor chain and one of the most-used DeFi venues globally. Base crossed $100B — with 3.7M+ traders and 185M+ transactions. PancakeSwap Infinity crossed $100 billion in cumulative volume and marked its first full year with 350M+ transactions, 60K+ hooked pools #6 on Fortune's inaugural Crypto 100 — among the highest-ranked DeFi names, with Fortune noting PancakeSwap's significant share of the DEX market in 2025. CAKE added to Binance Proof of Reserves — letting anyone verify 1:1 backing of user assets. Community PancakeSwap took DeFi offline with five meetups across five markets, 600+ attendees, 1,300+ sign-ups:
→ Ho Chi Minh City: with @base_vietnam — DeFi builders, IRL.
→ São Paulo: with @SuperteamBR, @ParaBuilders & @Tangem — talks, giveaways, & merch.
→ Hong Kong: we turned a real pancake house into the @cnBaseCommunity embassy — plus a booth at the @BNBCHAIN Super Meetup and the HK Web3 Festival floor. Five days, thousands of people.
→ Seoul: South Korea's first @base Agent Hackathon, built on PancakeSwap AI Skills and Chef Philip judging.
→ Jakarta: with @baseindo — crypto × AI on Base, DeFi, and goodies.
→ Bandung: a packed house with @BinanceAcademy Indonesia — DeFi sessions, merch, USDT prizes.
New ambassadors joined from Japan and South Korea, Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand, and 3 new Telegram communities launched for Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. PancakeSwap also hit the stage at Consensus Hong Kong and the HK Web3 Festival.
What's Cooking Next PancakeSwap is now set to be the liquidity hub for onchain trading. The deep, reliable hub where any asset can be traded onchain, and where liquidity is dense enough that traders get the best price in DeFi.
The throughline is that all of it stays onchain: self-custodied, transparent, and permissionless. Deeper liquidity, more assets, smarter tools, one onchain home for trading.
DeFi infrastructure just got a new building block. PancakeSwap has open-sourced a reference AI agent designed for ERC-8183 order and intent settlement, deploying it through BNB Chain’s newly launched Agent Studio platform.
The timing matters: BNB Agent Studio went live on July 1, 2026, and PancakeSwap is one of its first major protocol integrations.
What the ERC-8183 agent actually does Think of ERC-8183 as the instruction layer for AI agents operating on-chain. When a user submits a swap intent, the agent intercepts it, routes it through PancakeSwap’s aggregation layer, and delivers output tokens directly to the client’s wallet.
The implementation is not a casual proof-of-concept. Execution controls include slippage limits, atomic transaction requirements, meaning the swap either completes fully or reverts entirely, and execution deadlines capped at five minutes. The agent also operates against a predefined token safelist, so it cannot be coerced into routing through arbitrary or unvetted assets.
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Stablecoins fund the agent’s own operating costs through the x402 payment process, which handles agent self-funding without requiring manual top-ups.
All swap routing runs exclusively through PancakeSwap’s aggregation layer. That is a deliberate architectural choice, not a limitation. It gives the agent a consistent, auditable execution path rather than exposing it to unpredictable third-party routing logic.
BNB Agent Studio: the infrastructure behind the agent BNB Agent Studio is the platform making all of this deployable at speed. Using AWS Bedrock as the underlying compute layer, the studio is designed to get an AI agent from prompt to production in roughly 15 minutes.
On-chain identity management runs through ERC-8004, a separate standard that handles agent identification and credentialing. Combined with ERC-8183 for task execution, the two standards form the backbone of BNB Chain’s emerging agent framework.
The BNBAgent SDK, which supports the entire framework, reached testnet in March 2026 and moved to mainnet by May 2026. The July 1 Agent Studio launch was the public-facing layer built on top of that foundation.
Automated wallet provisioning is built into the studio, so developers do not need to manually configure signing infrastructure before deploying an agent. The interface accepts single-prompt inputs in environments like Cursor or Claude Code, lowering the barrier for developers who are not blockchain specialists.
Why this matters for DeFi traders and investors PancakeSwap’s open-sourced reference implementation gives developers a production-ready template that handles swap intents, manages execution risk, and routes trades through its aggregation layer.
The practical use cases the integration is designed to enable include range rebalancing and yield optimization. An agent that can handle atomic swaps with sub-five-minute deadlines and hardcoded slippage controls is suited for those tasks. For liquidity providers on PancakeSwap’s V3 pools, automated range rebalancing means positions can stay in-range without constant manual intervention.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
First Solar is attractively valued post-pullback, with strong fundamentals and compelling national security-driven tailwinds. FSLR's differentiated technology and minimal reliance on Chinese supply chains position it for large-scale utility and government projects. Solid financials: TTM PE of 14.46, forward PE under 13, 27.3% YOY revenue growth, 30.7% net income margin, and robust free cash flow.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
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The "Big Short" Michael Burry: Now an excellent time to bottom-fish Hong Kong stocks
The Big Short protagonist Michael Burry said today that with the appeal of South Korean and Japanese markets and the SOXX semiconductor sector waning, now is an ideal time to turn to the Hong Kong market to seek undervalued stocks. He believes some low-valued Hong Kong stocks are poised to perform well once capital flows shift away from South Korea, Japan and the semiconductor sector.
15 minutes ago
US stock futures fall, with intensified selling pressure on semiconductor stocks driving investors to shift to other sectors.
U.S. stock index futures fell, with selling pressure on semiconductor stocks intensifying, prompting investors to seek investment opportunities in other market segments. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped more than 2%, while S&P 500 futures fell over 1%. Nvidia (NVDA.O) led losses among the "Magnificent Seven" in pre-market trading, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index is nearing a bear market and set to extend Thursday’s declines. However, even though the S&P 500 closed 0.5% lower on Thursday, 369 of its constituent stocks advanced and 132 declined, indicating the market’s overall breadth remains healthy. Barclays strategist Venu Krishna stated, "Enthusiasm for AI capital expenditure is starting to cool, but the semiconductor sector still significantly outperforms the broader market in stock price performance, while software stocks continue to lag. This shows recent market rotation is gradual rather than decisive." (Jinshi)
15 minutes ago
OKX.AI Genesis Hackathon Extended to July 28
Official announcement: The OKX.AI Genesis Hackathon has seen rising developer enthusiasm since its launch. To give builders more time to refine and deploy Agent Service Providers (ASP), the submission deadline has been extended to July 28 at 7:59 (UTC+8). Participants can continue to submit their works via the OKX.AI official website and post project introductions on X. OKX.AI is an economic system built specifically for Agents. The Genesis Hackathon features a total prize pool of $100,000, aiming to encourage developers to build ASP that solve real-world needs and drive the implementation of the Agent economy.
15 minutes ago
Binance to list SPCXUSD1 perpetual contract
According to an official announcement, Binance will launch the SPCXUSD1 perpetual contract at 17:00 (GMT+8) on July 20, 2026, with a maximum leverage of 25x.
15 minutes ago
Nasdaq 100 Index futures decline widened to 2%
According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Nasdaq 100 index futures extended their decline to 2%, and S&P 500 index futures fell 1%. (Jinshi Data)
15 minutes ago
A crypto whale has accumulated another 20,000 HYPE tokens, bringing its total HYPE holdings to 220,000 since June 11.
According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi (Twitter handle @ai_9684xtpa), the whale/entity with wallet address 0x008…E295f — which had accumulated a total of 200,000 HYPE tokens in June — has withdrawn 20,000 HYPE tokens from an exchange again after a 4-week interval, worth roughly $1.18 million. Since June 11, this address has withdrawn a total of 220,000 HYPE tokens from exchanges, totaling around $14.85 million, at an average withdrawal price of $67.51, and currently holds an unrealized loss of approximately $1.945 million.
Solana Foundation and Google Cloud are teaming up for a hackathon in Korea focused on building AI agents that can make autonomous payments. The collaboration sits at the intersection of AI and stablecoins, backed by enterprise infrastructure from both organizations.
The event builds on an increasingly tight relationship between the two organizations, one that recently produced Pay.sh, an API proxy designed to let AI agents autonomously pay for Google Cloud services using stablecoin micropayments on the Solana blockchain.
What Pay.sh actually does Pay.sh sits between AI agents and Google Cloud’s suite of services, including Gemini, BigQuery, and Cloud Run, letting those agents discover, authenticate, and transact for API access without a human ever stepping in.
In English: an AI agent needs to run a query on BigQuery. Instead of requiring someone to log in, enter a credit card, and approve the charge, Pay.sh lets the agent pay for exactly what it uses with USDC on Solana. Pay as you go, no human middleman required.
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The system leverages Solana’s high throughput and low transaction costs, which makes micropayments economically viable in a way they simply aren’t on slower, more expensive chains. A fraction-of-a-cent payment for a single API call doesn’t work if the transaction fee costs more than the service itself.
The hackathon ecosystem The Korean hackathon carries the theme “Build the Future of Agentic Commerce,” and it’s part of a broader push by both organizations to seed developer interest in autonomous agent infrastructure.
It’s not the first time Solana has targeted Korea specifically. In April 2025, Solana Super Team Korea collaborated with Google Cloud for the Seoul Lana Hackathon, establishing a regional footprint that this latest event builds upon.
Running in parallel is the Solana X402 Hackathon, a remote event scheduled from October 28 to November 11, 2025, with a prize pool of $135,000. Participants can earn up to $20,000 per track for projects that support x402 integrations, which is the payment protocol underpinning how agents discover and pay for services autonomously.
Previous Solana hackathons have featured tracks for DeFi agents and token tooling, with total prizes exceeding $250,000 across events.
Why this matters for the stablecoin economy The real story isn’t the hackathon itself. It’s what the hackathon is designed to produce: a developer ecosystem around machine-to-machine stablecoin payments.
If AI agents start autonomously consuming cloud services and paying in USDC on Solana, that’s a new source of persistent, programmatic stablecoin velocity. Not speculative trading volume, not one-off remittances, but ongoing commercial activity baked into software architectures.
Solana is positioning itself as the default settlement layer for this economy. Sub-second finality and transaction costs measured in fractions of a penny make it practical for the kind of micropayments that agent commerce requires.
The Google Cloud partnership adds enterprise legitimacy. When a company that controls roughly a third of the global cloud infrastructure market co-signs your payment protocol, it sends a signal to CTOs and procurement teams that this isn’t a science experiment.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Solana (SOL) continues to show signs of bullish momentum, with technical analysts closely monitoring a potential breakout above an important resistance zone. The blockchain’s growing prominence in the tokenized real-world asset (RWA) sector is also fueling optimism over its long-term ecosystem development.
Technical analysis and key levelsAt the time of reporting, SOL is valued at $76.05 with a 24-hour trading volume of $2.12 billion and a market capitalization of $44.3 billion. While the token registered a 1.85% decline in the past day, several market observers highlight that its technical structure remains positive, pointing toward possible reversal signals if key levels are surpassed.
Crypto analyst ANBESSA emphasized that SOL is consolidating above the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level, a zone often regarded as a crucial area for buyers to defend and potentially launch a new upward move.
Analysts describe the recent price movement as healthy consolidation following earlier gains, suggesting that the technical outlook stays constructive as the market awaits its next decisive move.
Traders are keeping a close eye on resistance between $84 and $86. A breakout and close above this range could confirm a higher high pattern, boosting market sentiment and potentially attracting new buyers.
A successful conversion of resistance into support at these levels would likely add strength to the bullish case, as new market participants might be drawn to the token’s recovery story.
MetricCurrent ValuePrice$76.0524h Trading Volume$2.12 billionMarket Capitalization$44.3 billionKey Resistance$84−$86Recent Change (24h)-1.85%Solana’s position in real-world asset tokenizationRecent data show that Solana has become a leading blockchain platform for RWA tokenization, with notable expansion in on-chain financial products and rising investor activity. This development comes as part of a broader industry trend toward integrating real-world assets into blockchain infrastructure, a movement that offers new opportunities for institutional and retail users.
Network supporters point to the wide range of tokenized physical assets available on Solana as a key factor in its growing appeal. As more asset types and users join the ecosystem, the competitive advantage of the Solana platform is expected to strengthen, encouraging increased participation.
The trend toward broader adoption supports the narrative of long-term ecosystem growth for Solana beyond short-term price fluctuations.
Mini dictionary: Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization refers to the process of representing physical or traditional financial assets, such as real estate, commodities, or bonds, as blockchain-based digital tokens, allowing these assets to be traded and managed more efficiently.
Near-term price outlookDespite the positive sentiment around Solana and its role in the growing RWA sector, SOL’s price remains subject to broader market conditions. The token continues to move on a downward trajectory in the short term, influenced in part by Bitcoin’s sideways trading activity.
Market participants regard the coming period as crucial for Solana. If SOL breaks above the $84 to $86 resistance zone and sustains those gains, it could provide renewed upside momentum. Conversely, failure to do so may result in further consolidation.
Continued growth in real-world asset activity and ongoing market interest may support future price advances, but if resistance holds firm, traders are likely to see an extended consolidation phase.
The next move for Solana will likely be determined by both technical factors and investor response to its expanding role in tokenizing real-world assets.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Crypto influencer Ansem, known online as @blknoiz06 and widely called "The Solana Guy," argues that the memecoin market has a structural flaw that $ANSEM is designed to address: tokens are good at pulling in retail traders but terrible at keeping them.
The pattern is familiar. A token launches, social momentum spikes, and liquidity rotates to the next opportunity before any community takes root. Ansem says the ANSEM token, nicknamed The Black Bull, is built around a different model.
Creator Fees as Community IncentiveAnsem has framed the initiative as a redistribution of his Pump.fun creator fees rather than a traditional token launch, with those fees funding ongoing airdrops to holders. Creator fee income is estimated to distribute roughly $200,000 in weekly rewards, with cumulative earnings reportedly reaching around $378,210 since the project launched in late June 2026.
The plan goes further than airdrops alone. Ansem will add SOL to the liquidity pool from ANSEM creator fees to absorb early selling pressure, with SOL airdrops targeting active community members and ANSEM airdrops tied to market cap growth. Long-term holders and content creators will also be rewarded, and Ansem plans to publicly disclose his team wallet to ensure transparency. He says the model draws inspiration from both $BONK and Hyperliquid $HYPE, two projects that built lasting communities through broad token distribution and aligned incentives.
Reach, Risk, and ConcentrationAnsem says the token gives his more than one million followers a way to participate in his long-term growth while helping protocols onboard users. He has airdropped roughly $7 million worth of tokens to more than 700 wallets and has set a target of growing the holder base from around 25,000 wallets to 1 million.
The model has attracted genuine interest but also pointed questions. The token has no product, revenue, or roadmap, and its value rests almost entirely on the attention of the influencer whose name it carries. Ansem controls about 60% of the total supply, meaning one entity holds the theoretical ability to move the price sharply at any time. Analysts have also flagged that multiple tokens share the ANSEM name on Solana, increasing the risk of buyers interacting with the wrong contract.
Whether the token proves to be a durable experiment or follows the familiar arc of influencer coins will depend largely on whether the creator-fee mechanic sustains participation after the initial excitement fades. That is precisely the problem Ansem says he is trying to solve.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Sources
The Defiant: Ansem Airdrops $7M of ANSEM Memecoin in Bid to Reach 1M Holders
CoinDCX: ANSEM Price Surges as Creator Fee Airdrop Sparks Solana Meme Coin Rally
KuCoin: Ansem Updates ANSEM Meme Coin Promotion Plan
Key Highlights Real-world asset inflows on Solana exceeded $900 million in the last 30 days, outpacing competing blockchain platforms Crypto analyst Ali Martinez identified SOL’s first SuperTrend buy indicator since mid-October, targeting $96 and $121 as critical upside levels Robinhood Chain’s entry into tokenized assets creates distinction from Solana’s comprehensive ecosystem approach, according to market observers SOL faces pressure at the $78 threshold while experiencing $700K in ETF withdrawals during the current week Blockchain metrics indicate accelerating wallet activity, with the 30-day moving average for daily addresses surpassing the 50-day average Solana has captured over $900 million in net real-world asset (RWA) capital during the most recent 30-day window, based on statistics from RWA.xyz. This performance positions SOL at the forefront among major blockchain platforms throughout this timeframe.
🚨SOLANA DOMINATES RWA INFLOWS, OVER $900M IN 30 DAYS!
Solana has seen over $900 million in net RWA inflows in the past 30 days, outpacing nearly every other chain combined, according to on-chain analytics from https://t.co/YYu1rOWLXm.
This underscores Solana’s strong momentum… pic.twitter.com/EBGTRLQs55
— Crypto Banter (@crypto_banter) July 16, 2026
Crypto Banter brought attention to these numbers, emphasizing robust appetite for tokenized real-world assets within the Solana ecosystem. The tokenization of traditional assets represents one of cryptocurrency’s most rapidly expanding sectors at present.
The Solana network currently maintains over $3 billion in real-world assets and has facilitated more than $10 billion in tokenized equity trading volume. Its infrastructure enables decentralized financial services, stablecoin transactions, payment systems, and consumer-facing applications within a single Layer 1 architecture.
Solana (SOL) Price Market analyst CryptosBatman offered his perspective on SOL’s chart behavior via X, stating the asset “is looking very solid here.” He highlighted that the price level has successfully retested former resistance cleanly while breaking through a bullish falling wedge formation, concluding it “should continue higher from here.”
$SOL is looking very solid here.
Not only has price retested its previous resistance cleanly, but it has also broken out of a bullish falling wedge pattern.
Should continue higher from here. pic.twitter.com/ajP6O2DSdS
— BATMAN ⚡ (@CryptosBatman) July 16, 2026
Robinhood’s Blockchain Launch Creates Market Discussion Robinhood unveiled Robinhood Chain recently, a blockchain platform dedicated to tokenized equities and financial instruments. This development triggered conversations regarding potential competition with Solana.
According to Solana Daily, these platforms serve different purposes rather than directly competing. Robinhood’s advantage lies in its extensive retail investor network, whereas Solana offers a comprehensive public blockchain infrastructure featuring substantial on-chain liquidity and a vibrant developer ecosystem.
Technical Barriers Emerge at $78 for SOL Despite positive RWA momentum, SOL continues struggling against the $78 price barrier. The digital asset has declined approximately 2% over the previous 24-hour period, while trading volume decreased from $4 billion on July 2 to roughly $2 billion currently.
Solana ETF activity has shifted negative during the present week, recording $700,000 in outflows. This reverses the previous week’s inflows exceeding $1.1 million.
Analyst Ali Martinez observed that the ATR trailing stop indicator has positioned itself beneath current market pricing — marking SOL’s initial SuperTrend buy indication since October 10. He identified $96 as the subsequent resistance target, with $121 following if momentum persists.
SOLANA TURNED BULLISH
The ATR trailing stop has flipped below price, marking the first SuperTrend buy signal since October 10.
If buying pressure continues to build, $SOL could rally toward $96 or even $121. However, $60 remains the key level to watch.
A break below that… https://t.co/Femtlawn2r pic.twitter.com/pJSFngWZiN
— Ali Charts (@alicharts) July 15, 2026
Blockchain analytics from Santiment reveal the 30-day moving average for active daily addresses has crossed upward through the 50-day MA. The expanding distance between these indicators suggests wallet activation is accelerating.
A crucial trend line support level exists at $74. Should this threshold fail, market watchers anticipate a possible decline toward $64. Conversely, breaking above $78 resistance could unlock movement toward $90.
Key Highlights TKNZ represents T. Rowe Price’s inaugural actively managed spot cryptocurrency ETF, now trading on NYSE Arca Initial assets total approximately $15 million, distributed across Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, Solana, XRP, and Hyperliquid Portfolio composition features Bitcoin as the largest holding at 40.75%, while Hyperliquid comprises 6.45% Expense ratio stands at 0.75% until May 2027, subsequently increasing to 0.90% Active management strategy allows portfolio adjustments based on ongoing market analysis and research insights Baltimore-headquartered investment powerhouse T. Rowe Price, which manages $1.9 trillion in client portfolios, made its official debut in the cryptocurrency exchange-traded fund space Thursday by introducing TKNZ — positioned as the market’s inaugural actively managed multi-asset digital currency ETF.
🚨JUST IN: T. Rowe Price’s TKNZ Active Crypto ETF began trading TODAY with about $15 million in assets.
The fund debuted with about 41% allocated to BTC, 18.4% to ETH, and sizeable positions in BNB, SOL, and XRP.
Hyperliquid’s HYPE accounted for nearly 6.5% of the portfolio. https://t.co/zTh1kq8ATD pic.twitter.com/YNcMtRQbD1
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) July 16, 2026
Trading commenced on NYSE Arca following a nearly nine-month approval process after the company submitted its initial application in October 2025. The fund opened with roughly $15 million in starting capital.
Distinct from single-asset offerings such as standalone Bitcoin or Ethereum ETFs, TKNZ provides exposure through a diversified cryptocurrency portfolio. The initial allocation breakdown showed Bitcoin commanding 40.75%, Ethereum at 18.42%, BNB representing 11.01%, Solana accounting for 9.44%, XRP at 9.37%, and Hyperliquid comprising 6.45%.
Additional holdings feature Stellar Lumen at 3%, Dogecoin at 1.28%, along with a modest cash reserve.
Dynamic Portfolio Management Defines Strategy TKNZ’s distinguishing characteristic lies in its active management framework. Fund managers possess the flexibility to rebalance holdings according to evolving market dynamics, proprietary analysis, and risk evaluation rather than adhering to a predetermined index structure.
According to T. Rowe Price, this methodology aims to capitalize on shifting momentum patterns as capital flows between various digital assets throughout market cycles.
Blue Macellari, who has directed T. Rowe Price’s digital asset division since 2022, manages the fund with support from four additional co-portfolio managers. The organization developed proprietary digital asset trading systems and established partnerships with institutional service providers ahead of the product launch.
Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas observed that the opening portfolio composition appeared to underweight Bitcoin while maintaining heavier positions in alternative assets, especially Hyperliquid.
Hyperliquid Allocation Generates Market Interest The 6.45% allocation to Hyperliquid has captured attention considering the token’s recent market trajectory. Hyperliquid reached a peak price around $74.50 in the previous month and presently trades near $65.60, representing approximately 38% appreciation over the trailing twelve months. Bitcoin, conversely, has declined roughly 45% during the identical timeframe.
According to fund documentation, the ETF will not implement staking for any proof-of-stake assets initially, though staking participation may be incorporated down the line.
The expense structure is set at 0.75% through May 2027 via a provisional fee waiver, before escalating to 0.90%. Detractors of actively managed investment vehicles typically cite elevated fees as a disadvantage relative to passive index alternatives.
T. Rowe Price’s entrance follows BlackRock’s recent introduction of a Bitcoin income ETF earlier this month, demonstrating that major asset management firms continue diversifying and refining their cryptocurrency product portfolios.
With nearly 90 years of asset management history, TKNZ represents T. Rowe Price’s maiden direct exposure vehicle in the digital currency sector.
Key Takeaways Over the last 30 days, Solana has attracted more than $900 million in net real-world asset inflows, surpassing major competing networks Crypto analyst Ali Martinez identified SOL’s first SuperTrend buy indicator since October 10, targeting $96 and $121 as critical upside levels Robinhood Chain’s launch into tokenized assets presents a different value proposition compared to Solana’s comprehensive ecosystem approach SOL faces selling pressure at the $78 threshold, while ETF products recorded $700K in net outflows this week Network activity metrics reveal the 30-day moving average for active addresses has surged past the 50-day MA According to RWA.xyz tracking data, Solana has absorbed over $900 million in net capital directed toward real-world assets throughout the previous month. This performance positions the network at the forefront among major blockchain platforms during this timeframe.
🚨SOLANA DOMINATES RWA INFLOWS, OVER $900M IN 30 DAYS!
Solana has seen over $900 million in net RWA inflows in the past 30 days, outpacing nearly every other chain combined, according to on-chain analytics from https://t.co/YYu1rOWLXm.
This underscores Solana’s strong momentum… pic.twitter.com/EBGTRLQs55
— Crypto Banter (@crypto_banter) July 16, 2026
Crypto Banter brought attention to these statistics, emphasizing robust appetite for tokenized real-world assets within Solana’s infrastructure. The tokenization of traditional assets represents one of crypto’s most rapidly expanding sectors currently.
With a total RWA footprint exceeding $3 billion and cumulative tokenized equity trading volume surpassing $10 billion, Solana delivers integrated support for DeFi protocols, stablecoin infrastructure, payment systems, and consumer-facing applications through a unified Layer 1 architecture.
Solana (SOL) Price Market commentator CryptosBatman offered his technical perspective on SOL via X, characterizing the asset as “looking very solid here.” His analysis highlighted a clean retest of former resistance alongside a breakout from a bullish falling wedge formation, concluding the token “should continue higher from here.”
$SOL is looking very solid here.
Not only has price retested its previous resistance cleanly, but it has also broken out of a bullish falling wedge pattern.
Should continue higher from here. pic.twitter.com/ajP6O2DSdS
— BATMAN ⚡ (@CryptosBatman) July 16, 2026
Robinhood Chain Makes Its Debut Robinhood’s recent introduction of Robinhood Chain—a blockchain infrastructure designed for tokenized equities and financial instruments—has generated discussion around potential competitive dynamics with Solana.
Solana Daily clarified that these platforms occupy distinct market positions. Robinhood’s competitive advantage lies in its extensive retail investor network, whereas Solana offers a comprehensive public blockchain environment featuring substantial on-chain liquidity pools and a vibrant developer ecosystem.
Price Action Stalls Below $78 Barrier Notwithstanding the positive RWA momentum, SOL continues encountering resistance near the $78 price point. The digital asset has declined approximately 2% over the previous 24-hour period, while daily trading activity has contracted from $4 billion on July 2 to roughly $2 billion presently.
Solana exchange-traded fund flows have reversed to negative territory during the current week, registering $700,000 in outflows. This contrasts with inflows exceeding $1.1 million during the preceding week.
Technical analyst Ali Martinez observed that the ATR trailing stop indicator has shifted below current market pricing—marking SOL’s initial SuperTrend buy configuration since October 10. His outlook identifies $96 as the immediate resistance barrier, with $121 representing the subsequent target should momentum persist.
SOLANA TURNED BULLISH
The ATR trailing stop has flipped below price, marking the first SuperTrend buy signal since October 10.
If buying pressure continues to build, $SOL could rally toward $96 or even $121. However, $60 remains the key level to watch.
A break below that… https://t.co/Femtlawn2r pic.twitter.com/pJSFngWZiN
— Ali Charts (@alicharts) July 15, 2026
Blockchain analytics from Santiment reveal the 30-day moving average tracking daily active wallet addresses has intersected above the 50-day MA. The expanding divergence between these indicators implies accelerating wallet activation rates across the network.
A critical support trendline exists at $74. A breach of this level would potentially expose SOL to a decline toward $64. Conversely, sustained movement above $78 resistance could establish a pathway toward the $90 zone.
Solana has recorded more than $900 million in net inflows related to real world asset (RWA) tokenization over the last 30 days, according to data from RWA.xyz. This development positions Solana as the leading blockchain for RWA capital during this period, outpacing other major networks.
Surging RWA momentum on SolanaThird-party monitoring platforms have highlighted strong investor appetite for tokenized versions of traditional assets on Solana’s infrastructure. The sector has seen rapid expansion as blockchain adoption widens among institutional investors seeking exposure to real world assets via on-chain mechanisms.
Solana currently holds an RWA footprint that exceeds $3 billion, with total tokenized equity trading volumes surpassing $10 billion. The blockchain offers combined support for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, stablecoin systems, payments, and consumer-focused services through a unified Layer 1 protocol.
Market observers note that this integrated ecosystem delivers both liquidity and technical capability, attracting capital flows away from competing chains with more limited RWA infrastructure.
NetworkNet RWA Inflows (30 days)Total RWA FootprintSolana$900 million$3 billionOther major blockchainsBelow $900 million (combined)VariesMini dictionary: Real world asset (RWA) tokenization refers to the representation of tangible assets such as real estate, commodities, or stocks on a blockchain as digital tokens. This enables more accessible trading and integration with decentralized finance markets.
Solana achieved $900 million in net RWA inflows within a month, marking strong momentum as tokenized assets see broad adoption by both institutional and retail investors.
Analysts highlight bullish technical patterns for SOLCrypto analyst Ali Martinez reported the appearance of the first SuperTrend buy signal for Solana since October 10, suggesting renewed buying interest. Martinez identified $96 as a key resistance level, while also setting $121 as a potential higher target if momentum continues.
Technical outlook from independent analysts highlights a bullish shift, with Solana breaking out of a falling wedge pattern and retesting key support levels, increasing the likelihood of price appreciation in the near term.
Another market commentator, CryptosBatman, described Solana’s technical positioning as “very solid,” emphasizing that SOL has retested its previous resistance and moved above a bullish falling wedge formation. However, price action has been cautious, with the digital asset facing selling pressure around the $78 threshold.
Robinhood Chain enters the competitionThis week, Robinhood launched its own blockchain, Robinhood Chain, focused on tokenized equities and financial products. While some community members have drawn comparisons to Solana, analysts point out that the two networks target different segments of the market.
Robinhood Chain leverages the brokerage’s extensive retail investor user base and is designed for private asset tokenization. In contrast, Solana maintains a public blockchain environment with significant on-chain liquidity and a broad developer community.
Mini dictionary: Robinhood is a financial technology company known for offering commission-free trading for stocks, cryptocurrencies, and other assets, mainly catering to retail investors. Robinhood Chain is its newly launched blockchain focused on digital assets and tokenized securities.
SOL price action and network activitySolana’s price has stalled near $78, dipping by 2% over the last 24 hours. Daily trading volume has also contracted, falling from $4 billion at the start of the month to approximately $2 billion. Exchange-traded fund (ETF) products tied to SOL registered $700,000 in net outflows this week, contrasting with $1.1 million in inflows the previous week.
MetricCurrent ValuePrevious ValuePrice resistance$78—Daily trading volume$2 billion$4 billion (July 2)SOL ETF net flows (this week)$700,000 outflow$1.1 million inflow (last week)On-chain data from Santiment shows that the 30-day moving average of daily active wallets has moved above the 50-day average, hinting at intensifying user engagement on the network. Analysts view this as a sign of accelerating adoption and growing activity among holders.
A critical trendline offers support at $74, while any breach could expose SOL to further drops toward $64. If buyers manage a sustained breakout above $78, there is potential for upward movement into the $90 price zone.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Key Highlights E*TRADE now offers direct cryptocurrency trading to qualified customers for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana Each transaction incurs a 50 basis point charge, processed via connected Zero Hash accounts The service expansion comes after a trial phase that started in May 2026 Digital asset holdings lack FDIC or SIPC insurance coverage Morgan Stanley continues advancing its Ether and Solana ETF applications Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE platform has successfully launched spot cryptocurrency trading capabilities for qualified retail customers. The brokerage now enables users to purchase, sell, and store Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana through its interface.
JUST IN: Morgan Stanley completes crypto spot trading rollout on E*Trade
All 8.6 million clients can now buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana at 50 basis points in partnership with zerohash, per Morgan Stanley. pic.twitter.com/46UBQba0jA
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) July 16, 2026
The offering operates via a collaboration with Zero Hash, a digital asset infrastructure company. Customer crypto holdings reside in connected Zero Hash accounts, maintaining separation from their conventional brokerage portfolios.
E*TRADE applies a 50 basis point transaction fee for each crypto trade. The platform currently serves 8.6 million household accounts and managed approximately $1.56 trillion in customer assets as of March 31, 2026.
Customers can monitor both their cryptocurrency positions and traditional investment portfolios within a unified platform interface. Withdrawal and deposit features, enabling customers to transfer digital assets to and from the platform, are scheduled for release later this year.
The cryptocurrency accounts operate without FDIC or SIPC insurance protections. Morgan Stanley explicitly highlighted this limitation in its official statement.
The platform-wide launch follows a testing period initiated in May 2026, during which the company evaluated the service with a select customer group. All qualifying E*TRADE customers now have access to the feature.
E*TRADE additionally announced that crypto operations are planned to transition to Morgan Stanley Digital Trust, its national trust banking entity currently undergoing establishment procedures with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Morgan Stanley’s Comprehensive Cryptocurrency Strategy This platform addition represents one component of Morgan Stanley’s expansive digital asset initiative. Earlier in the year, the financial institution introduced a spot Bitcoin ETF featuring a 0.14% management fee, establishing it as the most cost-effective Bitcoin ETF available in the US market upon release.
The Bitcoin ETF commenced trading on NYSE Arca, marking the inaugural spot Bitcoin ETF from a leading US commercial banking institution. The fund captured over $100 million in net capital inflows during its initial six trading sessions. Current data from SoSoValue indicates the fund has accumulated roughly $385 million in total net inflows.
In April, Morgan Stanley introduced a stablecoin reserve product. This service permits stablecoin providers to maintain their backing assets in one of the firm’s money market fund vehicles while generating yield.
During June, Morgan Stanley updated its regulatory filings for proposed spot Ether and Solana ETFs, establishing management fees at 0.14%. The banking institution initially submitted applications to list these investment products in January 2026.
The company has applied for a cryptocurrency-focused national trust bank charter through the OCC, joining other industry applicants such as Ripple, Crypto.com, and Coinbase. Circle, which issues USDC, recently secured OCC authorization to establish its own national crypto banking institution.
Morgan Stanley has also implemented non-cryptocurrency enhancements to ETRADE, incorporating fractional share trading capabilities, an upgraded retirement planning interface, and additional functionality for its Power ETRADE Pro desktop trading platform.
The integration of retail spot trading access, ETF investment vehicles, and stablecoin reserve services represents one of the most comprehensive cryptocurrency infrastructure developments from a major US banking institution to date.
Lionel Messi is 39 years old, playing in what is almost certainly his final World Cup, and somehow performing like he’s got a cheat code enabled. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, no stranger to elite football intelligence himself, recently praised Messi’s exceptional play at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, noting that the Argentine is performing beyond expectations and managing games with remarkable intelligence.
The $ARG token and the Messi effect Trading volumes for $ARG, the official Argentina national team fan token built on the Chiliz blockchain, have surged during this World Cup. The spikes aren’t random. They correlate directly with Argentina’s key victories against Switzerland and Egypt in the tournament.
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Messi’s $20 million crypto connection Messi’s relationship with fan tokens isn’t just organic. He signed a multi-year ambassadorial deal with Socios.com, the consumer-facing platform of the Chiliz ecosystem, valued at approximately $20 million. That partnership helped legitimize the fan token concept for a mainstream audience and gave Socios.com access to Messi’s massive global fanbase.
Beyond the official $ARG token, various meme coins and unofficial tokens loosely linked to Messi have experienced speculative spikes during the tournament. The distinction between the official Chiliz-backed token and the swarm of unofficial Messi-themed tokens is important. The $ARG token carries actual utility within the Socios ecosystem, including voting rights on certain club decisions and access to exclusive rewards.
What Alonso’s comments tell us about market sentiment Messi turned 39 on June 24, 2026, during the World Cup itself, which only intensified speculation around $ARG’s trajectory. Birthday milestones for aging legends tend to generate waves of social media engagement, and in the fan token world, social engagement and trading volume are closely linked.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Broader equities have performed so well in recent years that the dividends companies pay haven't kept pace. As a result, the S&P 500's average yield is just 1.1% right now. Thankfully, it's possible to find high-yield dividend stocks that are worth investing in. Here are three examples: Pfizer (PFE +1.27%), Novo Nordisk (NVO +1.86%), and Sanofi (SNY +1.21%). All three have faced some issues lately, but they are worth sticking with for the long haul, especially for dividend seekers. Let me explain.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Pfizer Several headwinds -- including mediocre financial results and upcoming patent cliffs -- have pushed Pfizer's shares down significantly over the past few years. But the drugmaker hasn't suspended or decreased its payouts. As a result, Pfizer's forward dividend yield is now a juicy 7.1%. And despite the issues it has faced, it's a great time to pick up Pfizer's shares on the dip. The pharmaceutical leader boasts several products that are posting solid sales growth and should help nudge the top-line in the right direction over the medium term. The list includes Padcev, a cancer medicine, and Abrysvo, a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine.
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Further, the healthcare giant has a deep pipeline that should make significant progress over the next few years. Pfizer's efforts in oncology and weight-loss look particularly promising. By the end of the decade, the company should launch brand-new products in these fields to help it overcome the loss of patent exclusivity for medicines like Eliquis, an anticoagulant, and drive long-term growth.
Pfizer's financial results won't bounce back immediately, but its share price could jump well before then as the company makes solid clinical and regulatory progress with key pipeline programs. That's why investors shouldn't wait too long before initiating positions.
2. Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk is best known for its work in the diabetes and weight loss markets, and with good reason. The company remains one of the undisputed leaders in these fields, despite recent setbacks that have sunk its stock price over the past couple of years. Novo Nordisk is well-positioned to bounce back, though. The company boasts a strong pipeline of candidates across its core therapeutic areas. Novo Nordisk's zenagamtide (amycretin) is currently undergoing phase 3 studies -- in a subcutaneous and an oral formulation -- as a potential weight loss treatment in people who are either overweight or obese.
It also posted strong phase 2 results, showing statistically significant reductions in blood sugar and weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes.
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Zenagamtide could become an important drug for Novo Nordisk as it moves beyond its famous therapies, Ozempic and Wegovy. And the Denmark-based pharmaceutical leader is also inching closer to approval for CagriSema, another diabetes and weight-loss treatment. Elsewhere, Novo Nordisk is making progress in diversifying its lineup. It is particularly targeting rare blood diseases. The company recently announced positive phase 3 clinical trials for denecimig, an investigational treatment for hemophilia.
Novo Nordisk's strong position in the rapidly growing GLP-1 area and clinical progress elsewhere could allow the stock to recover. Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk offers a forward yield of 3.6% and routinely increases its payouts, making it a great pick for income seekers.
3. Sanofi Sanofi has faced some headwinds recently, including a leadership change and clinical setbacks. The stock has lagged broader equities as a result. However, there remain good reasons to be optimistic about Sanofi's long-term prospects. Here are three of them. First, the company's most important growth driver, Dupixent, is still performing very well. Dupixent is a medicine indicated for the treatment of eczema and COPD; Sanofi shares the rights to this therapy with Regeneron (REGN +2.18%). Dupixent is one of the world's best-selling drugs and is still helping Sanofi post decent sales growth.
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Second, Sanofi should make solid pipeline progress over the next few years. For instance, the company's frexalimab, an investigational therapy for multiple sclerosis (among other diseases), is undergoing phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials. Frexalimab posted excellent mid-stage results and could eventually generate well over $1 billion in annual sales at its peak. Sanofi boasts several other promising candidates. Third, the company offers an attractive forward dividend yield of 5.6% and regularly increases its payouts. The dividend is safe despite recent obstacles, and the stock is worth holding for a while.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Honeywell Technologies (NASDAQ: HON) today announced the completion of its acquisition of Johnson Matthey's Catalyst Technologies business for £1.325 billion in an all-cash transaction. This deal strengthens the company's portfolio across refining, petrochemicals and renewable fuels. Honeywell Technologies will now have a more comprehensive, end-to-end offering for customers across energy and process technologies, further enhanced by its existing automation and.
Some of the best decade-long investments start as beaten-down brands that everyone has temporarily given up on. The trick is separating companies with a broken business from companies with a strong brand going through a rough patch.
Two consumer goods giants fit that second description right now. Nike (NKE +4.21%) has fallen about 44% from its high, and Estée Lauder (EL +0.64%) sits roughly 30% below its own recent peak. Both are messy today, and both look like the kind of names patient investors can be glad they own 10 years from now.
Image source: Getty Images.
Nike: A wounded champion rebuilding its footing Nike is the most recognizable athletic brand on the planet, which is exactly why its stumble has been so jarring. The company spent years leaning too hard on its own apps and website while pulling back from the retail stores where most people actually shop, and demand suffered. CEO Elliott Hill, a Nike veteran who came out of retirement to fix it, has been rebuilding those wholesale relationships and refocusing on athletes and fresh product.
There are early signs that it is working. North America, Nike's largest market, has begun to grow again as store partners welcome the brand back onto their shelves.
The honest reality is that this turnaround is taking longer than management first hoped, with the bigger gains now expected in 2027 and beyond, and its once-reliable China business is still shrinking. But a decade is a long time. The brand itself, its marketing muscle, and its grip on sneaker culture have not disappeared, and the CEO has been buying shares with his own money, a signal he believes in the recovery.
For an investor with real patience, owning an icon while it is out of favor is often how the biggest gains are made.
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Estée Lauder: A prestige beauty leader on the mend Estée Lauder is the other side of the same coin, with a portfolio of premium beauty brands, including its namesake line, Clinique, MAC, and La Mer, that got knocked down hard. Its troubles came from a few directions at once: a slump in China, weakness in the travel-retail shops found in airports where it sells a lot of product, and thinner profit margins. Add tariffs to the mix, and the stock fell well off its highs.
Here again, though, the underlying business is showing signs of life. Recent quarterly revenue has grown and come in ahead of expectations, suggesting the recovery is slowly taking hold.
Over a 10-year horizon, the case rests on two durable trends: the global appetite for prestige beauty continues to expand, especially as more consumers in emerging markets trade up, and Estée Lauder owns some of the most coveted brands in the category. The risk is that the rebound stays bumpy, particularly if China takes longer to recover, so this is a stock to buy with the expectation of volatility along the way.
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What should investors do? Buying a stock that is down 40% or more takes a strong stomach, and neither of these turnarounds is guaranteed to be smooth. Nike still has to prove its comeback can accelerate, and Estée Lauder needs its key markets to heal. But that is precisely why the prices are attractive.
When you buy for a decade, you are betting on a brand's durability rather than next quarter's numbers, and both Nike and Estée Lauder are brands that tend to outlast their slumps. I would treat them as long-term positions to build patiently, reinvesting along the way, and give the businesses the years they need to mend. Ten years from now, today's pessimism may look like the opportunity it usually proves to be for great consumer brands.
