Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Spotify (SPOT - Free Report) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.

Shares of this music-streaming service operator have returned -3.6% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.1% change. The Zacks Internet - Software industry, to which Spotify belongs, has gained 3.2% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?

While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.

Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.

Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.

For the current quarter, Spotify is expected to post earnings of $3.29 per share, indicating a change of +785.4% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

The consensus earnings estimate of $14.62 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +23%. This estimate has changed -0.4% over the last 30 days.

For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $18.29 indicates a change of +25.1% from what Spotify is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -0.4%.

Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Spotify is rated Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.

For Spotify, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $5.6 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +17.7%. For the current and next fiscal years, $22.67 billion and $25.92 billion estimates indicate +16.7% and +14.3% changes, respectively.

Last Reported Results and Surprise HistorySpotify reported revenues of $5.3 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +20.3%. EPS of $4.04 for the same period compares with $1.13 a year ago.

Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.36 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -1.09%. The EPS surprise was +8.6%.

Over the last four quarters, Spotify surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates two times over this period.

ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.

While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.

The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.

Spotify is graded D on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.

Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Spotify. However, its Zacks Rank #4 does suggest that it may underperform the broader market in the near term.

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.

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WebX 2026 Returns to Tokyo on July 13–14 to Explore Japan’s Evolving Web3 Landscape 

Robinhood Chain has recorded $500 million in daily Uniswap trading volume within just eight days of launch, lifting total value locked above $106 million and pushing the Arbitrum-powered network into the top ranks of decentralized finance activity.

Summary

Robinhood Chain reached $500 million in daily Uniswap trading volume within eight days of launch. Ethena’s $50 million deposit helped push the network’s TVL above $106 million. Pump.fun integration, tokenized stocks, and gas fee waivers have accelerated early ecosystem growth. DeFiLlama data shows the network’s total value locked climbed to more than $106 million after surging 159% in 24 hours, while cumulative addresses approached 200,000. The same data places Robinhood Chain behind only Ethereum mainnet in 24-hour Uniswap trading volume, an unusually rapid rise for a newly launched Layer 2 network.

Uniswap activity on the chain reached $500 million on July 8 after cumulative trading volume had already crossed $250 million during its first week.

Institutional liquidity has fueled the TVL jump Most of the recent capital increase has come from institutional DeFi flows rather than retail participation.

According to DeFiLlama, nearly $90 million of Robinhood Chain’s locked value is held on the Morpho lending protocol, which powers the roughly 7% annual percentage yield available through Robinhood Earn on USDG deposits.

The largest catalyst came from Ethena, which deposited $50 million into a Steakhouse Financial-managed USDG vault on Morpho in a single transaction. That transfer accounted for much of the network’s sharp one-day TVL increase and highlighted how concentrated institutional liquidity can rapidly reshape early DeFi metrics.

Robinhood Chain also launched with full support for Uniswap’s v2, v3, v4 and UniswapX infrastructure from day one. Trading activity has centered on Wrapped Ether (WETH), memecoins and tokenized equity assets including NVDA, AAPL and GOOG, giving the network exposure to both crypto-native and tokenized real-world asset markets.

Ecosystem expansion has drawn fresh market attention Robinhood chief executive Vlad Tenev has continued to position the network around tokenized real-world assets while acknowledging growing meme coin demand. In a July 8 post on X, Tenev wrote that as Robinhood develops Robinhood Chain into “the best chain for RWA,” it is “a great chain for memes, too.”

While we’re building robinhood chain to be the best chain for RWA … it works great for memes too

— Vlad Tenev (@vladtenev) July 8, 2026 Support from Pump.fun arrived the same day, allowing users to trade Robinhood Chain tokens directly using SOL without bridging assets. The integration quickly boosted activity around the memecoin CASHCAT, adding another source of transaction volume shortly after the chain’s launch.

Robinhood tokens are now available to trade on the Pumpfun app!

– No bridging
– Trade seamlessly in SOL
– Trade every trending Robinhood token

Never miss out again, no matter the meta. Only on the Pumpfun app. pic.twitter.com/xWiz0LDVBo

— Pump.fun (@Pumpfun) July 8, 2026 A separate filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosed that Tenev sold 375,000 Class B HOOD shares under a prearranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

According to the filing, the shares were sold between $112.22 and $118.13, generating roughly $43.6 million after HOOD stock had already gained more than 40% over the previous month, supported in part by enthusiasm surrounding Robinhood Chain.

Activity on the network has also lifted related crypto assets. UNI, Uniswap’s governance token, rose as much as 14% alongside the surge in trading volume. Robinhood Chain processes blocks every 100 milliseconds compared with Ethereum’s roughly 12-second block time, while Chainlink supplies oracle infrastructure for tokenized equities. Robinhood is also waiving gas fees for the network’s first 90 days, reducing transaction costs during its early growth phase.

Institutional interest in tokenized finance had already been building before the launch. Earlier this week, ARK Invest increased exposure to crypto-related stocks, adding to expectations that companies connected to tokenized assets could continue attracting investor attention.

At the same time, regulatory risks remain. SEC guidance published in January 2026 identified tokenized debt securities as an area for increased scrutiny, while Robinhood Chain’s current TVL remains heavily concentrated in Morpho, meaning large liquidity withdrawals could materially affect the network’s headline metrics.

Coinbase is giving Filecoin traders a new way to take risk. By adding margin support for FIL, the exchange is not just listing another feature. It is expanding how one of crypto’s older infrastructure tokens can be traded on a major US-facing platform.

That matters because Filecoin has often sat in an awkward place. The project is tied to a real infrastructure thesis around decentralized storage, but the market frequently treats FIL as just another volatile altcoin. Margin access tends to sharpen that trading identity.

For more details, visit the official Coinbase platform.

TL;DR Coinbase is adding Filecoin margin trading support.The move gives traders more flexibility around FIL exposure.It also keeps decentralized storage assets in the conversation as exchanges expand margin markets. Why Margin Support Changes The Setup Margin trading can deepen liquidity and attract more active traders, but it also raises the stakes. When a token becomes available for leveraged positioning, price moves can become more sensitive to funding, liquidation risk, and short-term sentiment.

For Coinbase, the decision suggests there is enough demand around Filecoin to justify broader trading tools. For FIL, it offers more visibility at a time when infrastructure tokens are trying to reassert their relevance.

Filecoin’s Infrastructure Narrative The underlying Filecoin thesis is still about storage: decentralized data markets, long-term archival needs, and alternatives to centralized cloud infrastructure. That story has never been as simple or as viral as memecoins or AI tokens, but it remains one of the sector’s more concrete use cases.

The question is whether trading access can help pull attention back to that infrastructure angle or whether leverage simply turns FIL into a faster speculative instrument.

The Risk Traders Should Remember Margin support is not automatically bullish. It can attract long exposure, but it can also make shorting easier and increase liquidation-driven volatility. That means the listing is better read as a market-structure update than a directional guarantee.

Still, for an asset like Filecoin, broader access on Coinbase is meaningful. It keeps FIL in front of active traders while the decentralized storage story continues to develop in the background.

A Useful Way To Frame It The useful way to read this story is not as a standalone headline about Coinbase, but as part of the wider pressure building around Coinbase coverage this week. Markets have been jumping quickly from one catalyst to the next, so the cleaner value for readers is in separating the actual development from the instant reaction around it. In this case, the source material gives us a concrete event to work from, rather than a loose rumour or a recycled social-media talking point.

That distinction matters because crypto readers are being asked to process a lot at once: ETF flows, regulatory actions, exchange listings, protocol upgrades, wallet movements, and political signals. A story like this is most useful when it helps them understand where Filecoin fits into that broader map. It does not need to be inflated into a guaranteed price call to be worth covering. It simply needs to explain what changed, who is affected, and why the market is paying attention today.

The caveat is also important. Even clean source-backed developments can be overinterpreted when traders are hunting for a fast narrative. A listing does not automatically create lasting demand, a regulatory update does not immediately settle every legal question, and an on-chain movement does not always translate into a finished sale. The better read is to treat the development as a fresh data point and then watch whether follow-up activity confirms the direction of travel.

For NewsBTC readers, that means keeping the focus on what can actually be verified from the source and avoiding the temptation to turn every update into a sweeping market verdict. The story is strong enough on its own terms: it gives investors and traders another piece of context around Coinbase, while leaving room for the next filing, dashboard update, wallet movement, governance vote, or exchange notice to decide whether the angle grows into something bigger.

This article is based on information from Coinbase.

This article was written by the News Desk and edited by Samuel Rae.

Adding up the monthly bills

getty

In the working world, paychecks show up every two weeks. Or at least, every month. Which keeps up with the pace of monthly bills, charges, and expenses.

In the stock market world, payouts (dividends!) arrive every quarter. That’s 30 days in between bills, but a full 90 days spanning divvies.

Hence the appeal of monthly dividends. These management teams know that the investors who hold their stock are here for the payment. It’d better show up every 30 days, and it’d better be the same amount. No cuts allowed.

Problem is, some of these monthly payers are writing checks their business can’t cash. So let’s “audit” the last decade of receipts from the six biggest monthly payers in America. We’re asking two questions:

Did the monthly check arrive on time and in full?And were investors able to cash their checks without taking down the price of the stock?The 6 Biggest Monthly Dividend PayersHere’s the list, along with a spoiler: half of these monthly dividend companies couldn’t keep the checks coming for a full decade.

Monthly Dividend Stocks

Contrarian Outlook

MORE FOR YOU

Why the focus on 10-year total return when we are here for the dividends? Because we’re not interested in a melting share price! When we retire on dividends we want our principal to stay intact (or, even better, to appreciate).

As you can see this is not a “close your eyes and buy” shopping list. We have some problem children. To name names, landlord EPR Properties (EPR) was a compelling buy for retirees. It collects rent checks from “experience venues” focused on activities like Topgolf and ski resorts. Younger generations spend their money on experiences versus collecting “things” so, perfect, right?

Kind of—until 2020 came along! The world shut down in March and by May, EPR had suspended its monthly payout. The “temporary freeze” ended up lasting fourteen months because it took a while for the world to reopen.

Then we have the “other Apple,” Apple Hospitality (APLE), a hotel landlord whose roughly 220 old properties fly the Marriott and Hilton flags. Business travel is a big driver of APLE’s business and that came to a halt in March 2020. And likewise, its monthly payout skidded to a stop!

When APLE resumed payments in March 2021, they were not every month. They were quarterly, and even then, only a penny per share. The monthly check didn’t return until March 2022—two full years after it vanished.

Agree Realty (ADC) delivered the second-best total return in our audit, 135% over the 10-year period. More than a double, through rents from the Walmarts and Tractor Supplys of the world.

Agree is new to the monthly game, though. It paid a quarterly dividend until January 2021, when its marketing team flipped to a monthly payout, which Agree has paid on time ever since. Five of the ten years it’s been paying the monthly—but hey, let’s note it’s a recent convert to Monthly Land.

Realty Income (O) deserves its own line. It literally trademarked “The Monthly Dividend Company,” and to its credit, it has dished checks every 30 days for decades. Problem is, a 48% total return over an entire decade is sort of terrible!

AGNC Investment Corp (AGNC) is quietly another dog, even though it always pays a generous headline yield. And monthly, too! So what’s not to like?

The not-so-great total returns, that’s what.

The company is a mortgage REIT, which means it buys mortgages. These are relatively safe mortgage-backed securities from government agencies like Fannie and Freddie, so there’s not a big problem there. The issue is that these mortgage bonds don’t pay a lot of money, so AGNC “levers up”—it borrows to buy more to increase its income. Then money is too expensive and this eats into AGNC’s profitability.

In March 2020 AGNC chopped the monthly payout from $0.16 to $0.12—and never restored it. This stock is more of a breakfast beer than a long-term holding. There’s a time and a place, but you don’t want to make a daily habit out of it. Investors who held over the past decade earned just 88%, which isn’t very good—it means AGNC compounded at only 6.5% per year. This stock dishes a monthly dividend of 12.9% and loses nearly 6% per year in price. Not ideal!

AGNC Returns

Contrarian Outlook

The monthly champion is a favorite of ours here at Contrarian Outlook, business development company (BDC) Main Street Capital (MAIN). Main was early on the monthly train, paying its divvie every single month (without a cut!) since its 2007 IPO.

And MAIN grew investors’ wealth, too. The shares themselves are up 59% over our decade, before a single dividend. Add the payout and you’re at 236%, the top of our audit table.

What makes MAIN the bluest of BDC blue chips? Two engines instead of one. Most of its competitors simply lend money and collect interest. MAIN lends and takes equity stakes alongside the debt.

Make no mistake: Management is bullish. It just declared its 19th consecutive quarterly “bonus” dividend—that’s on top of the regular monthly payout, which it raised 4% this year. That adds up to an 8.4% yield, including special payouts. And it teased another likely bonus for September! And for those of us paying strict attention to net asset value (NAV), there has been no blip whatsoever. MAIN’s NAV grew to a record high.

Here’s another great thing at MAIN. Insiders own 3.8% of the company, roughly 3.7 million shares. That’s unusual and high for a BDC. They run the place like they own it, because… they do!

Brett Owens is Chief Investment Strategist for Contrarian Outlook. For more great income ideas, get your free copy his latest special report: Your Early Retirement Portfolio: Huge Dividends—Every Month—Forever.

The market expects State Street Corporation (STT - Free Report) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 16. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus EstimateThis company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $3.30 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +30.4%.

Revenues are expected to be $3.85 billion, up 11.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 4.02% higher over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for State Street?For State Street, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.35%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.

So, this combination indicates that State Street will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that State Street would post earnings of $2.6 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.84, delivering a surprise of +9.23%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times.

Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

State Street appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.

Expected Results of an Industry PlayerAmong the stocks in the Zacks Banks - Major Regional industry, BNY (BNY - Free Report) , is soon expected to post earnings of $2.2 per share for the quarter ended June 2026. This estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +13.4%. This quarter's revenue is expected to be $5.38 billion, up 7.1% from the year-ago quarter.

Over the last 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for BNY has been revised 1.7% up to the current level. Nevertheless, the company now has an Earnings ESP of +0.05%, reflecting a higher Most Accurate Estimate.

When combined with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), this Earnings ESP indicates that BNY will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.

MARA stock is charging ahead with explosive momentum. What’s behind MARA gains? The DealThe site encompasses more than 1,200 acres in Matagorda County, approximately 90 miles southwest of Houston, and is expected to provide access to up to 1 GW of grid capacity by October 2027 and up to 2 GW by April 2028. The site has already received interest from potential High-Performance Computing tenants. HIF will retain a minority ownership interest in the project upon execution of a lease with an HPC tenant.

Upon full energization, the site is expected to more than double MARA’s potential power capacity to approximately 4.8 GW across its portfolio — including the anticipated close of MARA’s previously announced agreement to acquire Long Ridge Energy & Power.

The Development Plan“This transaction advances our strategy of securing strategically located infrastructure assets capable of supporting high-performance compute and bitcoin workloads,” said Fred Thiel, MARA’s Chairman and CEO. “Sites with access to reliable, scalable power will become increasingly valuable. This acquisition meaningfully expands our long-term development pipeline.”

MARA Shares ClimbMARA Price Action: At the time of publication, MARA shares are trading 10.48% higher at $13.28, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

This illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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The proven Zacks Rank system focuses on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find winning stocks. Nevertheless, we know that our readers all have their own perspectives, so we are always looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong picks.

Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

Luckily, Zacks has developed its own Style Scores system in an effort to find stocks with specific traits. Value investors will be interested in the system's "Value" category. Stocks with both "A" grades in the Value category and high Zacks Ranks are among the strongest value stocks on the market right now.

One company to watch right now is Viatris (VTRS - Free Report) . VTRS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A.

Another notable valuation metric for VTRS is its P/B ratio of 0.75. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. This company's current P/B looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/B of 2.13. Over the past year, VTRS's P/B has been as high as 0.81 and as low as 0.55, with a median of 0.70.

Value investors also frequently use the P/S ratio. This metric is found by dividing a stock's price with the company's revenue. This is a preferred metric because revenue can't really be manipulated, so sales are often a truer performance indicator. VTRS has a P/S ratio of 1.33. This compares to its industry's average P/S of 1.4.

Finally, investors should note that VTRS has a P/CF ratio of 5.21. This metric focuses on a firm's operating cash flow and is often used to find stocks that are undervalued based on the strength of their cash outlook. VTRS's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 12.70. Over the past 52 weeks, VTRS's P/CF has been as high as 8.41 and as low as 4.30, with a median of 5.49.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Viatris is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, VTRS feels like a great value stock at the moment.

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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.

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.

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Grayscale Investments, one of the largest asset management companies in the market, shared eight cryptocurrencies that stand out in the current market cycle and the key use cases each represents.

Grayscale, sharing from account X, identified eight key use cases for the current cycle: “Digital currency, World Computer, Global payments, High performance, 24/7 on-chain commerce, Tokenization and oracles, Next-generation infrastructure, Mass customization.”

Grayscale, which also identifies the prominent cryptocurrencies in these areas, included Bitcoin and 7 altcoins, including Ethereum and XRP, in its list.

At this point, Grayscale argues that Bitcoin’s fixed supply, institutional investor interest, and adoption as a reserve asset have made it a cornerstone of the cryptocurrency market.

“Bitcoin (BTC) → Digital money
Ethereum (ETH) → World Computer
XRP → Global payments
Solana (SOL) → High performance
Hyperliquid (HYPE) → 24/7 on-chain trading
Chainlink (LINK) → Tokenization and oracles
SUI → Next-generation infrastructure
Avalanche (AVAX) → Mass customization”

Looking at the table, Grayscale describes Ethereum as a global infrastructure for smart contracts and decentralized applications, while highlighting XRP for cross-border money transfers.

According to the company, Solana attracts developers with its high transaction capacity and low-cost infrastructure, while Chainlink stands out with its oracle infrastructure, which plays a critical role in the tokenization of real-world assets.

HYPE, the token of the Hyperliquid ecosystem, has recently stood out among projects offering 24/7 on-chain derivatives trading and a decentralized trading experience.

Finally, while Sui (SUI) stands out with its next-generation Layer-1 architecture focusing on scalability and user experience, Avalanche is considered a significant alternative in enterprise use cases.

*This is not investment advice.

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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.

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Crypto-related stocks in U.S. markets continued their rally during trading hours, with MARA surging 15.27%.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), US-listed crypto-related stocks continued to strengthen during intraday trading. Details: Strategy (MSTR) rose 2.11%; Circle (CRCL) gained 0.83%; MARA Holdings (MARA) surged 15.27% after announcing the acquisition of a Texas-based 2000MW computing power park project company for up to $600 million; Riot Platforms (RIOT) climbed 6.1%.

1 seconds ago

JPMorgan: The biggest risk for Bitcoin is not Strategy’s sell-off, but blockchain adoption that bypasses public chains and tokens.

JPMorgan Chase’s analyst team noted that the market views Strategy’s Bitcoin sale plan as a key risk for the crypto sector, but it is not a major structural threat to Bitcoin. The more fundamental risk lies in tokenization, payments, and settlements increasingly taking place on permissioned infrastructure that does not rely on public blockchains. If this trend continues, the entire crypto ecosystem could face a "structural downgrade"—marked by slower transaction activity, reduced liquidity, and weaker capital inflows—ultimately weighing on Bitcoin. The analysts stated bluntly: "In our view, a more significant risk stems from the way blockchain is adopted in traditional finance, which continues to bypass public, permissionless networks." The analysts explained that institutional adoption so far has clearly favored permissioned chains, as they offer advantages in privacy, KYC/AML controls, governance, throughput, legal accountability, and regulatory certainty, posing a competitive threat to public blockchains like Ethereum. If tokenized deposits are widely adopted—especially in non-transferable forms favored by regulators—it could reduce demand for stablecoins in institutional payments and settlements; SWIFT’s blockchain initiative and central bank digital currency (CBDC) projects such as the digital euro and digital renminbi further strengthen regulated alternatives. In the roughly $500 billion tokenized real-world assets market, while Ethereum currently holds a certain share, this likely reflects early-stage experimentation rather than the market’s long-term structure. As institutional adoption grows, issuance, custody, settlement, and lifecycle management will likely be conducted more on private or permissioned infrastructure that meets requirements for identity, confidentiality, and operational resilience, with public blockchains used only for distribution and limited secondary trading.

1 seconds ago

Security Warning: Abnormal on-chain fund flows detected for the CodexField project on BNB Chain.

On-chain investigator Specter has issued a community security alert, warning of potential fund misappropriation risks associated with the CodexField project on BNB Chain. On-chain tracking shows the project has amassed over $85 million in funds. Specter detected abnormal on-chain fund flows yesterday: a wallet bridged 17.3 million USDT from TRON to Ethereum, then swapped the tokens for DAI via Bitget Swap on Polygon. So far, $6.5 million has been transferred out, while the remaining $10.8 million is still in transit. The funds were originally bridged from Ethereum to TRON roughly six months ago, and the source wallet is linked to CodexField’s deposit contract. Below are key addresses for users to verify on their own: EVM: 0xBc606358910b3720d136F0d4Ce12b759C270747a TRON: TQNTEYadFVVQeobBtctSjurJ5RpfBsTmqh, TAzpg8L1WkkzCxxZk8TYnvaRYahehh52MK Related deposit contract: 0x9E6A75b546B65E7B9D34E2c9aB8Fe224B9aA52AA Additional red flags: The project requires a minimum $100 deposit for participation. Blockchain security tool Blocksec MetaSuites initially labeled the deposit contract as "Fake CodexField", but Specter’s follow-up investigation found the contract is actually operated by the CodexField team itself. The project uses multiple domains and subdomains to collect user deposits, and the team previously shared these domains via official channels. Its fund flow pattern is unusual, deviating from standard fund management practices: the project bridges funds across multiple blockchains, routes them through intermediate wallets, and ultimately sends assets to centralized exchanges. Specter noted that based on on-chain activity, the project warrants high vigilance. It advises all users interacting with CodexField to exercise extreme caution until the team provides a transparent explanation of its fund movements.

1 seconds ago

Post-quantum cryptography management platform QIZ Security closes $17 million seed round.

QIZ Security, a crypto posture and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) management platform, announced the completion of a $17 million seed funding round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Merlin Ventures, with participation from Evolution Equity Partners, Qbeat Ventures, Singtel Innov8, and Qino Cyber Capital. The capital will be used to accelerate product R&D and market expansion. QIZ Security was co-founded by Ben Volkow, Lenny Ridel, and Itan Barmes; the team has years of experience in cybersecurity, enterprise services, and post-quantum transformation, with Barmes previously leading Deloitte’s global quantum cybersecurity readiness team. Its platform helps enterprises identify and assess crypto asset risks and implement remediation measures, and is currently applied in industries including finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. It has also established partnerships with Cisco, AWS, Google, CrowdStrike, Deloitte, EY, and IBM, among others.

1 seconds ago

Hyperliquid recommends that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) formally recognize that on-chain protocols are not required to register, and non-custodial wallets do not serve as financial intermediaries.

Hyperliquid Policy Center (HPC) and Phantom have jointly submitted comments to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in response to the agency’s request for feedback on whether existing rules keep pace with the evolution of financial technology, proposing to explicitly extend the distinction between "building tools" and "operating regulated businesses" to on-chain markets. The comments note that software engineers have been developing matching engines for regulated futures trading platforms for decades, and the CFTC has never classified them as trading platform operators. However, developers in the digital asset sector have long lacked such clarity, forcing many to opt for offshore development. The current CFTC, led by Chairman Selig, is working to address this gap and carve out room for innovation for fintech firms in digital asset and derivatives markets. The two entities put forward three key recommendations: First, explicitly confirm that merely publishing on-chain protocol software itself does not require registration — a factor often decisive for engineers when choosing where to develop. Second, establish a clear path for the CFTC’s registration bodies to operate regulated functions using on-chain infrastructure, enabling trading platforms and clearinghouses to replace decades-old legacy systems with transparent infrastructure. Third, formalize Phantom’s recent no-action letter into official rules, eliminating the need for self-custody wallet providers to apply for approved exemptions on a case-by-case basis. HPC and Phantom stress that self-custody and transparent on-chain systems can embed investor protection directly into technology, while regulated intermediaries retain responsibility for issues that technology cannot resolve independently. This approach will bring the next generation of financial markets within reach of U.S. consumers.

1 seconds ago

Micron raises its U.S. investment plan to $250 billion, betting on demand for AI memory chips.

Micron Technology plans to increase spending on its new U.S. factory to $250 billion to meet the surging demand for memory chips driven by the global artificial intelligence boom. The move adds $50 billion to Micron’s previously announced $200 billion commitment to expanding domestic U.S. chip manufacturing, covering projects in New York, Idaho, and Virginia. The expenditure is expected to run through 2035, and will help the company achieve its target of producing 40% of its DRAM products in the U.S. within the next decade.

1 seconds ago

Crypto-related stocks in U.S. markets continued their rally during trading hours, with MARA surging 15.27%.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), US-listed crypto-related stocks continued to strengthen during intraday trading. Details: Strategy (MSTR) rose 2.11%; Circle (CRCL) gained 0.83%; MARA Holdings (MARA) surged 15.27% after announcing the acquisition of a Texas-based 2000MW computing power park project company for up to $600 million; Riot Platforms (RIOT) climbed 6.1%.

1 seconds ago

JPMorgan: The biggest risk for Bitcoin is not Strategy’s sell-off, but blockchain adoption that bypasses public chains and tokens.

JPMorgan Chase’s analyst team noted that the market views Strategy’s Bitcoin sale plan as a key risk for the crypto sector, but it is not a major structural threat to Bitcoin. The more fundamental risk lies in tokenization, payments, and settlements increasingly taking place on permissioned infrastructure that does not rely on public blockchains. If this trend continues, the entire crypto ecosystem could face a "structural downgrade"—marked by slower transaction activity, reduced liquidity, and weaker capital inflows—ultimately weighing on Bitcoin. The analysts stated bluntly: "In our view, a more significant risk stems from the way blockchain is adopted in traditional finance, which continues to bypass public, permissionless networks." The analysts explained that institutional adoption so far has clearly favored permissioned chains, as they offer advantages in privacy, KYC/AML controls, governance, throughput, legal accountability, and regulatory certainty, posing a competitive threat to public blockchains like Ethereum. If tokenized deposits are widely adopted—especially in non-transferable forms favored by regulators—it could reduce demand for stablecoins in institutional payments and settlements; SWIFT’s blockchain initiative and central bank digital currency (CBDC) projects such as the digital euro and digital renminbi further strengthen regulated alternatives. In the roughly $500 billion tokenized real-world assets market, while Ethereum currently holds a certain share, this likely reflects early-stage experimentation rather than the market’s long-term structure. As institutional adoption grows, issuance, custody, settlement, and lifecycle management will likely be conducted more on private or permissioned infrastructure that meets requirements for identity, confidentiality, and operational resilience, with public blockchains used only for distribution and limited secondary trading.

1 seconds ago

Security Warning: Abnormal on-chain fund flows detected for the CodexField project on BNB Chain.

On-chain investigator Specter has issued a community security alert, warning of potential fund misappropriation risks associated with the CodexField project on BNB Chain. On-chain tracking shows the project has amassed over $85 million in funds. Specter detected abnormal on-chain fund flows yesterday: a wallet bridged 17.3 million USDT from TRON to Ethereum, then swapped the tokens for DAI via Bitget Swap on Polygon. So far, $6.5 million has been transferred out, while the remaining $10.8 million is still in transit. The funds were originally bridged from Ethereum to TRON roughly six months ago, and the source wallet is linked to CodexField’s deposit contract. Below are key addresses for users to verify on their own: EVM: 0xBc606358910b3720d136F0d4Ce12b759C270747a TRON: TQNTEYadFVVQeobBtctSjurJ5RpfBsTmqh, TAzpg8L1WkkzCxxZk8TYnvaRYahehh52MK Related deposit contract: 0x9E6A75b546B65E7B9D34E2c9aB8Fe224B9aA52AA Additional red flags: The project requires a minimum $100 deposit for participation. Blockchain security tool Blocksec MetaSuites initially labeled the deposit contract as "Fake CodexField", but Specter’s follow-up investigation found the contract is actually operated by the CodexField team itself. The project uses multiple domains and subdomains to collect user deposits, and the team previously shared these domains via official channels. Its fund flow pattern is unusual, deviating from standard fund management practices: the project bridges funds across multiple blockchains, routes them through intermediate wallets, and ultimately sends assets to centralized exchanges. Specter noted that based on on-chain activity, the project warrants high vigilance. It advises all users interacting with CodexField to exercise extreme caution until the team provides a transparent explanation of its fund movements.

1 seconds ago

Post-quantum cryptography management platform QIZ Security closes $17 million seed round.

QIZ Security, a crypto posture and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) management platform, announced the completion of a $17 million seed funding round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Merlin Ventures, with participation from Evolution Equity Partners, Qbeat Ventures, Singtel Innov8, and Qino Cyber Capital. The capital will be used to accelerate product R&D and market expansion. QIZ Security was co-founded by Ben Volkow, Lenny Ridel, and Itan Barmes; the team has years of experience in cybersecurity, enterprise services, and post-quantum transformation, with Barmes previously leading Deloitte’s global quantum cybersecurity readiness team. Its platform helps enterprises identify and assess crypto asset risks and implement remediation measures, and is currently applied in industries including finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. It has also established partnerships with Cisco, AWS, Google, CrowdStrike, Deloitte, EY, and IBM, among others.

1 seconds ago

Hyperliquid recommends that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) formally recognize that on-chain protocols are not required to register, and non-custodial wallets do not serve as financial intermediaries.

Hyperliquid Policy Center (HPC) and Phantom have jointly submitted comments to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in response to the agency’s request for feedback on whether existing rules keep pace with the evolution of financial technology, proposing to explicitly extend the distinction between "building tools" and "operating regulated businesses" to on-chain markets. The comments note that software engineers have been developing matching engines for regulated futures trading platforms for decades, and the CFTC has never classified them as trading platform operators. However, developers in the digital asset sector have long lacked such clarity, forcing many to opt for offshore development. The current CFTC, led by Chairman Selig, is working to address this gap and carve out room for innovation for fintech firms in digital asset and derivatives markets. The two entities put forward three key recommendations: First, explicitly confirm that merely publishing on-chain protocol software itself does not require registration — a factor often decisive for engineers when choosing where to develop. Second, establish a clear path for the CFTC’s registration bodies to operate regulated functions using on-chain infrastructure, enabling trading platforms and clearinghouses to replace decades-old legacy systems with transparent infrastructure. Third, formalize Phantom’s recent no-action letter into official rules, eliminating the need for self-custody wallet providers to apply for approved exemptions on a case-by-case basis. HPC and Phantom stress that self-custody and transparent on-chain systems can embed investor protection directly into technology, while regulated intermediaries retain responsibility for issues that technology cannot resolve independently. This approach will bring the next generation of financial markets within reach of U.S. consumers.

1 seconds ago

Micron raises its U.S. investment plan to $250 billion, betting on demand for AI memory chips.

Micron Technology plans to increase spending on its new U.S. factory to $250 billion to meet the surging demand for memory chips driven by the global artificial intelligence boom. The move adds $50 billion to Micron’s previously announced $200 billion commitment to expanding domestic U.S. chip manufacturing, covering projects in New York, Idaho, and Virginia. The expenditure is expected to run through 2035, and will help the company achieve its target of producing 40% of its DRAM products in the U.S. within the next decade.

1 seconds ago

Wall Street giant Wells Fargo revealed massive crypto holdings via exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and stocks. The banks revealed exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum (ETH), Solana, Strategy (MSTR), Bitmine (BMNR) and other crypto stocks.

Wells Fargo Reveals Bitcoin, ETH, Solana ETFs Exposure In its latest SEC filing, $2.5 trillion AUM Wells Fargo disclosed 6.5 million shares in BlackRock Bitcoin ETF (IBIT). It also revealed a new call position and an increase in put position in IBIT amid growing uncertainty during the US-Iran war.

IBIT holdings dropped by 75,102 shares compared to the Q4 quarter. Moreover, the Wall Street giant cut its exposure to the Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (BTCO), Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, and the Fidelity Bitcoin ETF (FBTC).

While Wells Fargo decreased holdings in IBIT, Bitcoin exposure increased in Grayscale Bitcoin Mini ETF, Bitwise’s BITB, and GBTC. Notably, BITB holdings climbed 24% quarter-on-quarter.

Meanwhile, Wells Fargo boosts Ethereum ETF holdings with a 65% rise in BlackRock Ethereum ETF (ETHA) shares. The bank now holds more than 1.10 million ETHA shares worth $17.56 million.

In addition, the banking firm holds 257,157 Bitwise Ethereum ETF, 4,637 Grayscale Ethereum Staking ETF, and 623 VanEck’s ETHV shares.

Also, Wells Fargo disclosed new exposure to Solana ETFs. It scooped 13,280 in Grayscale’s GSOL and 1,638 in Fidelity Solana Fund (FSOL).

Holding in Strategy’s MSTR, Bitmine, and other Crypto Stocks On the crypto stocks side, Wells Fargo significantly ramped up its position in Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR). The bank boosted its MSTR shares by 125% to almost 726,000 shares, adding an estimated $41.5 million in exposure. Notably, Strategy plans sell Bitcoin, but Grayscale claims Strategy’s Bitcoin sales are good for markets.

It also revealed new holdings in the Trump family’s American Bitcoin Corp (ABTC) and Strive (ASST). This move highlights a preference for established Bitcoin treasury companies over direct mining or trading firms.

The bank significantly increased its holdings in Bitmine Immersion’s BMNR from 2,323 to 21,547 stocks. This makes an 828% rise in Ethereum treasury exposure to $426K.

Robinhood (HOOD) shareholdings jumped from 65% to 2.56 million shares. Wells Fargo also opened put option positions for almost $116K. As CoinGape reported earlier, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev sold HOOD shares earlier this week.

In contrast, the bank sharply reduced its stake in Galaxy Digital by about 97% and 25% in Coinbase (COIN). This signals a strategic shift away from certain crypto stocks.

Also Read: 11 Best Crypto Copy Trading Platforms in July 2026

Morpho, one of DeFi’s heavyweight lending protocols, just planted its flag on Solana. The MORPHO token is now tradable through Jupiter, Solana’s dominant DEX aggregator, after being listed via Sunrise, the cross-chain asset gateway built by Wormhole Labs.

How the listing works Sunrise, which launched in November 2025, is Wormhole Labs’ answer to a persistent DeFi problem: getting tokens from one chain onto another without the usual liquidity fragmentation headaches. The model treats each new asset launch as what amounts to a tier-one listing, coordinating liquidity pushes across Solana DEXs and wallets simultaneously.

In practice, that means MORPHO didn’t just appear on one obscure pool somewhere. Initial MORPHO/USDC liquidity on Raydium has been observed in the range of $50K to $295K, with Jupiter serving as the primary trading interface where users can actually swap the token.

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For Solana users, the practical upside is straightforward: access to a major lending protocol’s governance token without touching Ethereum’s gas fees. For Morpho, it’s distribution. Getting listed on Jupiter puts MORPHO in front of one of DeFi’s most active trading audiences.

Why Morpho matters beyond the token Morpho completed a $175 million funding round in 2026 at a $2 billion valuation. Its total value locked sits at approximately $4.3 billion, putting it in the upper tier of DeFi lending protocols globally.

Morpho’s core value proposition has always been capital efficiency in lending markets, emphasizing peer-to-peer matching of lenders and borrowers to improve on the pooled-liquidity model.

What this means for Solana’s DeFi landscape Jupiter aggregates pricing across Solana’s DEX landscape, so even thin pools get routed efficiently. For protocols like Morpho, it means instant access to Solana’s active user base without building bespoke infrastructure.

Community activity around the listing has been noticeable, with discussions picking up on July 9, 2026 around peer-to-peer lending rates on Solana and what Morpho’s presence could mean for the network’s lending markets longer term.

Investors watching this space should pay attention to two things. First, whether the initial MORPHO/USDC liquidity on Raydium deepens meaningfully in the coming weeks. Second, whether this token listing is a precursor to Morpho deploying its lending protocol natively on Solana, which would represent a far more consequential expansion than token availability alone.

Bridged assets, even through well-designed systems like Sunrise, carry inherent cross-chain risk. Smart contract vulnerabilities in the bridging layer, oracle discrepancies between chains, and liquidity fragmentation across ecosystems are all factors that sophisticated traders will price in.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Solana is quietly doing what most blockchains only promise on whitepapers. The network’s real transaction throughput, stripped of validator vote transactions that inflate the numbers, is consistently clearing 2,500 transactions per second.

That distinction matters more than you’d think. Solana’s approach of separating “true” user-initiated transactions from the consensus-related vote transactions that validators produce gives a cleaner picture of actual network utility.

The numbers behind the noise Analytics data from mid-2026 shows Solana’s non-vote TPS averaging between 1,600 and 3,800, depending on network demand. During high-activity periods, total TPS frequently spikes above 6,000.

Historical peaks have exceeded 4,500 TPS on particularly busy days. For context, Ethereum’s base layer processes roughly 15-30 TPS, relying on Layer-2 rollups to scale beyond that.

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Sustained levels around 3,000 TPS have become common enough that fee modeling proposals from June 2026 use that figure as a baseline assumption.

The theoretical ceiling sits at approximately 65,000 TPS, though that number lives in the realm of ideal conditions. The Firedancer client, developed by Jump Trading’s crypto division, has recorded over 1 million TPS in test settings.

Firedancer represents a ground-up rewrite of Solana’s validator software in C++, designed to push throughput well beyond what the current Agave client can handle.

Transaction costs remain remarkably low through all of this, typically coming in below $0.01 per transaction.

Architecture doing the heavy lifting The network uses Proof-of-History (PoH), a cryptographic clock that timestamps transactions before they enter consensus. Combined with Tower BFT consensus, this architecture allows Solana to process transactions in parallel rather than sequentially.

The monolithic design philosophy stands in sharp contrast to Ethereum’s rollup-centric roadmap. Ethereum essentially outsources execution to Layer-2 networks while maintaining the base layer as a settlement and data availability layer.

The number of validators has declined from over 2,500 in 2023 to around 800 by late 2025 and into early 2026. Higher hardware requirements mean fewer participants can afford to run a validator node.

What this means for investors High TPS combined with sub-penny transaction costs creates fertile ground for DeFi trading, stablecoin payments, and tokenized asset transfers — high-volume, low-margin activities that simply can’t function on chains where a single swap costs several dollars in gas fees.

The validator consolidation trend is the risk factor worth monitoring. A network that processes thousands of transactions per second but relies on a shrinking pool of node operators creates a concentration risk. If hardware requirements continue climbing with future upgrades, that 800-validator count could fall further.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Crypto-related stocks in U.S. markets continued their rally during trading hours, with MARA surging 15.27%.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), US-listed crypto-related stocks continued to strengthen during intraday trading. Details: Strategy (MSTR) rose 2.11%; Circle (CRCL) gained 0.83%; MARA Holdings (MARA) surged 15.27% after announcing the acquisition of a Texas-based 2000MW computing power park project company for up to $600 million; Riot Platforms (RIOT) climbed 6.1%.

1 seconds ago

JPMorgan: The biggest risk for Bitcoin is not Strategy’s sell-off, but blockchain adoption that bypasses public chains and tokens.

JPMorgan Chase’s analyst team noted that the market views Strategy’s Bitcoin sale plan as a key risk for the crypto sector, but it is not a major structural threat to Bitcoin. The more fundamental risk lies in tokenization, payments, and settlements increasingly taking place on permissioned infrastructure that does not rely on public blockchains. If this trend continues, the entire crypto ecosystem could face a "structural downgrade"—marked by slower transaction activity, reduced liquidity, and weaker capital inflows—ultimately weighing on Bitcoin. The analysts stated bluntly: "In our view, a more significant risk stems from the way blockchain is adopted in traditional finance, which continues to bypass public, permissionless networks." The analysts explained that institutional adoption so far has clearly favored permissioned chains, as they offer advantages in privacy, KYC/AML controls, governance, throughput, legal accountability, and regulatory certainty, posing a competitive threat to public blockchains like Ethereum. If tokenized deposits are widely adopted—especially in non-transferable forms favored by regulators—it could reduce demand for stablecoins in institutional payments and settlements; SWIFT’s blockchain initiative and central bank digital currency (CBDC) projects such as the digital euro and digital renminbi further strengthen regulated alternatives. In the roughly $500 billion tokenized real-world assets market, while Ethereum currently holds a certain share, this likely reflects early-stage experimentation rather than the market’s long-term structure. As institutional adoption grows, issuance, custody, settlement, and lifecycle management will likely be conducted more on private or permissioned infrastructure that meets requirements for identity, confidentiality, and operational resilience, with public blockchains used only for distribution and limited secondary trading.

1 seconds ago

Security Warning: Abnormal on-chain fund flows detected for the CodexField project on BNB Chain.

On-chain investigator Specter has issued a community security alert, warning of potential fund misappropriation risks associated with the CodexField project on BNB Chain. On-chain tracking shows the project has amassed over $85 million in funds. Specter detected abnormal on-chain fund flows yesterday: a wallet bridged 17.3 million USDT from TRON to Ethereum, then swapped the tokens for DAI via Bitget Swap on Polygon. So far, $6.5 million has been transferred out, while the remaining $10.8 million is still in transit. The funds were originally bridged from Ethereum to TRON roughly six months ago, and the source wallet is linked to CodexField’s deposit contract. Below are key addresses for users to verify on their own: EVM: 0xBc606358910b3720d136F0d4Ce12b759C270747a TRON: TQNTEYadFVVQeobBtctSjurJ5RpfBsTmqh, TAzpg8L1WkkzCxxZk8TYnvaRYahehh52MK Related deposit contract: 0x9E6A75b546B65E7B9D34E2c9aB8Fe224B9aA52AA Additional red flags: The project requires a minimum $100 deposit for participation. Blockchain security tool Blocksec MetaSuites initially labeled the deposit contract as "Fake CodexField", but Specter’s follow-up investigation found the contract is actually operated by the CodexField team itself. The project uses multiple domains and subdomains to collect user deposits, and the team previously shared these domains via official channels. Its fund flow pattern is unusual, deviating from standard fund management practices: the project bridges funds across multiple blockchains, routes them through intermediate wallets, and ultimately sends assets to centralized exchanges. Specter noted that based on on-chain activity, the project warrants high vigilance. It advises all users interacting with CodexField to exercise extreme caution until the team provides a transparent explanation of its fund movements.

1 seconds ago

Post-quantum cryptography management platform QIZ Security closes $17 million seed round.

QIZ Security, a crypto posture and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) management platform, announced the completion of a $17 million seed funding round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Merlin Ventures, with participation from Evolution Equity Partners, Qbeat Ventures, Singtel Innov8, and Qino Cyber Capital. The capital will be used to accelerate product R&D and market expansion. QIZ Security was co-founded by Ben Volkow, Lenny Ridel, and Itan Barmes; the team has years of experience in cybersecurity, enterprise services, and post-quantum transformation, with Barmes previously leading Deloitte’s global quantum cybersecurity readiness team. Its platform helps enterprises identify and assess crypto asset risks and implement remediation measures, and is currently applied in industries including finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and critical infrastructure. It has also established partnerships with Cisco, AWS, Google, CrowdStrike, Deloitte, EY, and IBM, among others.

1 seconds ago

Hyperliquid recommends that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) formally recognize that on-chain protocols are not required to register, and non-custodial wallets do not serve as financial intermediaries.

Hyperliquid Policy Center (HPC) and Phantom have jointly submitted comments to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in response to the agency’s request for feedback on whether existing rules keep pace with the evolution of financial technology, proposing to explicitly extend the distinction between "building tools" and "operating regulated businesses" to on-chain markets. The comments note that software engineers have been developing matching engines for regulated futures trading platforms for decades, and the CFTC has never classified them as trading platform operators. However, developers in the digital asset sector have long lacked such clarity, forcing many to opt for offshore development. The current CFTC, led by Chairman Selig, is working to address this gap and carve out room for innovation for fintech firms in digital asset and derivatives markets. The two entities put forward three key recommendations: First, explicitly confirm that merely publishing on-chain protocol software itself does not require registration — a factor often decisive for engineers when choosing where to develop. Second, establish a clear path for the CFTC’s registration bodies to operate regulated functions using on-chain infrastructure, enabling trading platforms and clearinghouses to replace decades-old legacy systems with transparent infrastructure. Third, formalize Phantom’s recent no-action letter into official rules, eliminating the need for self-custody wallet providers to apply for approved exemptions on a case-by-case basis. HPC and Phantom stress that self-custody and transparent on-chain systems can embed investor protection directly into technology, while regulated intermediaries retain responsibility for issues that technology cannot resolve independently. This approach will bring the next generation of financial markets within reach of U.S. consumers.

1 seconds ago

Micron raises its U.S. investment plan to $250 billion, betting on demand for AI memory chips.

Micron Technology plans to increase spending on its new U.S. factory to $250 billion to meet the surging demand for memory chips driven by the global artificial intelligence boom. The move adds $50 billion to Micron’s previously announced $200 billion commitment to expanding domestic U.S. chip manufacturing, covering projects in New York, Idaho, and Virginia. The expenditure is expected to run through 2035, and will help the company achieve its target of producing 40% of its DRAM products in the U.S. within the next decade.

1 seconds ago

The Finance group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Has Franklin Resources (BEN - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Finance sector should help us answer this question.

Franklin Resources is a member of the Finance sector. This group includes 881 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #4. The Zacks Sector Rank gauges the strength of our 16 individual sector groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups.

The Zacks Rank is a proven model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Franklin Resources is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BEN's full-year earnings has moved 7.5% higher within the past quarter. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the latest available data, BEN has gained about 40.2% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Finance sector has returned an average of 4.6% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Franklin Resources is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Finance stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Bowhead Specialty Holdings Inc. (BOW - Free Report) . The stock is up 11.1% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Bowhead Specialty Holdings Inc.'s consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 1.2%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

To break things down more, Franklin Resources belongs to the Financial - Investment Management industry, a group that includes 37 individual companies and currently sits at #181 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 14.6% so far this year, so BEN is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Bowhead Specialty Holdings Inc. falls under the Insurance - Property and Casualty industry. Currently, this industry has 44 stocks and is ranked #150. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +1.4%.

Investors with an interest in Finance stocks should continue to track Franklin Resources and Bowhead Specialty Holdings Inc.. These stocks will be looking to continue their solid performance.

Shares of Roper Technologies (ROP - Free Report) have gained 6.2% over the past four weeks to close the last trading session at $354.89, but there could still be a solid upside left in the stock if short-term price targets of Wall Street analysts are any indication. Going by the price targets, the mean estimate of $446.14 indicates a potential upside of 25.7%.

The mean estimate comprises 14 short-term price targets with a standard deviation of $62.05. While the lowest estimate of $365.00 indicates a 2.9% increase from the current price level, the most optimistic analyst expects the stock to surge 55% to reach $550.00. It's very important to note the standard deviation here, as it helps understand the variability of the estimates. The smaller the standard deviation, the greater the agreement among analysts.

While the consensus price target is a much-coveted metric for investors, solely banking on this metric to make an investment decision may not be wise at all. That's because the ability and unbiasedness of analysts in setting price targets have long been questionable.

But, for ROP, an impressive average price target is not the only indicator of a potential upside. Strong agreement among analysts about the company's ability to report better earnings than they predicted earlier strengthens this view. While a positive trend in earnings estimate revisions doesn't gauge how much a stock could gain, it has proven to be powerful in predicting an upside.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Here's What You Should Know About Analysts' Price TargetsAccording to researchers at several universities across the globe, a price target is one of many pieces of information about a stock that misleads investors far more often than it guides. In fact, empirical research shows that price targets set by several analysts, irrespective of the extent of agreement, rarely indicate where the price of a stock could actually be heading.

While Wall Street analysts have deep knowledge of a company's fundamentals and the sensitivity of its business to economic and industry issues, many of them tend to set overly optimistic price targets. Are you wondering why?

They usually do that to drum up interest in shares of companies that their firms either have existing business relationships with or are looking to be associated with. In other words, business incentives of firms covering a stock often result in inflated price targets set by analysts.

However, a tight clustering of price targets, which is represented by a low standard deviation, indicates that analysts have a high degree of agreement about the direction and magnitude of a stock's price movement. While that doesn't necessarily mean the stock will hit the average price target, it could be a good starting point for further research aimed at identifying the potential fundamental driving forces.

That said, while investors should not entirely ignore price targets, making an investment decision solely based on them could lead to disappointing ROI. So, price targets should always be treated with a high degree of skepticism.

Here's Why There Could be Plenty of Upside Left in ROPAnalysts' growing optimism over the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by strong agreement among them in revising EPS estimates higher, could be a legitimate reason to expect an upside in the stock. That's because empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has increased 0%, as one estimate has moved higher compared to no negative revision.

Moreover, ROP currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which means it is in the top 20% of more than 4,000 stocks that we rank based on four factors related to earnings estimates. Given an impressive externally-audited track record, this is a more conclusive indication of the stock's potential upside in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Therefore, while the consensus price target may not be a reliable indicator of how much ROP could gain, the direction of price movement it implies does appear to be a good guide.

LOS ANGELES, July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Lucid Group, Inc. (“Lucid” or “the Company”) (NASDAQ: LCID) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors who purchased the Company’s securities between February 25, 2026 and April 13, 2026, inclusive (the “Class Period”), are encouraged to contact the firm before July 28, 2026.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Lucid’s deliveries were disrupted by a supplier quality issue. The Company suffered a material impact on its business results due to this quality issue. The Company overstated the strength of manufacturing capabilities. Based on these facts, the Company’s public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Lucid, investors suffered damages.

Join the case to recover your losses

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.        

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm
Brian Schall, Esq.,
www.schallfirm.com
Office: 310-301-3335
[email protected]

SOURCE:

 The Schall Law Firm

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 9, 2026) - Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized investor-rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against ZoomInfo Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTM) and certain of its officers.

This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired ZoomInfo securities between November 3, 2025 and May 11, 2026, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/GTM.

ZoomInfo Case Details

The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose:

The true state of ZoomInfo's slowing seat-based demand, weakening upsell opportunities, and deteriorating fundamentals across its downmarket and upmarket segments. That Defendants' optimistic growth narrative, including representations that full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $1.247–$1.267 billion was achievable and that Copilot penetration was on or ahead of schedule. That customers were migrating toward consumption-based models and developing internal AI-driven go-to-market solutions, trends Defendants minimized despite their material adverse impact on ZoomInfo's business.On May 11, 2026, ZoomInfo reported its first quarter 2026 results and slashed its full-year revenue guidance by approximately $62 million

Following this news, the price of ZoomInfo's common stock declined dramatically, from a closing market price of $6.04 per share on May 11, 2026, ZoomInfo's stock price fell to $4.06 per share on May 12, 2026, a decline of about 33%.

What's Next for ZoomInfo Investors?

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/GTM, or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Client Relations Manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 917-590-0911. If you suffered a loss in ZoomInfo you have until August 24, 2026, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff.

No Cost to ZoomInfo Investors

We, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.

Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC for ZoomInfo Securities Class Action?

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. More at www.bgandg.com

"Our practice centers on restoring investor capital and ensuring corporate accountability, which serves to uphold the essential integrity of the marketplace," said Peretz Bronstein, Founding Partner of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC.

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Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/303085

Source: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Ready to Announce with Confidence? Send us a message and a member of our TMX Newsfile team will contact you to discuss your needs.

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Key Takeaways Dividend-growth stocks may offer income and stability as AI valuation concerns pressure chip stocks. DELL is one of five stocks screened for dividend growth, sales growth, EPS growth and valuation metrics. TSM and TTDKY also met the article's dividend-growth screening criteria. Major U.S. stock indices ended the July 8, 2026, trading session on a dismal note, primarily due to escalating geopolitical tensions with Iran and rising Treasury yields. In particular, chip stocks that have been driving the equity markets lately, tumbled yesterday, thanks to persistent investor anxiety over artificial intelligence (AI) valuations. 

Against this backdrop, risk-averse investors may find that steady dividend-growth stocks offer a more balanced mix of income and stability than high-beta growth plays at this stage.

These dividend-growth stocks boast a consistent track record of raising payouts, underscoring the balance-sheet strength and cash-flow resilience required to navigate a period in which the traditional growth narrative is being reassessed.

Stocks with a strong history of year-over-year dividend growth can help build a resilient portfolio with greater potential for capital appreciation compared to simple dividend-paying or high-yield stocks. 

We have selected five dividend growth stocks — TDK Corp. (TTDKY - Free Report) , Dell Technologies (DELL - Free Report) , Corning Inc. (GLW - Free Report) , Hewlett Packard (HPE - Free Report) and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM - Free Report) — that could be solid choices for your portfolio.

Why Is Dividend Growth Better?Stocks with a strong history of dividend growth are typically associated with mature companies that are less prone to sharp market swings, allowing them to serve as a hedge against economic or political uncertainty, as well as broader market volatility. Their steadily rising payouts provide a measure of downside protection.

These companies are generally backed by solid fundamentals, making them attractive long-term dividend-growth investments. Key strengths include durable business models, consistent profitability, expanding cash flows, healthy liquidity, strong balance sheets and attractive valuations.

A consistent history of dividend growth underscores the potential for continued growth ahead.

Although these stocks do not necessarily have the highest yields, they have outperformed the broader stock market or any other dividend-paying stock for an extended period.

As a result, selecting dividend-growth stocks appears to be a winning strategy when other key parameters are taken into account.

5-Year Historical Dividend Growth Greater Than Zero: This selects stocks with a solid dividend growth history.

5-Year Historical Sales Growth Greater Than Zero: This represents stocks with a strong record of growing revenues.

5-Year Historical EPS Growth Greater Than Zero: This represents stocks with a solid earnings growth history.

Next 3-5 Year EPS Growth Rate Greater Than Zero: This represents the rate at which a company’s earnings are expected to grow. Improving earnings should help companies sustain dividend payments.

Price/Cash Flow Less Than M-Industry: A ratio lower than the industry median indicates that a stock is undervalued within its industry, meaning an investor would pay less for the company’s cash flow.

52-Week Price Change Greater Than S&P 500 (Market Weight): This ensures that a stock has appreciated more than the S&P 500 over the past year.

Top Zacks Rank: Stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) generally outperform their peers in all types of market environments.

Growth Score of B or better: Our research shows that stocks with a Growth Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2, offer the best upside potential.

These few criteria alone narrowed the universe from more than 7,700 stocks to just six.

Here are the five out of those six stocks that fit the bill:

Tokyo-based TDK Corp. is an electronics manufacturer specializing in magnetic and material sciences. It primarily designs and produces passive electronic components (like capacitors and inductors), sensors, energy storage devices, and magnetic recording heads, which are foundational to smartphones, automobiles, and industrial equipment. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TDK’s fiscal 2027 revenues suggests a year-over-year improvement of 2.7%. The stock boasts a long-term (three-to-five years) earnings growth rate of 15.60%. It has an annual dividend yield of 0.77%.

TTDKY currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a Growth Score of B. 

Texas-based Dell Technologies is a leading provider of servers, storage, and personal computers. The company’s IT solutions support customers in traditional infrastructure and multi-cloud environments. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DELL’s fiscal 2026 revenues suggests a year-over-year improvement of 50.2%. The stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 26.40%. It has an annual dividend yield of 0.60%.

DELL currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has a Growth Score of A. 

New York-based Corning Inc. specializes in manufacturing advanced glass, ceramics, and optical fiber. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GLW’s 2026 revenues suggests a year-over-year improvement of 13.9%. The stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 23.90% and has an annual dividend yield of 0.60%.

GLW currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Headquartered in Texas, Hewlett Packard is an enterprise-facing hardware and service business that focuses on servers, supercomputers, storage, networking and cloud services. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HPE’s fiscal 2026 revenues suggests a year-over-year improvement of 31.5%. The stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 32% and has an annual dividend yield of 1.31%.

HPE currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of B.

Taiwan-based Taiwan Semiconductor is the world's first dedicated semiconductor foundry. It manufactures integrated circuits for its customers based on their proprietary IC designs using its advanced production processes. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TSM’s 2026 revenues suggests a year-over-year improvement of 32.3%. The stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 25.90% and has an annual dividend yield of 0.69%.

TSM currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B.

Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) shares rose 7% on Thursday after the company announced plans to invest up to $3 billion to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and support future manufacturing capacity.

The investment includes $500 million in strategic financing support for GlobalWafers to advance development of its GlobalWafers America 300mm raw silicon wafer manufacturing facility in Sherman, Texas.

The companies also plan to enter into a 10-year supply agreement that would provide Micron with access to additional raw silicon wafer capacity.

Micron said the investment is intended to improve supply assurance, increase long-term planning flexibility and support demand for advanced memory and storage solutions driven by artificial intelligence and other data-intensive applications.

“Securing a reliable supply of critical input materials is essential to supporting Micron’s long-term growth and technology roadmap,” Ben Tessone, senior vice president and chief procurement officer at Micron, said in a statement.

GlobalWafers CEO Doris Hsu added that the partnership with Micron would support the expansion of local semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and strengthen supply chain resilience in the US.

Micron and GlobalWafers also plan to explore collaboration on next-generation wafer technologies and process innovations.

The proposed transaction remains subject to definitive agreements, customary approvals and closing conditions.

The news also lifted shares across the broader semiconductor sector, with Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD, XETRA:AMD) gaining 7%, Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:QCOM, XETRA:QCI) rising 4%, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (ADR) (NYSE:TSM) advancing 3%, Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO, XETRA:1YD) up 2% and Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ:AMAT, XETRA:AP2) climbing 6%.