Market Signal Briefing

Even after a strong rally, these two storied tech franchises are some of the most compelling AI bets today.

While optimism surrounding the artificial intelligence (AI) buildout was already strong, a slew of big partnership announcements last month, mostly involving AI leader OpenAI, led most chip and cloud stocks to surge even higher in September.

At these higher valuations, picking new AI stocks is a bit trickier. But there are still opportunities in high-quality, defensive AI stocks, as well as laggard turnarounds that still have AI upside.

The following two storied names embody both defensive and aggressive bets on the AI revolution today.

Microsoft
Microsoft (MSFT -2.17%) is a leader in enterprise software, cloud computing, and PC operating systems, along with other cash-generative businesses like LinkedIn and Xbox.

Microsoft's diversified portfolio of profitable growth businesses gives it the cash flow to compete strongly in artificial intelligence. And while the generative AI boom is potentially disruptive to even the large tech giants, it's more likely the forward-thinking Microsoft and visionary CEO Satya Nadella will find ways to benefit from the AI transition.

After all, Microsoft was an early investor in OpenAI, the leading AI model-builder, which in some ways is attempting to compete with Microsoft's enterprise software business. But even if that happens to an extent, Microsoft's stake in OpenAI would appreciate in value, somewhat offsetting the threat.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has made a few bullish "leaks" of late. According to a recent Bloomberg piece citing anonymous internal sources, Microsoft management apparently believes its data center capacity will be constrained for longer than previously anticipated.

Not having enough data center capacity to meet demand seems like a "good" problem to have, and suggests the growth outlook for Microsoft's Azure cloud unit should be strong for years.

Meanwhile, another Microsoft executive recently hinted at something bigger perhaps bubbling under the surface -- Microsoft's in-house AI chip efforts. Microsoft is seen as somewhat of a laggard in designing its own in-house AI accelerators, something its rivals have been at for a longer time. In recent years, cloud giants have been designing their own silicon in order to wean themselves off higher-priced Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices graphics processing units (GPUs).

However, Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott recently said Microsoft's goal is to use "mainly" its own chips going forward, adding that Microsoft is using "lots of Microsoft" silicon today. If Microsoft gets its in-house chip efforts on par with or better than rivals, look for its cloud and AI gross margins to increase even more.

Intel
While most AI-related chip stocks are at or near their all-time highs, Intel (INTC -3.78%) has been a notable laggard. The stock has recently doubled off its April lows, but Intel's stock still remains about 50% below all-time highs, and trades at a fraction of the market cap of other AI winners.

But this summer, a turnaround began brewing, as Intel attracted the investment of the U.S. government, Softbank, and Nvidia, which all put billions of dollars behind the U.S. chipmaker.

Perhaps more importantly, Intel just hosted journalists at its new high-tech semiconductor manufacturing plant, Fab 51, in Arizona last week. There, it introduced the first two products to be produced at the new fab: Panther Lake, a new PC CPU, and Clearwater Forest, the power-efficient data center CPU, which should start shipping in early 2026.

The event was important, as it was the formal unveiling of Intel's all-important 18A node, the manufacturing node where Intel hopes to catch up to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in process technology. The node features two new important innovations: gate-all-around (GAA) transistors and backside power. At the tour, Intel said 18A's current manufacturing defect density was at its lowest point in its development, and that the node would be ready for high-volume manufacturing before the year is out.

That's extremely notable, as many in the press have downplayed 18A, with various outlets peddling rumors of low yields and questions over performance. But if Intel can achieve high-volume manufacturing this quarter at good yields, it will match TSMC's schedule for its 2nm-class chips, which should also begin high-volume manufacturing soon. And while TSMC chips will have GAA transistors, they won't have backside power. So it's possible for some applications, Intel may actually be ahead of TSMC in 2026.

And Intel will certainly be ahead of TSMC in terms of U.S.-based chip manufacturing. Despite TSMC having pledged billions and billions to build U.S.-based fabs, it isn't anticipated to bring even its 3nm chip technology to the U.S. until 2027, let alone 2nm, which is supposed to arrive the following year. That means if there is geopolitical strife between China and Taiwan at any point over the next few years, Intel's importance would only grow -- perhaps exponentially.

With the backing of the U.S. government and now potentially having a leading process once again, Intel is a turnaround story to bet on, even after its recent surge.

Billy Duberstein and/or his clients have positions in Intel, Microsoft, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft, short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft, and short November 2025 $21 puts on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

A track record of innovation, strong tailwinds, and an industry-leading position could drive this household name to new highs.

The name James Anderson might not ring any bells with U.S. investors, but his track record and investing acumen are well documented. The legendary investor was a rock star at Scottish investment management firm Baillie Gifford for more than 40 years. He was in charge of the premier Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust for over two decades, generating returns of more than 1,700% during his term.

Anderson secured his legacy early on, recognizing the dramatic growth potential of then early stage companies, including Netflix, Amazon, Tesla, and Nvidia (NVDA -4.84%), delivering considerable profits for investors along the way. Given his track record, when Anderson talks, investors should listen.

Most experts agree that the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is still in its early stages, and if the trend continues, Nvidia's market cap could surge to as much as $50 trillion by 2035, according to Anderson. While that might seem improbable on its face, Anderson's reasoning is worth a look.

Image source: Nvidia.

Dominating the space
The dawn of generative AI in early 2023 created a windfall for Nvidia. The company pioneered the graphics processing units (GPUs) that quickly became the gold standard for AI. Nvidia rode the unprecedented demand for its chips to become the world's largest publicly traded company, valued at $4.58 trillion (as of this writing).

After two successive years of triple-digit year-over-year sales growth, Nvidia's results have begun to moderate but are still enviable by any standard. In its fiscal 2026 second quarter (ended July 27), Nvidia generated revenue that grew 56% year over year to a record $46.7 billion, while diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.08 jumped 61%.

Yet this could be just the beginning. The AI market is projected to be worth as much as $15.7 trillion by 2030, according to data compiled by "Big Four" accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The report suggests "AI is still at a very early stage." If Nvidia earns just a small slice of that total opportunity, sales and profits could continue to surge, resulting in a windfall for the chipmaker and its shareholders.

Anderson estimates the data center market, where most AI processing is conducted, is poised to grow 60% annually. If Nvidia's profit margin holds steady and the adoption of AI continues at its current pace over the next 10 years, Anderson estimates that Nvidia would deliver EPS of $1,350 and free cash flow of $1,000 per share. That would drive the stock price to about $20,000, pushing its market cap to roughly $49 trillion.

Despite increasing competition, Nvidia currently dominates the data center GPU space, commanding 92% of the market, according to IoT Analytics. Anderson points out that the company's "persistent exponential progress, the competitive advantages in hardware and software, and the culture and leadership are exactly what we look for."

The fine print
Make no mistake, plenty of things will have to go right for Nvidia to reach this astonishing benchmark, and there will be a lot of obstacles along the way. Demand for AI could falter, a rival chipmaker could "invent a better mousetrap," so to speak, or the economy could go south -- and these are just a few examples of the challenges that could arise.

Even Anderson admits that this "isn't a prediction but a possibility if artificial intelligence works for customers and Nvidia's lead is intact." When asked about the potential for the stock to reach these meteoric heights, Anderson puts the odds at between 10% and 15%.

However, investors shouldn't miss the forest for the trees. "It is the long duration of the development of [GPU] usage in AI -- and not just AI -- from excitement, through potential pauses, to transformation of industries that is most important to us," Anderson said.

There's also the matter of Nvidia's valuation. The stock has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of roughly 54, compared to a multiple of 31 for the S&P 500. However, at less than 30 times next year's expected earnings, I'd submit it's an attractive price to pay, particularly given the magnitude of the opportunity.

Even if Nvidia doesn't hit a $50 trillion market cap over the next 10 years, all the available evidence suggests Anderson's thesis is directionally accurate. Furthermore, CEO Jensen Huang has proven particularly adept at identifying opportunities before they materialize and positioning Nvidia for future success. Given his track record, I wouldn't bet against him.

That's why I believe Nvidia stock is still a buy.

Danny Vena has positions in Amazon, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Australia's fourth-largest bank by market capitalization has scrapped its share buyback and plans to invest in mortgage and commercial bankers as its new CEO tries to boost productivity and returns.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Palantir Technologies Inc. Investigated for Securities Fraud Violations - Contact the DJS Law Group to Discuss Your Rights – PLTR.

These two recent IPOs have tremendous growth potential.

After languishing in a deep freeze over the past few years, the market for initial public offerings (IPOs) is finally gaining steam. In recent months, several companies have gone public, seizing the opportunity to meet the growing investor demand for newly listed shares.

I've closely watched the pre-IPO market, waiting for the opportunity to buy shares of some compelling companies. I recently invested in two standout companies: ServiceTitan (TTAN -2.87%) and Klarna Group (KLAR -5.71%). Here's why I bought these hot IPO stocks.

Image source: Getty Images.

A huge market opportunity
ServiceTitan completed its IPO late last year. The company provides cloud-based software to contractors working in the trades industry, including heating and air-conditioning, plumbing, and electrical service providers.

One of the things that drew me to ServiceTitan is the huge opportunity for its software. The trades industry is enormous, with businesses in the U.S. generate an estimated $1.5 trillion in annual revenue. ServiceTitan currently offers software that could serve companies generating about $650 billion in annual revenue.

However, its current collection of customers only produces about $75 billion in revenue. This means the company currently addresses just a small slice of the market, providing ample room for expansion as it brings more businesses onto its platform and extends its services into added trades.

The company currently generates less than $900 million in annual revenue. With a fully deployed platform, it estimates that revenue from existing customers could hit $1.5 billion. Looking ahead, it sees a $13 billion opportunity with its current platform, and more than $30 billion in annual revenue potential as it expands into new trades and markets.

The company is actively capitalizing on this opportunity. Revenue grew 25% in its fiscal second quarter of 2026 to $242 million. Retaining existing customers and expanding those relationships helped drive growth, as evidenced by its net dollar revenue retention of over 110%. It hasn't yet achieved profitability under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), but its free cash flow rose over 83% in the period to $34.3 million.

I believe ServiceTitan can continue to grow rapidly for years to come, given its substantial untapped market and expanding customer base. This significant opportunity presents a long path to increasing revenue, which is why I believe it could deliver robust returns in the coming years.

An AI-powered fintech leader
Klarna Group just completed its long-awaited IPO last month. The Swedish financial technology company enables consumers to make buy now, pay later (BNPL) purchases. It also actively leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to boost productivity and enhance its services.

The company is capitalizing on several trends to build a unique commerce network. Consumers are increasingly using digital payments to process transactions.

At the same time, they're shifting away from credit cards and have low trust in banks. That's enabling Klarna to bridge the gap between consumers and merchants with a digital solution for payments and banking built on its proprietary AI-powered technology.

Klarna makes money from payments and advertising, which are huge and growing market opportunities. The current addressable market for its payments offering is $520 billion. It has a tiny sliver of that market (0.6%).

Management estimates that there's over $100 billion of growth ahead in its existing markets and a more than $400 billion expansion opportunity in potential new markets. Meanwhile, the digital advertising market is $570 billion. The company has an even smaller slice of this (0.03%), which it sees growing to $735 billion in the coming years.

The business is growing rapidly and now serves 790,000 merchants (a 34% year-over-year increase in the second quarter) and supports 111 million active customers (a 31% increase). This expanding user base helped drive a 20% boost in revenue to $823 million.

With two huge addressable markets, Klarna appears to have significant long-term potential. The small share of both the payment and digital advertising markets that it currently holds suggests there's plenty of room to deliver rapid revenue growth as it continues to expand into new sectors. This growth potential could enable the company to generate strong returns in the coming years.

Two potential game changers
I believe ServiceTitan and Klarna have tremendous opportunities, and both companies are using their proprietary technology to capitalize on it. I expect that they could deliver game-changing returns, which makes me excited to finally add these recent IPOs to my portfolio.

Matt DiLallo has positions in Klarna Group and ServiceTitan. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Klarna Group. The Motley Fool recommends ServiceTitan. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

CENTENNIAL, CO / ACCESS Newswire / October 12, 2025 / NioCorp Developments Ltd. ("NioCorp" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:NB) today provided its preliminary unaudited financial results for the three-month period ended September 30, 2025.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Trinseo PLC Investigated for Securities Fraud Violations - Contact the DJS Law Group to Discuss Your Rights – TSE.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF) (“Jefferies”) announced today that is has posted this letter from our CEO, Rich Handler, and our President, Brian Friedman:

Dear Clients, Stakeholders and Friends of Jefferies,

Since the circumstances surrounding First Brands have resulted in articles and snippets that mention Jefferies (in many cases, with inaccurate or conflated allegations or assertions), we believe it’s important to share with our clients, fellow shareholders, bondholders, employee-partners, and friends of Jefferies both the actual facts and our perspective.

The possible impact on Jefferies of the First Brands bankruptcy should be considered and measured against these overriding facts:

A sound financial condition – Jefferies had total equity on August 31, 2025 of $10.5 billion and tangible equity of $8.5 billion,

Ample liquidity – Jefferies had cash of $11.5 billion on August 31, 2025,

True momentum across our business, as demonstrated most clearly by Jefferies’ third quarter results announced two weeks ago – these results annualized would represent net revenues of $8.2 billion, earnings before income taxes of $1.3 billion and net earnings of $1.0 billion, and

A continuing and strengthened partnership with SMBC – as we announced three weeks ago, SMBC and we significantly expanded our Global Strategic Alliance, which included $2.5 billion of new and incremental credit facilities and SMBC intending to increase its ownership interest in Jefferies from 14.5% to up to 20%.

This Thursday morning at our Annual Investor Meeting, we will amplify and detail the strong momentum of our unique Wall Street firm, which remains keenly focused on executing and further realizing its potential. In addition to a favorable operating environment for our business, we also see exceptional opportunities for continuing growth.

The issues surrounding First Brands are the result of decisions and actions at First Brands, including possible fraudulent or otherwise improper activity that is under investigation by the First Brands’ Chief Restructuring Officer and reportedly under investigation by the United States Department of Justice. Those actions and decisions drove First Brands – formerly a leader in its sector that had financial statements audited by a top accounting firm, major law firms representing it and a track record that attracted the support of major banks, lenders and sophisticated investors – to need bankruptcy protection.

The First Brands situation could cause Jefferies financial loss over time in respect of our own indirect investments (Jefferies’ investments effectively comprise $43 million, or 5.9%, of Point Bonita’s accounts receivables purchased from First Brands and a small ($2 million) interest in First Brands’ bank loans through Jefferies Finance’s Apex platform), legal costs or otherwise. Relative to the scale of Jefferies, we are confident that any losses or expenses from these investments or otherwise in respect of First Brands can readily be absorbed and do not threaten our financial condition or business momentum. We believe there has been an impact on our equity market value and credit perception that is meaningfully overdone, and we expect this to correct soon as the facts and range of outcomes are better understood.

Below, we discuss in Q&A format a series of subjects that we believe, together, will allow you to dimension the range of any risk Jefferies may face from First Brands at its appropriately manageable and absorbable level:

Did Jefferies earn undisclosed fees on financing it provided to First Brands Group through a “side letter” between Jefferies and First Brands?

No. First Brands entered into a written agreement with Point Bonita that was solely for the benefit of the investors in Point Bonita, and that, furthermore, was disclosed to all first and second lien lenders to First Brands. There were no undisclosed fees earned by Jefferies.

The fee letter provides for the payment of certain fees to the fund managed by Point Bonita in respect of transactions between First Brands and the fund. Jefferies did not earn those fees (other than to the extent Jefferies is a 5.9% investor in the Point Bonita fund), but rather the fund’s investors received those fees. Second, those fees were paid in connection with the fund’s purchase of accounts receivable from First Brands. Being sensitive to the fact that First Brands had agreed with its term-loan holders to cap the interest rates that could be paid to potential lenders against receivables, this question was analyzed by First Brands’ top-tier, internationally recognized external counsel, which issued a formal legal opinion stating that the fees contemplated as part of the receivable-purchase agreement did not contravene the credit agreement.

Moreover, the Master Receivables Purchase Agreement (MRPA) between First Brands and Point Bonita, which included and expressly referenced the fee letter, was listed for years on the schedules to the Credit Agreement between all first lien and second lien lenders and First Brands.

How are you managing the redemptions from Point Bonita?

Last month, immediately following the discovery of the issues at First Brands, Leucadia Asset Management communicated directly with Point Bonita fund investors, anticipating and agreeing with our co-investors that it made sense for them to submit redemption requests in order to maximize their flexibility as Point Bonita worked through the circumstances surrounding the receivables it purchased from First Brands. Redemption requests become effective December 31, 2025 (and can be rescinded until that date), and lead to four quarterly, pro rata redemption payments, with the last payment being made in October 2026. That schedule means Point Bonita will have over a year, if necessary, to realize the full value of the rest of its portfolio; to pay off all its debt, which is far more than fully covered by assets apart from the First Brands-related receivables; to return the value of the rest of the fund to our co-investors; and to drive and maximize the recovery from the account receivable purchased from First Brands.

What was Jefferies’ investment banking relationship with First Brands?

First Brands engaged with a range of banks and Wall Street firms over the last ten years. During that period, Jefferies only once served as financial advisor to First Brands in respect of an acquisition. In each of the other four First Brands acquisitions in which we were involved, we were on the other side of the table, negotiating against First Brands. In addition, except for one $300 million loan in 2023 that we underwrote, each financing of First Brands arranged by Jefferies in the last ten years was on a best-efforts – not underwritten – basis. We are aware of nine other banks being involved in acquisitions or loan arrangements for First Brands.

Was anyone at Jefferies ever aware of any fraudulent activity at First Brands?

Nobody at Jefferies was aware of fraudulent activity at First Brands. We learned of the fraud allegations when the rest of the public learned, and then only after First Brands ceased remitting to Point Bonita cash collected in respect of the accounts receivable owned by the fund.

Jefferies began a process this summer to refinance First Brands’ existing debt in light of upcoming maturities. Why didn’t the refinancing proceed?

The refinancing did not proceed because, as part of the diligence we conducted and that was conducted by potential refinancing lenders, a quality-of-earnings report was requested of and promised by First Brands, but it was never delivered.

How much do fees from Point Bonita contribute to Jefferies’ results?

Management and incentive fees from Point Bonita are immaterial to Jefferies, with total fees in the last twelve months ended August 31, 2025, equaling only 0.8% of Jefferies’ net revenues for the same period.

What can you tell us about the $48 million of First Brands term loans held by the CLOs managed by Jefferies Finance LLC?

Jefferies Finance’s exposure is indirect and minimal. As a reminder, Jefferies Finance is a joint venture owned 50/50 by MassMutual and Jefferies that we have built and operated together since 2004. Through its asset management subsidiary, Apex Credit Partners, Jefferies Finance manages $4.2 billion of CLOs. Those CLOs own $48 million principal amount of First Brands’ term loans, which represent approximately 1% of their assets, and the current market value is about $17 million. This excludes any economic benefit to be realized by the reinvesting Apex CLOs that participated in $8.8 million of the DIP financing. Jefferies’ indirect economic exposure to First Brands through those CLOs equals approximately $2 million. Jefferies Finance is otherwise entirely unaffected by this, is performing well and is financially strong.

In closing, let us first thank you for reading this note. We take this matter extremely seriously and will do everything in our power to recover the money and assets that are rightfully owned by our co-investors in Point Bonita.

We hope you come away with a better understanding of the facts and, in particular, the fact that, no matter what the ultimate outcome is, this episode, while extremely unfortunate and disappointing, is manageable and any losses will be readily absorbable.

And even more, we hope that our announcement with SMBC and our third quarter results, as well as this note, give you a feel for our strongly held belief that Jefferies is experiencing significant momentum and how positive our prospects are at this juncture.

We have a tremendous firm; remarkable and loyal clients; 6,000 of the best teammates in the entire industry who will continue to propel Jefferies to be even bigger and better; the most respected strategic partners; an entrenched and important position in the global financial-services industry; and a burning desire to build and be the best global investment banking firm for the benefit of all our clients and stakeholders.

We look forward to speaking with many of you on Thursday morning at our Annual Investor Meeting.

Rich Handler and Brian Friedman

About Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies is a leading, global, full-service investment banking and capital markets firm. With more than 40 offices around the world, we offer insights and expertise to investors, companies and governments.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements about our future and statements that are not historical facts. These forward‐looking statements are typically identified by such words as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “may,” “intend,” “outlook,” “will,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “should,” and other similar words and expressions, and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, which will change over time. Forward-looking statements may contain beliefs, goals, intentions and expectations regarding revenues, earnings, operations, arrangements and other results, and may include statements of future performance, plans, and objectives. Forward‐looking statements speak only as of the date they are made; we do not assume any duty, and do not undertake, to update any forward‐looking statements. Furthermore, because forward‐looking statements represent only our belief regarding future events, many of which by their nature are inherently uncertain, the actual results or outcomes may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results or outcomes indicated in these forward-looking statements. Information regarding important factors, including Risk Factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ, perhaps materially, from those in our forward-looking statements is contained in reports we file with the SEC. You should read and interpret any forward-looking statement together with reports we file with the SEC. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy will be profitable or equal the corresponding indicated performance level(s).

More News From Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Carlsbad, CA, Oct. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLGN) (the “Company”) today announced the official launch of C10 Cryptocurrency Asset Treasury (DAT) purchases: Why is this pullback the golden moment CXC10 has been waiting for?

The past 48 hours have been brutal for the entire crypto market. Amidst the market's turbulent volatility, approximately $16 billion in leveraged positions were forcibly liquidated, leaving many investors helpless to prevent a significant decline in their paper wealth.

In times of widespread panic, we must remain calm. Declines often present opportunities. As Buffett famously said, "When others are greedy, I am fearful; when others are fearful, I am greedy."

Let me share our perspective and plans for the future:

1. Why the Decline: A Healthy, Inevitable "Stress Test"

Over the past 48 hours, the crypto market has experienced an epic deleveraging event. Over $16 billion in positions (81% of which were long) were liquidated across the entire network within 24 hours, wiping out nearly $200 billion in total market capitalization.

We believe this plunge is not a collapse of market fundamentals, but rather a "stress test" triggered by geopolitical factors, the macroeconomic environment, and internal structural leverage. The immediate trigger was geopolitical shocks: Trump's threat to impose 100% tariffs on China triggered risk aversion in global capital markets, with cryptocurrencies, as high-beta assets, bearing the brunt.

The core issue was excessive leverage within the market. With liquidity drying up near the weekend and late in the Asian session, panic led to a cascade of liquidations, which is the primary cause of this pullback.

Notably, Ethena's USDe revolving loan issue acted as a "risk amplifier" in this incident. While its brief unpegging only contributed approximately 10-15% of total liquidations, it exposed the vulnerability of some synthetic assets in the industry to extreme market conditions.

Therefore, we believe this is not the beginning of a bear market, but rather an inevitable liquidation of unhealthy leverage and fragile structures within the industry, allowing true value to emerge.

2. Turning Crisis into Opportunity: CXC10 (QLGN) Officially Launches Strategic Asset Purchases Starting Next Week

For many, this is a fearful moment. But for CXC10, it is a moment of opportunity, one for which we are fully prepared. The greatest strength of a disciplined institutional investor is their ability to be fully prepared and remain greedy when others are panicking. We are delighted to see that many of the high-quality assets with excellent fundamentals that we have long focused on are entering our pre-defined, attractive value ranges. The course of time and the tide of history will not be altered by a single, non-systemic, random event. The trend of sustained growth in the value of leading crypto assets will continue. This is also the original intention of our C10 portfolio strategy.

Over the past two weeks, we have successfully completed the establishment of infrastructure such as US dollar cash settlement, bank accounts, and cryptocurrency custody accounts. As of today, we have not purchased any virtual currencies. We hereby officially announce that the C10 Treasury, a subsidiary of CXC10 (QLGN), will officially begin purchasing its first batch of strategic assets starting next week.

3. Our "Playbook": A Systematic SMART Investment Framework

Our confidence stems not from gambled guesswork but from a systematic methodology that has been designed and stress-tested—our SMART Investment Framework. This framework is our guide for facing a downturn, particularly the R (Risk Management) module:

Passive Defense: 80% of the C10 Treasury closely tracks the C10 Index, investing in the top 10 cryptocurrencies based on market capitalization. This has significantly impacted lower-ranked, smaller-cap cryptocurrencies much less than lower-ranked, smaller-cap cryptocurrencies during this epic correction.

Active Allocation: 20% of the Treasury is allocated to the top 10 cryptocurrencies based on the team's rigorous quantitative analysis, with performance outperforming the index on average. For example, BNB, our largest allocation, has been one of the fastest-performing mainstream cryptocurrencies.

Strategy Upgrade: Our 20% active allocation strategy will be further upgraded to include active hedging strategies including stablecoins, options, and structured products. These financial instruments have been built into our system from the outset, designed to effectively mitigate risks and protect our treasury's net value during extreme, one-way market fluctuations. Meanwhile, the S (Strategic Allocation) module within the framework has already laid out a clear asset allocation pyramid for us, giving us clear insights into what to buy. The M (Quantitatively Driven) module, through its scoring model, helps us accurately identify those fundamentally superior assets that have been "misprioritized" amidst the market's devastation.

In the future, we will share our active allocation analysis and risk hedging strategies through blogs and other channels. Furthermore, we are actively promoting investment products such as C10 private funds and ETF public funds to expand our asset management scale and enable more investors who believe in cryptocurrency assets to achieve superior returns.

4. Massive Attack: High-Quality Assets and Strategic M&A

Our next investment and M&A focus will be on assets that were misprioritized during this recent market crash and that align with our long-term strategy:

Core Blue-Chips: Core public chains with strong ecosystems and technological barriers, including Binance (BNB), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL).

High-Growth Leaders: Leading projects in sectors such as AI, RWA, and oracles that have experienced significant corrections, whose long-term value remains unaffected by short-term panic. 

Furthermore, the market correction presents us with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for industry expansion. In addition to purchasing assets in the secondary market, we will also leverage this market clearing to actively identify startups with excellent technology but limited cash flow for strategic mergers and acquisitions. This presents the perfect opportunity for us to rapidly expand our CXC10 industry footprint at the lowest cost. At the same time, we are also setting up our New York office, for people who are interested in joining us please contact [email protected].

5. Long-Term Vision: The bull market logic remains unchanged, and we focus on the future.

Finally, we must emphasize that short-term deleveraging events will not change our fundamental judgment on the long-term bull market in the crypto market. The underlying macroeconomic logic driving the dual bull market, driven by regulatory compliance, continued capital inflows from ETFs like Bitcoin, the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts, and the technological revolution integrating AI and Web3, remains unwavering.

Our mission is to build a Web3 ecosystem that is deeply integrated with the real economy and can weather both bull and bear markets. This healthy market correction has not shaken our confidence; instead, it has cleared the path for our departure and provided a perfect opportunity to embark.

For CXC10 (QLGN), the real game is just beginning.

About Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc.

Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLGN) is a biotechnology company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, focused on developing and commercializing innovative oncology and immunology therapeutics. The Company is actively pursuing crypto and web3 strategic initiatives that integrate advanced technologies and capital market innovation to accelerate global growth.

Investor & Media Contact
Investor Relations Department
Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc.
5857 Owens Avenue, Suite 300, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Tel: +1 (760) 452-8111
Email: [email protected]

Bitcoin (BTC) is under pressure as its recent correction deepens, leaving traders cautious about further downside. After failing to hold above the $125,000 level, Bitcoin dipped below $124,000, entering a short-term bearish zone.

Paolo Ardoino, chief executive of Tether, has seized on last week's crypto market crash to tout the resilience of USDT, the world's largest stablecoin, as rivals struggled to maintain parity.

Ripple's XRP is steadily revolutionizing the way global payments work, quietly building the infrastructure for faster, more efficient cross-border settlements. While the crypto community often focuses on price fluctuations, XRP's real-world applications are reshaping the backbone of international finance.

Ethereum (ETH) price crashes on FridayEthereum was crushed, with its price coming close to dropping below the $4,000 level.

Ethereum (ETH), the flagship altcoin, has endured an extremely severe price drop amid a broader market correction. The cryptocurrency has come awfully close to plunging below the $4,000 level, reaching an intraday low of $4,096, according to CoinGecko data.  

The sudden sell-off comes amid renewed trade tensions between the U.S. and China. Earlier today, major U.S. stock market indices, including the tech-heavy Nasdaq, moved sharply lower after the White House threatened to massively increase tariffs on Chinese goods.  

HOT Stories

The world's second-largest economy has been accused of holding the world hostage with its rare earth metals.  That said, analyst Adam Kobeissi believes that the recent correction is an overreaction since the tariff threat is just a bargaining chip. "We believe trade talks between the US and China will resume after a little turbulence," he said.  

Dogecoin founder breaks silence on Uptober amid crypto dumpDOGE creator Billy Markus has weighed in on the latest crypto market turmoil.

Billy Markus, the co-creator of Dogecoin and one of the crypto community’s most outspoken figures, has shared his thoughts on the market’s sharp downturn during what traders had been calling “Uptober.” 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Markus, also known as Shibetoshi Nakamoto, criticized the excessive optimism surrounding Uptober, a month traditionally associated with bullish momentum in digital assets, arguing that misplaced enthusiasm and speculative leverage contributed to the crash: “Anyone who said Uptober should be slapped in the face.”

According to data from Coinglass, more than $19 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated in the past 24 hours, affecting over 1.6 million traders worldwide. More than $7 billion of these liquidations occurred in just one hour on Friday, marking an unprecedented wave of forced selling.

XRP drops out of top 3BNB has now pushed XRP out of the top three.

On Tuesday, BNB has knocked XRP from the top three following a massive rally. The two tokens are currently worth $178.3 billion and $178.2 billion, respectively. 

The native token of crypto exchange behemoth Binance is now up by as much as 26% over the past week. It has vastly outperformed Bitcoin (9.6%) and other major altcoins.  XRP, for comparison, is up by only a relatively modest 4.2%. 

Ripple CEO shares his view on upcoming financial system shake-upThis comes as massive $1 trillion inflow predicted for stablecoins ahead.

This year's Pantera Blockchain summit is the tenth in a series of gatherings since 2013, back when blockchain was a $2 billion industry, with it now over $4 trillion. The summit featured a stacked lineup of discussions with industry leaders across key themes, with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse joining in on the conversation.

Pantera Capital shared highlights from the summit, which cited Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse speaking on a future rewiring of the financial system in a conversation hosted by Pantera Capital founder Dan Morehead.

"This represents the future re-wiring of the financial system," Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, stated at Pantera Blockchain Summit 2025.

Crypto community in shock as trader shorts Bitcoin right before crashApparently, the trader shorted Bitcoin 30 minutes before the big announcement.

The cryptocurrency market has been rocked by an unprecedented $19 billion liquidation following a sudden flash crash, yet one trader managed to secure an astonishing $88 million profit by shorting Bitcoin just 30 minutes before the U.S. tariff announcement. 

According to crypto analyst Vivek Sen, the account responsible for this trade was opened on the same day, raising widespread suspicion within the community. 

Many have accused the trader of insider activity, with prominent pro-crypto attorney John Deaton reposting the information and calling for a full investigation into the matter.

Key takeaways:

ETH’s perpetual contract distortions are fading, with monthly futures signaling neutral conditions and reduced short-term market fear.

Options markets show balanced demand between bullish and bearish strategies, reflecting a healthy derivatives market.

ETH outperformed most altcoins during the crash and the following 48 hours, reinforcing its relative strength and bullish momentum.

Ether (ETH) price reclaimed the $4,100 level on Sunday, easing some of the pain from Friday’s sharp 20.7% flash crash. The $3.82 billion in leveraged long liquidations left a lasting mark on ETH derivatives markets, but four factors suggest that Ether’s rebound from the $3,750 support may have ended this short-term correction.

ETH perpetual futures annualized funding rate. Source: laevitas.chThe funding rate on ETH perpetual futures plunged to -14%, meaning short (bearish) traders are paying to keep their positions open, an unsustainable condition over extended periods. This unusual setup likely reflects growing fears that certain market makers or even exchanges could be facing solvency issues. Whether those concerns have merit or not, traders typically act with greater caution until confidence is fully restored.

ETH derivatives signal return to normalcy despite marketwide uncertaintyUncertainty persists over whether exchanges will reimburse clients for mismanagement tied to cross-collateral margin and oracle pricing. Binance has so far announced $283 million in compensation and indicated that other cases remain under review.

Traders are likely to remain cautious until a detailed post-mortem has been issued. Wrapped tokens and synthetic stablecoins experienced the steepest parity losses, causing traders’ margins to fall up to 50% within minutes.

ETH 60-day futures premium relative to regular spot markets. Source: Laevitas.chETH monthly futures absorbed the shock in less than two hours, quickly regaining the minimum 5% premium required for a neutral market. Therefore, the lack of demand for leveraged long positions in perpetual contracts likely reflects weak product design rather than strong bearish sentiment.

This distortion in the derivatives market may persist until market makers regain confidence, a process that could take weeks or even months, and should not be viewed as a bearish signal for ETH’s momentum. 

ETH options put-to-call ratio at Deribit, USD. Source: laevitas.chEther options markets on Deribit showed no signs of stress or unusual demand for bearish strategies. Trading volumes over the weekend remained normal, and activity in put (sell) options was slightly lower than in call (buy) options, signaling a balanced and healthy market.

This data helps ease concerns about a coordinated cryptocurrency market crash. A sharp rise in options volume would likely have occurred if traders had been anticipating a major price drop. Therefore, whatever triggered the cascading liquidations and instability in ETH derivatives markets has caught traders entirely off guard.

ETH historical performance, spot ETFs and derivatives distance themselves from competitorsETH/USD vs. XRP/USD, SOL/USD, ADA/USD (5min, lows). Source: TradingViewMore importantly, a handful of major altcoins experienced intraday corrections far deeper than Ether’s 20.7%, including the extreme cases of SUI (SUI) at 84%, Avalanche (AVAX) at 70%, and Cardano (ADA) down 66%. Ether has fallen 5% in the past 48 hours, while most competitors remain roughly 10% below their pre-crash levels.

Ether’s decoupling from the broader altcoin market highlights the strength provided by its $23.5 billion in spot exchange-traded funds and $15.5 billion in open interest on options markets. Even if Solana (SOL) and other rivals enter the spot ETF race, Ether’s established network effects and resilience during volatile periods continue to make it the top altcoin choice for institutional capital.

Ether’s outlook remains strong as confidence in derivatives structures gradually returns, supporting a potential recovery toward the $4,500 resistance level.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Bitcoin is on the cusp of a significant surge as financial analysts observe a strengthening interest driven by steadfast fundamentals, waning appeal of alternative cryptocurrencies, and an intensifying belief in its long-term potential. This convergence could set the stage for an unprecedented bull market, potentially altering the financial landscape.

Total crypto market capitalization soared back over $4 trillion on Sunday, with Ether, BNB and Dogecoin posting double-digit gains after Friday’s market crash that wiped out nearly $500 billion in crypto value. 

The three blue-chip coins have surged 10.5%, 13.6% and 12.5% over the last day, while Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and Chainlink (LINK) are also up over 10%, CoinGecko data shows. 

Synthetix (SNX) briefly rose over 100% — eclipsing its pre-crash price level and even setting a new 2025 high — while a few other smaller-cap coins like Mantle (MNT) and Bittensor (TAO) increased over 30%.

Changes in share prices of the top 10 cryptocurrencies over the last hour, day, and week. Source: CoinGecko
The market crash, which saw Bitcoin fall from around $121,560 to below $103,000, was triggered by US President Donald Trump’s 100% tariff on China, as part of an attempt to place export restrictions on rare earth minerals, which are crucial for creating computer chips. 

The market turmoil was exacerbated by Binance’s front end briefly showing $0 prices on several altcoins, as well as the USDe synthetic dollar depegging on Binance due to an internal oracle issue.

The crypto market started to recover around the time Trump said “not to worry about China,” while adding that it wants to help China, not hurt it.

While prices haven’t fully rebounded from Friday’s crash, the recovery has many optimistic that Bitcoin (BTC) could still run toward $200,000 before the end of 2025.

Crypto market analyst Mister Crypto said that Bitcoin is retesting the golden cross —  a bullish technical pattern that has historically preceded rallies, including a 2,200% rise in 2017 and a 1,190% increase in 2020.

“The setup looks incredibly strong,” he wrote, adding that a confirmed breakout could “absolutely explode” Bitcoin’s price in the coming weeks.

Crypto trader Alex Becker said there’s a “very high chance” that this is the start of the bull market, while Jan3 founder Samson Mow added: “It’s time for Bitcoin’s next leg up.”

Another crypto analyst, “Mac,” said that while the risk-to-reward setup looks favorable, he doesn’t expect a major surge in the immediate term, but speculated that “a little more upward chop” may ensue over the next week.

Bitcoin is currently trading at $115,585, still down 4.9% from the start of the dip and about 8.8% from its $126,080 set last Monday, CoinGecko data shows.

BitMine capitalized on the dipMeanwhile, BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate Ether (ETH) treasury company, snapped up over 128,700 ETH worth $480 million shortly after the crash, crypto analytics platform Lookonchain noted.

BitMine’s executive chairman, Tom Lee, said the stock market pullback was “overdue to an extent” given the market is up around 36% since April’s lows. 

“I think it’s a good flush,” Lee told CNBC, adding that any price fall without a real structural change is a “good buying opportunity.”

Strategy may have bought the dip tooStrategy executive chairman Michael Saylor hinted that his company bought the dip, posting a chart of Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings to X on Saturday with the caption: “Don’t Stop ₿elievin’”

Source: Michael SaylorBitBo’s Bitcoin Treasuries data shows that no other Bitcoin-holding company confirmed a Bitcoin purchase or sale over the weekend.

Magazine: EU’s privacy-killing Chat Control bill delayed — but fight isn’t over

The U.S. government may be eyeing investments in mining companies, sending their shares higher.

For long periods of history the White House avoided picking winners in the stock market.

Not anymore!

In fact, you might now call President Donald Trump the Stock Picker in Chief.

Companies the current administration has directed investments into so far include Intel, Trilogy Metals, Lithium Americas, and MP Materials.

Those stocks went to the moon after news of the government stakes.

Now, two more stocks -- USA Rare Earth (USAR 4.96%) and Critical Metals (CRML 1.83%) -- are rumored to be in the Trump administration's sights. Should the White House decide on a government stake in these companies, their stocks too will likely soar.

But by how much?

First four investments
Let's look at the first four investments for some guidance.

MP Materials: On July 10 the company announced a deal in which the U.S. Department of Defense would inject $400 million into its preferred stock, convertible to common shares. The stock of the rare earth materials company rocketed skyward in the following days and is now 150% higher at the time of this writing.

Intel: The Trump administration bought an $8.9 billion stake in the semiconductor manufacturer on Aug. 22, about a 10% stake. The share price is up 49% since that date.

Lithium Americas: On Oct. 1 the U.S. Department of Energy announced a planned 5% stake in the Vancouver-based mining company to boost the U.S. supply of lithium. The stock has since climbed 45%.

Trilogy Metals: On Oct. 6 the U.S. government announced it will invest $35.6 million in the metal exploration and development company, a 10% stake, in order to secure access to critical mineral projects in Alaska. The stock is up 240% since the announcement.

Image source: Getty Images.

New investments
Rare earth metals are a group of 17 chemically similar metallic elements. They're not actually that rare, but they tend to occur together in nature. And they are an essential component of high-tech devices ranging from cellular phones and computer hard drives to electric vehicles, computer monitors, and televisions, among many other products. They're also key components of defense technologies like guidance systems, lasers, and radar and drone systems.

Unfortunately for the U.S., China now produces some 60% of the world's rare earths and it processes nearly 90%, giving it a near monopoly.

As for lithium, there is no shortage in the U.S. of the lightest metal, which is essential for energy storage technologies like lithium-ion batteries. But most U.S. lithium resources are considered unconventional and require next-generation technologies to extract and process them for manufacturing purposes.

Seeking supplies
In a bid to further reduce U.S. dependence on China for rare earth materials, the U.S. government continues to seek ways to gear up domestic supplies of these elements. And it needs to build out the technologies to supply enough lithium for all the new technologies that use it.

To those ends, the government continues to look for equity investments that would bolster supplies of these essential materials. The latest speculation in the market is that USA Rare Earth, a rare earth metals mining company, is next on Trump's list.

And in fact the company's CEO Barbara Humpton told CNBC that the company is in close communication with the administration. The stock is up more than 60% in October.

As for Critical Metals, which has an interest in Greenland's largest rare earths project, rumors have swirled around Wall Street in recent days that the U.S. government is eyeing a stake. But at the moment that's speculation. Nevertheless, the stock has climbed 60% this month.

At the moment these are mostly rumors, some based in fact more than others.

But keep in mind that the U.S. government has billions of dollars to invest in companies it deems essential to the U.S. economy or defense, plus hundreds of billions more in terms of government contracts or grants.

So any investors who guess right on Uncle Sam's next investment may win the jackpot.

Matthew Benjamin has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intel. The Motley Fool recommends MP Materials and recommends the following options: short November 2025 $21 puts on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL) will host its Oracle AI World 2025 conference in Las Vegas from Monday, Oct. 15 through Thursday, Oct. 16.  

The event is a rebrand of its flagship conference CloudWorld, reflecting Oracle's strategic shift and aggressive leap into artificial intelligence. 

ORCL stock is up 120% in the last six months. See the details here. 
AI World PreviewOracle's AI World conference will focus on the latest in generative AI, agentic automation and massively scaled cloud infrastructure for machine learning—spotlighting large partnerships and showcasing AI as Oracle's chief differentiator for enterprise customers.

Read Next: Datavault AI Stock’s Face-Melting 720% Rally—What To Know

The event will feature over 800 sessions, headline keynote from CTO and chairman Larry Ellison and interactive demos of generative AI and autonomous agents. 

Oracle will highlight its multi-billion-dollar deals with OpenAI, Google and SoftBank, along with new products such as AI Agent Studio, advanced GPU-powered compute and the debut of Database 23ai.

Oracle AI World sets the stage for the company's vision of an AI-first enterprise landscape as AI becomes fundamental to the company's offerings.  

Stock Performance & Contract NewsOracle’s stock is up 75% this year, buoyed by several billion-dollar contracts with OpenAI, Meta and xAI, which pushed remaining performance obligations to over $450 billion—a year-over-year increase of more than 350%. 

Read Next: IREN Stock’s 50% Spike Powered By Nvidia GPUs

The company's Q1 earnings report and blockbuster guidance sparked a jump in share price, briefly setting record highs in September 2025.

However, recent weeks have seen turbulence. Reports surfaced indicating Oracle's cloud division—which rents Nvidia GPUs to power AI workloads—incurred nearly $100 million in recent losses. 

Gross margins from Nvidia server rentals are reportedly around 14%, dramatically lower than Oracle's typical 70% margin in other areas. The report triggered a sharp sell-off, with shares dropping significantly from the 52-week high of $345.72. 

Analysts and investors now debate whether Oracle's aggressive expansion into AI infrastructure can deliver long-term profitability as margins on GPU rentals lag expectations and operational costs soar.

OutlookOracle's overall cloud and AI contract backlog is massive, and Wall Street maintains a bullish stance on the company's long-term AI thesis. 

Analysts and investors will be watching AI World 2025 closely for updates and insights into Oracle's AI business. 

Read Next: 

Rigetti Vs. Infleqtion: Citron Weighs In On Quantum ‘Raging Bulls’
Photo: Shutterstock

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

If you're looking for relative safety, consistency, and passive income, this ETF can offer all three.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are one of the best investments for those looking for lower-effort ways to get involved in the stock market, and the right investment can help you build long-term wealth while barely lifting a finger.

But with some investors worried about potential volatility, it can be tough to choose the right ETF. While there's no single best investment for every portfolio, there are a few good reasons why the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM -2.00%) could be a great buy in 2025.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Its diversification can help limit risk
The Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF contains 579 stocks, which are fairly evenly allocated across 10 different industries. It's most heavily allocated to the financials sector, representing close to 22% of the fund.

This level of diversification can help mitigate risk. In general, the more stocks you own across a wider variety of industries, the safer your portfolio will be. There are limits to diversification, but if you're investing in hundreds of stocks across 10 industries, your portfolio won't be crushed if a handful of stocks or even an entire sector is hit hard in a market downturn.

One thing that makes this fund somewhat different from many other ETFs is its lighter allocation toward tech stocks at only 12% of the fund -- compared to, for example, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, which devotes over 33% of the fund toward tech.

Tech stocks often deliver higher returns than those from other sectors, but they can also be highly volatile. Relying less on this industry can help reduce risk and short-term turbulence, which can be a major advantage in periods of uncertainty.

2. It offers consistent performance
This ETF won't experience the same returns as, say, a high-powered growth ETF, and that's OK. Each fund has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, and the High Dividend Yield ETF's biggest strength is consistency.

All the stocks in this fund have a history of delivering high dividend yields year after year. Companies with strong dividend payouts are often more mature and established than their younger and more volatile counterparts, as the latter are generally more focused on growing and stabilizing the business than paying out dividends.

This doesn't mean that these companies won't face shakiness in the near term, especially during a market downturn. But many of the stocks in this ETF have a decades-long track record of recovering from even the most severe economic rough patches while still paying out consistent dividends to shareholders.

3. Its high dividend can generate passive income
Perhaps the biggest advantage of investing in a dividend ETF is the dividend income itself. This fund most recently paid out a quarterly dividend of around $0.84 per share, and while that may not sound significant, it adds up when you accumulate dozens or hundreds of shares over time.

Dividend ETFs can be particularly strong investments during periods of market uncertainty. Besides the general consistency and diversification that this fund offers, you can also rely on it as a steady source of passive income via dividend payments. While you can reinvest those dividends back into the fund, you can also choose to cash them out each quarter for some extra income.

High-yield dividend funds specifically are designed to pay higher dividends compared to other stocks and ETFs. If you're looking to grow a stable stream of passive income, the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF can help you get there.

It's unclear where the stock market may be headed throughout the rest of 2025. But during periods of uncertainty, investing in a dividend ETF can help keep your portfolio more protected, regardless of what's coming.

Katie Brockman has positions in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard S&P 500 ETF and Vanguard Whitehall Funds - Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Tesla has started to offer lower-priced versions of its vehicles outside of the U.S.

NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds sellers of ordinary shares, including those that sold into the Merger of Sina Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) between October 13, 2020 and March 22, 2021, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), of the important November 18, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you sold Sina ordinary shares, including those that sold into the Merger, during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Sina class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=45219 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than November 18, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants created a fraudulent scheme to depress the value of Sina ordinary shares to avoid paying a fair price to Sina’s shareholders in connection with the Merger. Defendants executed this scheme by misrepresenting and/or omitting material information within and from Sina’s proxy materials in connection with the Merger that were necessary for shareholders to make an informed decision concerning whether to vote in favor of the Merger. Specifically, defendants failed to disclose that: (1) defendants concealed the true value of Sina’s investment in TuSimple at the time of the Merger; (2) in turn, the offer of $43.30 per ordinary share as consideration for the Merger substantially shortchanged the true value of Sina ordinary shares; and (3) as a result, defendants’ statements about Sina’s business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

To join the Sina class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=45219 call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

Contact Information:

        Laurence Rosen, Esq.
        Phillip Kim, Esq.
        The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
        275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
        New York, NY 10016
        Tel: (212) 686-1060
        Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
        Fax: (212) 202-3827
        [email protected]
        www.rosenlegal.com

NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Encompass Health Corporation (NYSE: EHC) resulting from allegations that Encompass Health may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Encompass Health securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=44051 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On July 15, 2025, The New York Times published an article entitled “Even Grave Errors at Rehab Hospitals Go Unpenalized and Undisclosed.” The article stated that “[r]ehab hospitals that help people recover from major surgeries and injuries have become a highly lucrative slice of the health care business. But federal data and inspection reports show that some run by the dominant company, Encompass Health Corporation, [. . .] have had rare but serious incidents of patient harm and perform below average on two key safety measures tracked by Medicare.”

On this news, Encompass Health’s stock fell 10.3% on July 15, 2025.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. At the time Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

Contact Information:

        Laurence Rosen, Esq.
        Phillip Kim, Esq.
        The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
        275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
        New York, NY 10016
        Tel: (212) 686-1060
        Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
        Fax: (212) 202-3827
        [email protected]
        www.rosenlegal.com

By

PYMNTS
 | 
October 12, 2025

 | 

Apple is reportedly preparing to acquire talent and technology from computer vision startup Prompt AI.

The tech giant was in late stage talks on the deal, CNBC reported Friday (Oct. 10), with Prompt’s leadership informing employees of the pending transaction last week.

Those employees were told that those who did not end up joining Apple will be paid a reduced salary, and encouraged to apply for open roles at the company, CNBC added, citing audio from the meeting that was accessed by the network.

Executives also told the employees that Prompt had been approached by other potential buyers, including xAI and Neuralink, both Elon Musk companies.

Founded in 2023, Prompt’s flagship app is Seemour, which connects to home security cameras to help them detect specific people, pets and and objects around a household, and to send alerts and text-based descriptions when unusual activity occurs.

According to CNBC, Prompt Co-Founder and CEO Tete Xiao told employees at the meeting that although the app and the company’s tech were performing well, its business model is struggling.

Advertisement: Scroll to Continue

The company is shuttering the Seemour app, and will inform users their data will be deleted and privacy protected, executives said.

PYMNTS has contacted Apple and Prompt for comment but has not yet gotten a reply.

The report noted that Apple’s planned deal is part of a larger trend of U.S. tech giants employing “acquihires” to pull in artificial intelligence (AI) talent. Other deals in this area include Meta’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale AI that brought with it the company’s founder and other executives, and Google’s $2.4 billion deal for Windsurf’s chief executive and other leaders.

In other Apple AI news, PYMNTS wrote recently about the company’s efforts to create a ChatGPT-like iPhone app to test a revamped version of Siri. Still, the tool is restricted to internal testing only and will not be released to consumers.

“The cautious stance was evident at the iPhone 17 launch, where executives emphasized chip performance and design upgrades,” PYMNTS wrote. 

“AI features such as live translation in Messages, FaceTime, and visual recognition in Photos were mentioned briefly, but most had been previewed months earlier at Apple’s developer conference. The shift marked a reversal from the iPhone 16 debut, when AI took center stage before delays slowed deployment.”

Apple’s prolonged testing state could leave it behind when it comes to influencing consumer expectations, with recent reports showing the company’s Siri losing relevance. 

“By contrast, rivals are collecting vast consumer data from products already deployed at scale,” PYMNTS added.

On October 10, 2025, Sound Income Strategies, LLC disclosed in an SEC filing that it sold 60,131 shares of Cisco (CSCO -2.85%) for an estimated $4.10 million based on the average price for the quarter.

What HappenedAccording to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated October 10, 2025, Sound Income Strategies, LLC reduced its position in Cisco by 60,131 shares during the quarter. The estimated value of the shares sold was $4.10 million, based on the average price for the quarter. After the trade, the fund held 334,755 shares valued at $23.42 million as of September 30, 2025.

What Else to KnowThe filing reflects a sale, leaving the position at 1.28% of Sound Income Strategies' 13F AUM as of September 30, 2025, which places it outside the fund's top five holdings.

Top holdings after the filing:

NYSE:TSLX: $50.57 million (2.8% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025NASDAQ:ARCC: $47.33 million (2.6% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025NYSE:HTGC: $46.96 million (2.6% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025NASDAQ:GBDC: $45.58 million (2.5% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025SHYG: $42.91 million (2.3% of AUM) as of quarter ended September 30, 2025As of October 9, 2025, shares were priced at $69.96, up 30.6% year to date, and they have outperformed the S&P 500 by 19.0 percentage points.

Company OverviewMetricValueRevenue (trailing twelve months ending July 31, 2025)$56.65 billionNet income (trailing twelve months ending July 31, 2025)$10.45 billionDividend yield2.4%Price (as of market close October 9, 2025)$69.96Company SnapshotCisco offers networking hardware, software, security solutions, collaboration tools, and observability products.

The company generates income through direct sales, channel partners, and recurring service and support contracts.

It serves enterprises of all sizes, public institutions, governments, and service providers globally.

Cisco is a global leader in networking and communications technology, operating at scale with more than $56.65 billion in annual revenue for the trailing twelve months ending July 31, 2025. It leverages a broad portfolio of hardware and software solutions to address critical connectivity, security, and collaboration needs for organizations worldwide.

Foolish TakeSound Income Strategies' sale of more than $4 million worth of Cisco shares is more than enough to raise a few eyebrows, but what should the average investor make of it?

To answer that, we have to put this sale in context. Sound Income sold about 60,000 shares, but it still owns more than 330,000. In other words, it sold about 15% of its Cisco stake.

What's more, Cisco shares have advanced by roughly 30% year-to-date, pushed higher by the overall bull market, and, in particular, by the AI-fueled technology sector rally.

So, with that context, it becomes clear that Sound Income's sale of Cisco is profit taking rather than a fire sale.

For retail investors, Cisco remains an important stock to watch in the tech sector. Its solid 2.4% dividend yield stands out among tech stocks -- many of which pay little to no dividend at all. Moreover, the company's core focus -- networking -- isn't as levered towards artificial intelligence (AI) as many other tech companies.

In summary, retail investors should take Sound Income's sale of Cisco shares with a grain of salt. This one looks like sound portfolio management as opposed to a significant change in conviction.

Glossary13F AUM: The total value of assets under management reported by a fund on SEC Form 13F, covering U.S.-listed securities.
Top holdings: The largest investments in a fund's portfolio, ranked by their proportion of total assets.
Quarter-end: The last day of a fiscal quarter, used as a reference point for financial reporting.
Channel partners: Third-party companies that sell or distribute a firm's products and services to customers.
Service and support contracts: Agreements providing ongoing technical assistance and maintenance for products after the initial sale.
Outperforming the S&P 500: Achieving a higher return than the S&P 500 index over a given period.
Dividend yield: The annual dividend payment divided by the stock's current price, shown as a percentage.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.

Jake Lerch has positions in Ares Capital. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Cisco Systems and Sixth Street Specialty Lending. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE: RCUS), a clinical-stage, global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing differentiated molecules and combination therapies for patients with cancer, today announced the first OS results from Arm A1 of the Phase 2 EDGE-Gastric study in patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric, gastroesophageal junction or esophageal adenocarcinoma. The ongoing, multi-arm, global Phase 2 EDGE-Gastric study is evaluat.