Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Gold prices rose in Philippines on Monday, according to data compiled by FXStreet.

The price for Gold stood at 8,120.57 Philippine Pesos (PHP) per gram, up compared with the PHP 8,044.82 it cost on Friday.

The price for Gold increased to PHP 94,716.77 per tola from PHP 93,833.15 per tola on friday.

Unit measure

Gold Price in PHP

1 Gram

8,120.57

10 Grams

81,206.71

Tola

94,716.77

Troy Ounce

252,580.40

FXStreet calculates Gold prices in Philippines by adapting international prices (USD/PHP) to the local currency and measurement units. Prices are updated daily based on the market rates taken at the time of publication. Prices are just for reference and local rates could diverge slightly.

Gold FAQs Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.

Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.

Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.

The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.

(An automation tool was used in creating this post.)

EUR/JPY gains ground after registering minor losses in the previous day, trading around 186.50 during the Asian hours on Monday. The currency cross is keeping a bullish near-term bias as it holds above both the nine-period and 50-period Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs). The configuration of the short-term EMA above the longer-term EMA suggests a constructive trend backdrop.

Meanwhile, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) near 60 points to firm but not yet overbought upside momentum, hinting that buyers still retain control unless price slips back below the nearby averages. However, the daily chart technical analysis shows that the EUR/JPY cross is rising within a rising wedge, indicating a strong bearish reversal risk.

The EUR/JPY cross could find the primary resistance at the upper boundary of the rising wedge around 186.90. Further advances could support the currency cross to explore the region around the all-time high of 187.95, which was recorded on April 17.

On the downside, the initial support lies at the nine-day EMA of 186.04, followed by the 50-day EMA at 185.31, aligned with the lower boundary of the rising wedge. A break below the wedge put downward pressure on the EUR/JPY cross to navigate the region around the five-month low of 181.87, recorded on March 16, and the seven-month low of 180.81.

EUR/JPY: Daily Chart(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)

Euro Price Today The table below shows the percentage change of Euro (EUR) against listed major currencies today. Euro was the strongest against the US Dollar.

USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHFUSD-0.30%-0.19%-0.16%-0.07%-0.25%-0.19%-0.37%EUR0.30%0.08%0.11%0.22%0.03%0.13%-0.09%GBP0.19%-0.08%0.04%0.14%-0.02%0.02%-0.16%JPY0.16%-0.11%-0.04%0.06%-0.09%-0.04%-0.20%CAD0.07%-0.22%-0.14%-0.06%-0.16%-0.11%-0.32%AUD0.25%-0.03%0.02%0.09%0.16%0.10%-0.14%NZD0.19%-0.13%-0.02%0.04%0.11%-0.10%-0.22%CHF0.37%0.09%0.16%0.20%0.32%0.14%0.22% The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Euro from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent EUR (base)/USD (quote).

Gold prices rose in Malaysia on Monday, according to data compiled by FXStreet.

The price for Gold stood at 536.89 Malaysian Ringgits (MYR) per gram, up compared with the MYR 532.16 it cost on Friday.

The price for Gold increased to MYR 6,262.23 per tola from MYR 6,207.01 per tola on friday.

Unit measure

Gold Price in MYR

1 Gram

536.89

10 Grams

5,368.94

Tola

6,262.23

Troy Ounce

16,699.29

FXStreet calculates Gold prices in Malaysia by adapting international prices (USD/MYR) to the local currency and measurement units. Prices are updated daily based on the market rates taken at the time of publication. Prices are just for reference and local rates could diverge slightly.

Gold FAQs Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.

Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.

Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.

The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.

(An automation tool was used in creating this post.)

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 26, 2026) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Futu Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: FUTU) between May 24, 2023 and May 27, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important August 25, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Futu securities 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 Futu class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/futu-holdings-limited/join 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 August 25, 2026. 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 handle 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 has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. 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 billions 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, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Futu was not in compliance with the requirements of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the "CSRC"), including because Futu continued to conduct securities business, public fund sales business and futures business in mainland China without obtaining the requisite licenses or approval; (2) as a result, Futu was reasonably likely to face regulatory penalties, including the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and other penalties; (3) as a result of the foregoing, Futu's financial results were overstated; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about Futu's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Futu class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/futu-holdings-limited/join or 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.

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

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/306481

Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA

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

Contact Us

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 26, 2026) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) between May 1, 2025 and January 28, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important August 11, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Microsoft common stock 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 Microsoft class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/microsoft-corporation/join 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 August 11, 2026. 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 handle 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 has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. 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 billions 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, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Microsoft's Copilot family of products had experienced significant brand positioning, user experience, usage, data siloing, computational capacity, organizational, and interoperability problems; (2) Microsoft's flagship proprietary AI model ranked well below competitors on a number of benchmark tests; (3) Microsoft needed to increase by billions of dollars its capital expenditures and divert graphics processing unit ("GPU") and central processing unit ("CPU") capacity away from fulfilling demand for its profitable Azure services in order to improve the competitive positioning of its critical Copilot family of products and increase its AI-related research and development ("R&D"); and (4) as a result, Microsoft had failed to convert a significant percentage of its commercial Microsoft 365 users to paid Copilot subscriptions and Microsoft's Copilot offerings had lost market share to rival products, a trend that was increasing. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Microsoft class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/microsoft-corporation/join or 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.

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

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/306607

Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA

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

Contact Us

Company updates this year put fresh numbers on the AI (artificial intelligence) build-out, and they are enormous. Alphabet raised its 2026 capital spending forecast to a range of $195 billion to $205 billion, up from $180 billion to $190 billion. Amazon has said it expects to invest about $200 billion this year. And Meta Platforms plans $125 billion to $145 billion, a range it lifted by $10 billion in April.

Add it up, and just three companies intend to spend more than half a trillion dollars in a single year, most of it on AI infrastructure. And that tally leaves out Microsoft, which has pointed to about $190 billion of its own.

No company collects more of that spending than Nvidia (NVDA -1.01%), the dominant supplier of the graphics processing units (GPUs) those data centers are built around. Yet Nvidia stock fell on Thursday alongside other big tech stocks, and it now sits about 12% below its 52-week high.

Customers committing record sums while the supplier's stock drifts lower? That's a disconnect worth examining, because one side of it is probably wrong.

Image source: Nvidia.

Where those budgets end up The budgets are not all chips, but a large share of the money goes where Nvidia lives. Alphabet, for instance, said on its earnings call that about 60% of its technical infrastructure investment in the second quarter went to servers, with the rest going to data centers and networking equipment. The company also raised $49.6 billion in a June stock offering, with scaling AI infrastructure among the stated uses.

The flow shows up directly in Nvidia's results. In its first quarter of fiscal 2027 (the period ended April 26, 2026), revenue rose 85% year over year to a record $81.6 billion. Data center revenue climbed 92% to $75.2 billion, and total revenue rose 20% from the prior quarter as well. And the company guided for about $91 billion in revenue in its fiscal second quarter, all while holding its gross margin near 75%.

"The buildout of AI factories -- the largest infrastructure expansion in human history -- is accelerating at extraordinary speed," said CEO Jensen Huang in the company's fiscal first-quarter earnings release.

In other words, the customers' budgets and the supplier's income statement are telling the same story, and Alphabet's raise this past week extended it into the second half of 2026.

Today's Change

(

-1.01

%) $

-2.10

Current Price

$

206.66

So why did the stock slip? One possible explanation is that the market punished the spenders on Thursday. Alphabet's shares fell after its capital spending raise, and the sell-off spread across the megacaps, Nvidia included. When investors start doubting whether half a trillion dollars of AI spending will earn its keep, they also start discounting the revenue that spending creates -- and a large share of it lands on Nvidia's income statement.

That's the risk to hold in mind. Nvidia's growth is a direct function of a handful of customers' willingness to keep writing bigger checks. Budgets that accelerate for three years can also flatten, and the semiconductor industry has never escaped its cycles for long. A capital budget is a plan, not a contract, and plans built during a boom can get rewritten quickly.

The same customers are also working to need Nvidia a little less. Meta said on its first-quarter earnings call that it is rolling out more than a gigawatt of its own custom silicon, developed with Broadcom, alongside chips from Advanced Micro Devices -- complementing, for now, the new Nvidia systems it keeps installing.

With all of that said, the valuation asks less than investors might assume. Nvidia trades at about 32 times trailing earnings -- a multiple many slower-growing consumer companies carry -- for a business that just grew 85%. The market, in effect, is already pricing in a meaningful slowdown. Against expected earnings for the next 12 months, the multiple drops to about 21.

So does Thursday's sell-off make Nvidia the way to own the build-out? I think it remains the most direct claim on those budgets, and at this valuation I'd keep owning it. But I'd size the position for what it is: a stock whose earnings depend on a handful of customers' capital budgets -- and capital budgets get revisited every year.

Shares of IBM (IBM +3.65%) fell 25% on July 14 after the company released preliminary second-quarter results. CEO Arvind Krishna explained that customers shifted their spending toward servers, storage, and memory as hardware prices continued to rise.

This caused spending delays on numerous large software deals, primarily in its mainframe and transaction-processing business. While enterprise demand for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure takes center stage, Krishna declared that "value will increasingly shift toward the orchestration and data layers" on its earnings call.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

The pure-play advantage   IBM has been building the governance and control layer that an organization needs to run its own AI. At the same time, Palantir Technologies (PLTR -0.30%) has carved a position in the market by turning enterprise data into decisions.

IBM's AI-related software includes Sovereign Core for auditable runtime control and the recently acquired Confluent for data streaming. It also launched Lightwell, a $5 billion commitment to help clients address open-source vulnerabilities.

Even if these efforts are successful, the company remains a multisegment incumbent, where software, consulting, and infrastructure each follow their own cycles.

Palantir, on the other hand, is a pure play on this theme. Its platforms, including Foundry and the Artificial Intelligence Platform, integrate an organization's data and run AI-powered applications.

Is the pullback an entry point? In May, Palantir posted revenue growth of 85%, its 11th consecutive quarter of acceleration. This drove strong operating leverage, as margins expanded from 44% to 60% year over year.

Existing customers continue to ramp up spending, with net dollar retention at 150% and total remaining deal value climbing 98% to nearly $12 billion.

The trade-off for this concentrated exposure is a rich valuation, as the stock trades at roughly 39 times this year's sales and 67 times free-cash-flow guidance. IBM is cheaper at just 17 times forward earnings, but not necessarily more attractive, as each segment will perform differently in an AI-enabled future.

Today's Change

(

-0.30

%) $

-0.37

Current Price

$

123.00

Meanwhile, after a 30% drawdown this year, Palantir's shares are beginning to look more reasonable. The growth runway is impressive, and the cash keeps piling up, but I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger yet.

Bryan White has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends International Business Machines and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

NEW YORK, July 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) between August 22, 2025 and May 20, 2026, inclusive (the “Class Period”), of the important September 8, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Intuit securities 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 Intuit class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/intuit-inc/join 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 September 8, 2026. 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 handle 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 has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. 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 billions 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, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) they had overstated Intuit’s competitive advantages and growth, as well as the overall strength and sustainability of its business model and operations; (2) in reality, Intuit was losing significant business in its tax-related business, particularly in its Turbo Tax business, as a result of, inter alia, increasing competitive and pricing pressures; (3) accordingly, Intuit’s previously issued full year (“FY”) 2026 TurboTax revenue growth guidance was unreliable and/or unrealistic; and (4) as a result, defendants’ public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Intuit class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/intuit-inc/join or 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

TECHINASIA: Crypto exchange BitMart to shut down by January 2027

A certain crypto whale added 120 WBTC to its holdings, generating nearly $9 million in unrealized profit.

According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi (Twitter handle @ai_9684xtpa)’s monitoring, a whale has withdrawn another 120 WBTC (valued at approximately $7.8 million) from a trading platform over the past two hours. As of now, the whale has accumulated positions of 59,404.19 ETH and 820 WBTC, with a total value of $156 million, average cost bases of roughly $1,742 and $64,329 respectively, and an aggregate unrealized profit of $8.927 million.

15 minutes ago

Bithumb will list GEOD spot trading.

，据官方公告，Bithumb 将上线 GEOD/韩元交易对。

15 minutes ago

A whale withdrew 281,140 LINK tokens from Binance, valued at approximately $2.45 million.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, a crypto whale withdrew 281,140 LINK tokens, valued at approximately $2.45 million, from Binance.

15 minutes ago

Goldman Sachs: AI spending tailwinds cannot offset selling pressure on South Korean stocks, as the size of leveraged ETFs has halved from its peak.

Goldman Sachs noted in its latest South Korea market weekly report that despite foreign investors’ consecutive net purchases of the KOSPI recently and Alphabet’s upward revision of its AI capital expenditure expectations further reinforcing the semiconductor demand narrative, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) still fell around 2% last week. By sector, construction, software and telecom held up relatively well, while securities, automotives and insurance led declines. In terms of market performance, the KOSPI extended its sell-off on July 24, closing 5.72% lower at 6,690.62 points, hitting an intraday low of 6,650.41 points, with programmatic trading briefly suspended. Yonhap News Agency reported that rising Middle East tensions suppressed risk appetite, with foreign investors and institutions combined net selling roughly 5.2 trillion won that day, while retail investors net bought around 5.18 trillion won. Goldman Sachs holds that foreign capital inflows are mainly concentrated in the tech sector, but the South Korean market still faces significant medium-term capital outflow pressure, and foreign holdings in the semiconductor sector are near historical lows. Meanwhile, the KOSPI’s 12-month forward earnings per share (EPS) forecast was cut by 0.4%, with the automotive sector facing the largest pressure on earnings expectation adjustments. Margin leverage is also cooling: the report shows that South Korean retail investors’ margin balance has dropped from a peak of $25 billion to $22 billion, and the size of leveraged ETFs has fallen from $53 billion to $26 billion. For South Korea’s stock market, AI capital expenditure remains a core support, but amid downward earnings forecast revisions, light foreign investor positioning and fluctuating risk appetite, the index’s short-term volatility may continue to expand.

15 minutes ago

The largest on-chain short seller of Changxin Technology has suffered an unrealized loss of over $3 million.

On-chain analyst Ai Yi (@ai_9684xtpa) reports that the largest short seller of Changxin Technology on-chain currently holds a short position of 2.6 million CXMT, valued at approximately $19.85 million, with an average entry price of $6.4083, posting an unrealized loss of $3.062 million.

15 minutes ago

Jefferies raises Apple's price target from $299.88 to $308.92

Jefferies raised Apple (AAPL.O) price target from $299.88 to $308.92.

15 minutes ago

37.64K Followers

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Obrovské investice do umělé inteligence jsou prováděny jen na základě současných spotových cen. Pokud by pak například došlo k růstu výnosů vládních dluhopisů, tyto projekty by se z hlediska návratnosti staly velmi problematickými. Tímto způsobem uvažuje o dění kolem umělé inteligence známý investor Jim Chanos (viz první dvě části rozhovoru), k tomu přidal i svůj pohled na SpaceX

Chanos poukázal na to, že společnosti provozující starší datová centra se jich snaží zbavit. Podle něj to může být známka celkového posunu na trhu, kdy rostou náklady provozu těchto center, jednak provozní, ale i udržovací investice. To ukazuje na klesající návratnost. Pak se diskuse přesunula k údajnému nedostatku elektrické energie s tím, že některé společnosti „nemají nedostatek čipů, ale právě energie.“ Chanos k tomu řekl, že „pokud v této zemi není něčeho málo, je to energie.“ Mohou být problémy s přenosovou soustavou, „ale levné energie není nedostatek.“

Podle experta tvoří náklady na energie jen asi 5 – 6 % celkových nákladů provozu datových center a zhruba do dvou let podle něj nepůjde o významné téma. Energie tak nebudou překážkou, na kterou bude budování a provoz datových center narážet. Ty se ale objevují na politické rovině, protože sílí odpor k nim. „To by mohl být problém, energie jím podle mého názoru nebudou.“ Trhy se pak podle experta posouvají ve vnímání toho, když nějaká energetická společnost ohlásí novou dohodu na dodávky energie pro datová centra. Zatímco dříve byly tyto povětšinou velmi dlouhodobé kontrakty vítány, nyní podle Chanose při jejich oznámení cena akcie dané energetiky spíše klesá. A „to je důležitá změna“.

Navíc podle Chanose dochází ke znatelnému poklesu návratnosti každého dalšího dolaru investovaného hyperscalery. „Návratnost je stále zdravá, ale na celkové úrovni klesla zhruba ze 40 % z doby před jedním a půl rokem na současných asi 20 %. Pokud budou investice pokračovat současným tempem, návratnost klesne k 10 % a pak budou hyperscaleři vážně zvažovat, zda budou dál investovat.“ Nejhůře je na tom nyní s návratností Oracle a „ostatní se na něj dívají s tím, že na tak nízké úrovni být nechtějí.“

Přes výše uvedené jdou odhady dalších investic do AI infrastruktury nahoru a „na konci letošního roku a v roce příštím se lidé začnou ptát, zda ten další bilion dolarů dává smysl, pokud se z něj vydělá jen 15 miliard dolarů… Do tohoto bodu se dostaneme někdy během následujících 12 měsíců.“ Pak se mluvilo o tom, že roste počet právních sporů mezi některými velkými technologickými společnostmi, v době, kdy je řada z nich zároveň investičně a finančně provázána. Dalším tématem bylo to, že dříve stávaly v centru problémů a tenzí banky, nyní tomu tak není. Nicméně umělá inteligence a investice do ní jsou stále více „financializovány“ a jejich vliv se projevuje v širším systému. Podle některých názorů jsou nyní dokonce i banky „AI akciemi“.

Na závěr dostal Chanos otázku, zda přes vše uvedené nemohou mít nakonec býci ve vztahu k investicím do AI pravdu? Odpověděl, že na základě AI bude vytvořena velká hodnota a budou tu velcí vítězové. Nyní je ale na trhu naceněno „vše tak, že všechno bude fungovat. Což byl problém v devadesátých letech… Pak ale přišla studená sprcha. Teď jsou tu společnosti jako Tesla a SpaceX, jejich valuace stojí na slibech. A proč by nemohl přijít někdo jiný a říkat, že to samé platí o jeho firmě? Je to jen otázka psychologie trhu, nyní jsme ve fázi, kdy se investuje na základě slibů.“

Zdroj: RiskReversal Media

Chipotle Mexican Grill opened its first restaurant in Mexico this month as part of the fast-casual chain’s international growth strategy.

The new location opened on July 16 in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, part of the Monterrey metropolitan area, and is being operated in partnership with restaurant operator Alsea, according to a news release from Chipotle.

“We are entering Mexico with deep respect for the country’s culinary heritage and a commitment to delivering the Chipotle experience with excellence,” Scott Boatwright, CEO of Chipotle, said in a statement. 

“Our research has reinforced our belief that there is strong interest in high-quality, freshly prepared food served with the customization and convenience that Chipotle offers.”

Chipotle and Alsea plan to open additional locations in Nuevo León later this year, followed by an expansion into Mexico City in 2027. 

The restaurant is the first to open under a development agreement the companies announced in April 2025.

Alsea runs several thousand restaurants from global quick-service, coffee shop and full-service brands in many countries in Latin America and Europe, according to Chipotle.

Chipotle Mexican Grill just opened its first restaurant in Mexico, kicking off a major international expansion. AFP via Getty Images

The new spot in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, is a partnership with restaurant operator Alsea. AFP via Getty Images The new restaurant offers Chipotle’s standard menu of customizable burritos, bowls, tacos, salads and quesadillas. Many ingredients are sourced from regional suppliers, according to the company.

Chipotle said the Monterrey area was selected because of its “strong economy, growing population” and position as a major business hub. 

“Bringing Chipotle to Mexico is an important step in our growth and portfolio diversification strategy,” Christian Gurría, CEO of Alsea, said in a statement. “We are introducing an iconic brand with a differentiated value proposition that has resonated with millions of guests around the world, and we are confident it will be warmly welcomed by Mexican consumers.”

Chipotle and Alsea plan more locations in Nuevo León this year, then Mexico City in 2027, expanding its global reach. REUTERS As of March 31, Chipotle operated more than 4,100 restaurants worldwide.

The restaurant chain expects to open between 350 and 370 new locations in 2026. Its international footprint includes restaurants in Canada, Europe and the Middle East, with additional openings planned in South Korea and Singapore.

Chipotle could not immediately be reached by FOX Business for additional comment.

AUD/USD enters a pivotal week with the Federal Reserve meeting and Australia's quarterly CPI set to drive the next major move. While the Australian dollar has recovered over the past three weeks, expectations for another RBA rate hike, renewed Middle East tensions and the outlook for the US dollar could determine whether the rally extends or begins to fade.

View related analysis:

US Dollar Rally Builds Momentum, Crude Oil Holds the Key Gold Outlook: 4,000 in Focus as Middle East Risks Build Ahead of the Weekend Australian Dollar Jumps as Employment Data Backs RBA Hawkish Bias Japanese Yen Outlook: USD/JPY Breaks Out in Style, GBP/JPY and CAD/JPY in Focus Australia This Week: Economic Data and Events for AUD/USD Traders The Federal Reserve meeting is likely to be the primary driver for AUD/USD this week, with any shift in the Fed's guidance set to influence the US dollar. Australia's quarterly CPI report is the key domestic event, carrying the potential to reshape expectations for the RBA if inflation surprises materially to the upside. Meanwhile, developments in the Middle East remain an important wildcard for broader market sentiment and risk appetite.

Australian Labour Market Firm, but Inflation Matters More Last week's Australian employment report appeared strong on the surface, helping justify the RBA's existing tightening bias. However, much of the employment gain reflected a higher participation rate rather than a sharp acceleration in hiring, while elevated underemployment takes some of the shine off the headline figures. Unless quarterly CPI delivers a meaningful upside surprise, the labour market data alone is unlikely to convince the RBA that another rate hike is imminent. Market pricing for an August RBA rate hike had risen to 43% by Friday's close following the employment report and renewed tensions in the Middle East.

The RBA has previously warned that higher crude oil prices could warrant tighter policy if they lift inflation expectations, even at the expense of weaker employment. And that makes the Middle East conflict a greater threat to RBA policy than employment data. Though a hot inflation print this week could tip RBA hike odds above 50%.  

RBA Goven ore Michelle Bullockl speaks on Tuesday. But given the proximity to the CPI release, there's a reasonable chance she'll avoid giving away much about the policy outlook. If so, the market reaction should be limited.

Source: ABS, RBA, LSEG

Fed to Hold, but Will Warsh Signal More Hikes? The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged, leaving investors focused on Chair Kevin Warsh’s guidance and any changes to the policy statement. Markets continue to anticipate rate hikes later this year, so any pushback against those expectations could provide fresh support for the US dollar. Conversely, a more dovish tone would likely weigh on the greenback and offer support to AUD/USD.

While the latest flare-up in the Middle East has raised inflation concerns, the recent soft US inflation report may give the Federal Reserve scope to look through any energy-driven price shock. Although Fed funds futures imply a 55% chance of a September hike and a 39% chance of another in December, I doubt policymakers will provide a strong signal in either direction at this week's meeting.

While Core PCE will be watched to see whether it reinforces the softer CPI report, traders are likely to place greater weight on crude oil prices and the outcome of this week's Fed meeting when assessing the inflation outlook.

This content was created by an affiliate of FOREX.com and represents the views and opinions of the author/speakers, not the views and opinions of FOREX.com, StoneX Group Inc., or its subsidiaries. The content has not been independently reviewed by FOREX.com.

AUD/USD Technical Analysis: Australian Dollar vs US Dollar AUD/USD trades near 0.7000 while the Australian dollar outperforms most major currencies ahead of Fed and Australian CPI events.

What Is Driving AUD/USD This Week? US dollar remains the dominant driver, with AUD/USD maintaining a strong -0.90 60-day correlation to the DXY. China still matters, with the yuan (CNH) retaining a strong positive correlation over the 20- and 60-day periods. Commodity links remain firm, particularly with gold, copper and WTI crude, reinforcing AUD's sensitivity to the global growth and inflation outlook. Equity correlations are mixed, with the 10-day relationship to the S&P 500 strengthening while the longer-term link remains weak. Watch the DXY first—a sustained US dollar move is still the most likely catalyst for the next major move in AUD/USD.

Source: LSEG

AUD/USD Futures Positioning | COT Report Large speculators increased their net-short exposure for a sixth consecutive week to 37.7k contracts, the largest net-short position in 32 weeks. Asset managers reduced their net-long exposure by 5.4k contracts to 35.1k. While neither group is signalling an extreme in positioning, AUD/USD has risen for three consecutive weeks despite increasingly bearish speculative positioning. If this week's CPI report fails to strengthen expectations for an RBA rate hike, AUD/USD's recent rally could struggle to extend.

Source: CFTC (COT) CME, LSEG

  For traders wanting a deeper understanding of futures positioning, I’ve also published a guide on how to read and interpret weekly COT data in forex markets.  

AUD/USD Options and Volatility Analysis (Risk Reversals, HVN Levels) It remains a mixed picture for AUD/USD, although implied volatility is edging higher ahead of Australia's quarterly CPI report and the Fed meeting. The one-week implied volatility range sits between 0.6824 and 0.7057, while spot prices continue to tussle with the 0.7000 level.

A doji formed last week and closed below 0.7000, warning that the recent rebound may be losing momentum. The daily 50-day moving average is also acting as resistance, while risk reversals suggest growing demand for downside protection. If Australia's inflation report fails to surprise materially to the upside and the Fed refrains from signalling a more hawkish policy outlook, traders may look to fade minor rallies on expectations that AUD/USD will surrender some of the gains made over the past three weeks.

Source: ICE, TradingView

View the full economic calendar

-- Written by Matt Simpson

Follow Matt on Twitter @cLeverEdge

HomeEarnings AnalysisIndustrial 

SummaryRobert Half remains a hold as staffing trends improve, but revenue growth and Protiviti margins remain under pressure.Permanent Placement growth and sequential improvement in Talent Solutions signal a potential recovery, but Finance, Accounting, and Admin Support remain weak.Protiviti’s revenue and margin declines, driven by reduced regulatory remediation work, are only partially offset by cost savings and non-financial-services growth.At ~27.5x FY2026e PE, RHI’s valuation already prices in a strong 2027 recovery, leaving little margin for error without further confirmation.Maskot/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Investment action I reiterated a hold rating for Robert Half Inc. (RHI) after Q1 because staffing trends were improving, but Permanent Placement was still weakening, Protiviti was under pressure, and total revenue growth was still negative. My view

496 Followers

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

34.26K Followers

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of OKTA either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. 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.

We take a look at the action in business development companies through the third week of July and highlight some of the key themes we are watching. BDCs outperformed the broader income market despite a dip in sentiment. BXSL saw a surge in share lending rates to 12.2%, signaling heightened short interest and offering attractive additional income for investors willing to lend shares.

Shares of Quest Diagnostics (DGX -0.02%) rose more than 8% last week after the medical testing leader boosted its full-year sales and profit forecast.

Image source: Getty Images.

Healthy Q2 results Quest's revenue jumped 10% year over year to $3 billion in the second quarter.

This growth was driven in part by the Quest's partnerships with Corewell Health, a non-profit healthcare system in Michigan, and Fresenius Medical Care, a leading provider of kidney dialysis and related services.

The healthcare giant also saw solid gains in its Questhealth.com direct-to-consumer business, as well as its wellness and wearables-related sales.

Today's Change

(

-0.02

%) $

-0.04

Current Price

$

227.86

At the same time, Quest's investments in automation technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are making its labs more efficient. That's helping to boost its profit margins.

All told, Quest's adjusted earnings leaped 19% to $3.12 per share.

Healthier living trends bode well for Quest's long-term growth These robust results prompted Quest to lift its full-year financial outlook. Management now projects revenue of roughly $12 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $11.05 to $11.25.

With a vast lab network that serves half the physicians and hospitals in the U.S., Quest plays a vital role in providing potentially life-saving health insights to millions of people every year.

With more people becoming more health-conscious, demand for Quest's medical testing services is set to climb in the years ahead.

Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Quest Diagnostics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Japanese yen weakened toward 164 against the U.S. dollar, its lowest level in around 40 years. Middle East tensions supported the dollar, while concerns about Japan’s finances and the large gap between U.S. and Japanese interest rates continued to pressure the yen. Warnings of possible intervention had little effect.

Global stock markets fell as investors became more cautious about the large amounts being spent on artificial intelligence. A sharp rise in oil prices also hurt market sentiment. WTI crude moved higher as fighting in the Middle East continued and hopes for a ceasefire faded.

Higher oil prices increased concerns that inflation could rise again, making a Federal Reserve rate hike more possible. The European Central Bank kept rates unchanged but said future increases were still possible. Economic data was limited and mostly close to expectations.

Markets This Week U.S. Stocks The Dow Jones fell for a third consecutive week as high WTI crude oil prices and tariff concerns encouraged further selling. The index remains in a short-term downtrend, and there may be more room to fall after the strong gains since June. Selling near the 10-day moving average may offer the best opportunities while the bearish trend continues. Resistance levels are at 52,500, 53,000, 53,500 and 54,000. Support is seen at 51,500, 51,000, 50,000, 49,500 and 49,000.

Japanese Stocks The Nikkei 225 ended the week lower as concerns about high valuations and losses in overseas equity markets weakened sentiment. The index continued to fall despite the weaker yen, which is a bearish sign. Selling into strength near the 10-day moving average remains the preferred strategy this week. Resistance is seen at 66,000, 67,000, 68,000, 69,000 and 70,000, while support is at 64,000, 62,000, 61,000, 60,000 and 59,000.

USD/JPY USD/JPY strengthened significantly last week, rising above 163 and testing 164. Higher WTI crude oil prices increased U.S. inflation concerns, supporting expectations that the interest-rate gap between the United States and Japan will remain wide. Japan’s government spending plans also raised concerns about increased government borrowing. For short-term traders, selling near resistance at 164 may offer the best opportunity early this week, ahead of the important Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan meetings. Resistance is at 164.00 and 165.00, while support is seen at 162.00, 161.00, 160.50, 160.00, 159.00, 158.00, 157.00 and 156.00.

Gold Gold briefly fell below $4,000 early last week as higher WTI crude oil prices increased expectations of higher U.S. interest rates, which is negative for gold because it does not provide a yield. Support near last month’s low held, with central banks likely buying at lower levels, but the weekly recovery remained limited. Strong support may continue to protect the downside, but with U.S. interest rates likely to rise this year, large gains could be difficult. Range trading may therefore be the better short- and medium-term strategy. Resistance is at $4,150, $4,200, $4,300, $4,400 and $4,500, while support is at $3,950, $3,900, and $3,800.

Crude Oil WTI crude oil rose sharply for a second consecutive week after negotiations between the U.S. and Iran broke down. However, the significant rise in oil prices may encourage the U.S. to return to negotiations and reduce tensions to protect the economy. Looking for selling opportunities after any positive developments may therefore be the better strategy this week. Resistance is at $95, $100 and $105, while support is at $80.00, $75.00, $67.50, $65, and $60.

Bitcoin Bitcoin briefly rose above resistance at $65,000 early last week, but weaker risk appetite as stock markets fell pushed the market slightly lower by the close. The 10-day moving average now suggests that the recent uptrend has ended, so returning to a range-trading strategy may be the better approach in the short term. Resistance is at $65,000, $75,000, $80,000, $85,000, and $90,000, while support is at $60,000, $55,000 and $50,000.

This Week’s Focus Monday: Japan Coincident Indicator, U.S. Durable Goods Orders Tuesday: U.S. OPEC Meeting and CB Consumer Confidence Wednesday: Australia CPI, U.S. Fed Interest Rate Decision Thursday: Australia Building Approvals, E.U. GDP and Unemployment Rate, U.K. BoE Interest Rate Decision, U.S. Core PCE Price Index and GDP Friday: Japan Tokyo Core CPI, Unemployment Rate, Industrial Production, Retail Sales and BoJ Interest Rate Decision, Australia PPI, U.K. Nationwide HPI, E.U. CPI, U.S. Employment Cost Index, Chicago PMI and Michigan Consumer Sentiment Markets will focus on central bank meetings this week. The Fed, Bank of England and Bank of Japan are expected to keep interest rates unchanged, but their comments could still cause large market moves. Markets now see an 82% chance of a U.S. rate rise in September, up from less than 53% a week ago. U.S. durable goods orders will also be important, while another rise in WTI crude oil could increase inflation worries and put pressure on stock markets.

Titan FXhttp://titanfx.com

Titan FX is a technology driven online ECN forex and commodities broker that provides traders with next generation trading conditions, institutional grade spreads, fast trade execution, deep top tier liquidity and the security of financial registration and oversight.

Gold price (XAU/USD) gains ground for the second consecutive day, trading around 4,103 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Monday. Gold prices pushed higher as a sharp drop in oil prices eased market fears over inflation and interest rate hikes, following a weekend pause in military hostilities between the US and Iran.

Attention now shifts to a dense week of economic catalysts that could spark fresh market volatility. Investors face an unusually heavy lineup of central-bank decisions, including meetings by the Federal Reserve (Fed), Bank of England (BoE), and Bank of Japan (BoJ), alongside pivotal inflation and growth figures. Key releases such as US GDP, US core PCE inflation, and CPI reports from the Eurozone and Australia are expected to heavily influence global interest rate expectations.

The diplomatic landscape saw a reprieve after the US suspended its two-week bombing campaign against Iran late Friday. Tehran responded by holding back retaliatory strikes against Washington's Middle Eastern allies for a second consecutive night. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz noted that while American forces remain locked and loaded, President Donald Trump wants to give room for potential negotiations.

Reuters corroborated this stance, quoting a senior Iranian official who stated that Tehran's policy remains "attack for attack"—meaning if US strikes halt, Iran will likewise suspend its military operations.

Gold FAQs Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.

Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.

Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.

The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.

News Summary:

NVIDIA expands NVIDIA Agent Toolkit with re-architected NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo libraries and updated NVIDIA CUDA-X libraries, enabling software developers to build autonomous AI engineers with AI physics skills, accelerated solvers and quantum chemistry capabilities.NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Ultra leads among open models in agentic register-transfer level coding with the ACE-RTL agent from NVIDIA Research, helping enterprises build customizable AI agents for chip design and verification.Cadence, Siemens, Synopsys and other industry leaders are using NVIDIA accelerated computing and agentic AI technologies to advance autonomous engineering workflows across chip design, verification, packaging and systems. LONG BEACH, Calif., July 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NVIDIA today announced an expansion of NVIDIA Agent Toolkit for engineering, now adding NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo™ and CUDA-X™ libraries as agent-ready tools and skills built to transform how the world designs and develops products.

Building the next generation of chips and systems requires teams to connect physics, simulation and performance analysis across increasingly complex design cycles. A new class of autonomous AI engineers is emerging to help take on that complexity — using specialized tools, running simulations and generating high-fidelity data to help scale chip design, verification, packaging and systems. 

Now included in NVIDIA Agent Toolkit, NVIDIA has re-architected PhysicsNeMo into a set of agent-friendly libraries and added new and updated CUDA-X libraries to support complex engineering work. PhysicsNeMo provides AI physics skills for training and deploying models, while CUDA-X libraries bring accelerated solvers and quantum chemistry capabilities into agentic engineering workflows.

“Engineering has reached an inflection point. AI can now work with tools of physics, simulation and design,” said Timothy Costa, vice president and general manager of computational engineering at NVIDIA. “With NVIDIA Agent Toolkit, developers can build agentic engineers that reason using physics, run complex simulations and generate high-fidelity data to become a new engine for innovation in chip and system design.”

NVIDIA Agent Toolkit Adds AI Physics and Accelerated Computing Skills for Engineering Agents
NVIDIA Agent Toolkit helps developers build specialized engineering AI assistants connected to domain-specific tools, models and data. With the addition of NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo and CUDA-X libraries, these agents can now use AI physics skills, accelerated solvers and quantum chemistry capabilities for chip, system and industrial engineering. 

Key capabilities include:

AI physics skills: NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo libraries help agents train and deploy customizable AI physics models for complex design and simulation tasks, turning model architectures into callable tools for engineering workflows.Iterative sparse solvers: New NVIDIA cuISS (CUDA Iterative Sparse Solvers) library accelerates large sparse linear systems in physics-based and engineering simulations. Designed for flexibility and performance on GPUs, its modern, composable solvers and preconditioners help developers build scalable, production simulation engines for agentic engineering workflows. Direct sparse solvers: NVIDIA cuDSS (CUDA Direct Sparse Solvers) accelerates large, complex sparse linear systems central to electronic design automation (EDA) and scientific simulation. It delivers high performance and numerical robustness for critical workloads like device, circuit and system simulations with scalability to multi-GPU and multi-node deployments in production environments.Quantum chemistry: NVIDIA cuEST (CUDA Electronic Structure Theory) brings high-accuracy quantum chemistry simulations to device-relevant scales, enabling density functional theory (DFT) and post-DFT methods to be integrated into production workflows at scale. cuEST brings production value to customers by supporting a wide range of modern functionals and making increasingly large ground-state and excited-state simulations manageable on NVIDIA GPUs. NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Ultra Open Model Advances Agentic Coding for Chip Design
Chip design depends on specialized register-transfer level (RTL) coding, which demands high accuracy, deep domain expertise and flexibility over deployment. 

With ACE-RTL — an agent for designing hardware from NVIDIA Research — NVIDIA Nemotron™ 3 Ultra leads among open models in agentic RTL coding on the comprehensive verilog design problems benchmark across RTL coding tasks.

This represents how Nemotron 3 Ultra offers industry-leading accuracy and efficiency and can be post-trained on proprietary data — deployed locally or on premises — giving enterprises greater control, customization and data privacy as they build AI agents for chip design.

Developers can get started with Nemotron 3 Ultra using Cadence’s harness; Synopsys’ fully autonomous, long-running agents for design verification and analog and mixed-signal workflows; Siemens’ Questa One smart verification agentic toolkit; as well as on Hugging Face.

Software Leaders Build Autonomous AI Engineers With NVIDIA
Industrial engineering leaders are already using the new and expanded NVIDIA Agent Toolkit components to develop autonomous AI engineers.

Cadence is using NVIDIA Nemotron, accelerated computing and CUDA-X libraries with the recently launched Cadence AuraStack AI Super Agent and the Cadence Millennium M2000 platform to autonomously drive advanced packaging and printed circuit board (PCB) design from exploration through signoff, delivering up to 20x faster multiphysics performance. This joins Cadence’s complete portfolio of silicon design super agents which collectively cover the chip design workflow end to end, from architecture through manufacturing signoff.

In addition, the collaboration extends from agentic design to the underlying compute as Cadence’s portfolio of EDA and system design automation tools, including Cadence Jasper, a formal verification platform, is being optimized for the NVIDIA Vera CPU to help engineering teams validate advanced chip designs faster.

Synopsys is using the NVIDIA Agent Toolkit, NVIDIA NIM™ microservices, Nemotron open models, the NVIDIA NeMo™ Gym library and NVIDIA NemoClaw™ blueprints with Synopsys AgentEngineer to build secure, accelerated agentic workflows across chip and system design. Leveraging Ansys Icepak, Synopsys’ agentic workflow autonomously executes simulation setup, and pre- and post-processing for complex GPU cooling design optimization. Synopsys is developing NVIDIA cuISS use cases to accelerate simulation workloads.

The collaboration extends from agentic workflows to the underlying compute platform as Synopsys VCS, a high-performance functional verification solution used to simulate and validate complex chip designs before fabrication, is being optimized for the NVIDIA Vera CPU to help improve verification throughput.

Siemens is using NVIDIA NeMo Gym, Nemotron open models and CUDA-X libraries with the Siemens Fuse EDA AI Agent to orchestrate multi-tool and multi-agent workflows across semiconductor, 3D-IC, PCB and system design, from conception through signoff. In Siemens Solido Characterization Suite, these agentic AI workflows are delivering more than 10x faster library characterization while reducing token costs by more than 10x.

Samsung is using NVIDIA cuLitho and CUDA-X libraries to achieve up to 20x greater performance for computational lithography and applying NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo to perform chip-scale thermal-stress analysis with numerical solver-level accuracy across domains containing up to 10 billion cells.

ChipAgents is using NVIDIA Agent Toolkit to build domain-specific AI agents for chip design and verification. The team is fine-tuning NVIDIA Nemotron models for complex end-to-end semiconductor design and verification workflows including debug, formal verification, coverage and more.

Silvaco is using NVIDIA accelerated computing to scale high-accuracy 3D optical simulation in the Silvaco Victory Device. Running on 32 NVIDIA GPUs interconnected by NVIDIA NVLink™ technology, it completed a 3.2-billion-mesh-node photonic edge coupler simulation in under four hours, a workload beyond the practical limits of CPU-based simulation.

Keysight is harnessing NVIDIA cuDSS to accelerate electromagnetic simulations by up to 10x, while Samsung, Synopsys and TSMC are integrating NVIDIA cuEST into its GPU-accelerated pipeline to achieve up to a 50x speedup for key quantum-chemistry workloads.

Learn more by joining NVIDIA at DAC.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the world leader in AI and accelerated computing.

For further information, contact:
Paris Fox
Corporate Communications
NVIDIA Corporation
[email protected]

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: With NVIDIA Agent Toolkit, developers being able to build agentic engineers that reason using physics, run complex simulations and generate high-fidelity data to become a new engine for innovation in chip and system design; expectations with respect to growth, performance, availability, and benefits of NVIDIA’s products, services and technologies, and related trends and drivers; expectations with respect to NVIDIA’s third party arrangements, including with its collaborators and partners; expectations with respect to technology developments, and related trends and drivers; projected market growth and trends; expectations with respect to AI and related industries; and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: global economic and political conditions; NVIDIA’s reliance on third parties to manufacture, assemble, package and test NVIDIA’s products; the impact of technological development and competition; development of new products and technologies or enhancements to NVIDIA’s existing products and technologies; market acceptance of NVIDIA’s products or NVIDIA’s partners’ products; design, manufacturing or software defects; changes in consumer preferences or demands; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of NVIDIA’s products or technologies when integrated into systems; NVIDIA’s ability to realize the potential benefits of business investments or acquisitions; and changes in applicable laws and regulations, as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the most recent reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, including, but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on the company’s website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

Many of the products and features described herein remain in various stages and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. The statements above are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as a commitment, promise, or legal obligation, and the development, release, and timing of any features or functionalities described for our products is subject to change and remains at the sole discretion of NVIDIA. NVIDIA will have no liability for failure to deliver or delay in the delivery of any of the products, features or functions set forth herein.

© 2026 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, CUDA-X, NemoClaw, Nemotron, NVIDIA NeMo, NVIDIA NIM, NVLink and PhysicsNeMo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8cc7fd5d-80e0-4960-9176-41e04d3909a0

NVIDIA Agent Toolkit With NVIDIA PhysicsNeMo and CUDA-X Libraries NVIDIA today announced an expansion of NVIDIA Agent Toolkit for engineering, now adding NVIDIA Physi...

37.64K Followers

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

On Monday, the global DRAM industry gets a fourth publicly traded heavyweight. ChangXin Memory Technologies, the Chinese DRAM maker known as CXMT, begins trading on Shanghai's Star Market after an initial public offering (IPO) that raised about $8.5 billion and valued the company at roughly $85 billion. It is the largest listing ever by a Chinese semiconductor company on a mainland exchange.

For shareholders of Micron Technology (MU -7.24%), the world's third-largest DRAM producer, the debut lands at a sensitive moment. Memory stocks have swung hard this month between fears that the AI (artificial intelligence) memory boom is peaking and evidence that it isn't. Micron itself fell about 7% on Friday. Now the industry's fastest-growing challenger is about to have a public currency and a war chest.

Here's what CXMT's arrival actually changes for Micron -- and what it doesn't.

Image source: Micron.

The challenger is moving faster than expected CXMT is no longer a fringe player. The company's share of the global DRAM market reached 7.6% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 4.7% just one quarter earlier, according to Omdia figures reported by the Seoul Economic Daily. That leap came as CXMT absorbed demand the three incumbents couldn't supply during the AI-driven memory shortage. Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron held roughly 39%, 29%, and 22% of the market, respectively, in the same period.

However, the composition of CXMT's business matters as much as its growth. More than 98% of the company's revenue last year came from conventional DRAM, the commodity chips that go into servers and phones. It has effectively no presence in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the premium product stacked next to AI accelerators, where the three incumbents retain a technological edge measured in years.

That distinction is the whole story for Micron investors. The memory boom's richest profits are concentrated exactly where CXMT isn't.

Micron's boom doesn't run through CXMT's market -- yet Micron's most recent quarter shows what the high end of this cycle looks like. Revenue for the fiscal third quarter of 2026 (the period ended May 28, 2026) reached $41.5 billion, more than quadrupling year over year from $9.3 billion. Net income was $28.2 billion. Operating cash flow hit $25.4 billion, up from $11.9 billion just one quarter earlier. And for the fiscal fourth quarter, management's forecast points to revenue of $50 billion, give or take $1 billion, with a gross margin of about 86%.

Numbers like those come from selling advanced memory into a shortage, at prices commodity producers can't touch. CXMT's IPO likely doesn't change that math for this quarter, or for next year.

What it changes is the supply picture further out. CXMT is earmarking its proceeds for production line upgrades and next-generation DRAM development. And the roughly $8.5 billion raised, which could approach $10 billion if the overallotment is exercised, is nearly double what the company had originally planned to invest.

Memory prices move on supply, and supply is exactly what CXMT is now funded to add. Memory booms have typically ended the same way: capacity built during the good years arriving all at once. Monday's listing doesn't guarantee a repeat. But it funds one.

Today's Change

(

-7.24

%) $

-71.69

Current Price

$

918.52

Micron's own history shows how violent those turns can be. The company posted a $5.8 billion net loss as recently as fiscal 2023, when the last downturn crushed memory prices -- and now it earns nearly five times that in a single quarter. The same operating leverage cuts in both directions, and memory investors have seen both sides of it inside three years.

So what's the right way for Micron shareholders to handle Monday's debut? Calmly, I'd argue. At about $920 per share, Micron trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 21, a multiple that already treats the current earnings explosion as temporary. The market, of course, has never believed this boom would last forever, CXMT or no CXMT.

SPOT's stock price dropped by 30% since its ATH. But I think the drop is not justified by business fundamentals. SPOT demonstrates robust MAU and premium subscriber growth, supported by geographic diversification and effective monetization initiatives.

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

© Panchenko Vladimir / Shutterstock.com

A $36,000 annual income works out to $3,000 a month, roughly what the average Social Security check delivers. It is also the exact income a $400,000 investment can throw off at a 9% yield, the sweet spot where business development company ETFs live. The real question is what you give up to get it.

The Yield Tiers for a $36,000 Income The formula is the same at every yield level: annual income divided by yield equals the capital you need. Higher yield means less capital and more risk. Lower yield means more capital and more durability.

Conservative tier (3 to 4%). $36,000 divided by 0.035 is roughly $1,030,000. This is broad-market dividend growth territory: quality large caps, dividend aristocrat funds, and diversified equity income ETFs. The 10-year Treasury alone is paying 4.6%, so 3.5% dividend equity should come with meaningful capital appreciation and payout growth on top.

Moderate tier (5 to 7%). $36,000 divided by 0.06 equals $600,000. This is covered call ETFs, preferred shares, midstream energy, and mainstream REITs. Distributions are higher but growth flattens, and inflation slowly grinds down real purchasing power.

Aggressive tier (8 to 14%). $36,000 divided by 0.09 equals $400,000, the headline scenario. Push to 12% and the requirement drops to $300,000. This is where BDC ETFs live, and where principal risk becomes real.

What $400,000 in BDC ETFs Actually Buys Putnam BDC Income ETF (NYSEARCA:PBDC) is an actively managed BDC-of-BDCs with an expense ratio of 0.13%. Its trailing 12-month distributions totaled $3.05433 per share against a recent price of roughly $26. The forward annualized estimate has slipped to $2.784, and shares are down 15% over the past year.

ETRACS Wells Fargo BDC ETN (NYSE:BDCZ) is an unsecured note issued by UBS, not an ETF, meaning holders take UBS credit risk on top of the underlying BDC exposure. It trades near $15 with a trailing 12-month distribution of $1.7509, and shares are down 14% over the past year.

Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC | ARCC Price Prediction), the largest single BDC and PBDC’s top holding, pays a $0.48 quarterly dividend at a share price of almost $19.

What Default Risk Really Looks Like Default risk in a BDC portfolio shows up quarter by quarter in non-accruals: loans that have stopped paying interest. At Ares Capital, best-in-class in this sector, non-accruals climbed from 1.7% at year-end 2024 to 1.8% through most of 2025 and then to 2.1% at amortized cost in Q1 2026. Net unrealized losses widened to $412 million from $63 million a year earlier, and NAV per share slipped to roughly $20 from just under $20.

Yields on underlying loans are compressing too, from 11.1% at year-end 2024 to 10.3% in Q1 2026, largely because the Fed funds rate has come down to 3.75% and roughly 72% of the portfolio is floating rate. CEO Kort Schnabel called it “solid core earnings, continued healthy portfolio performance and borrower fundamentals, and low levels of non-accruing investments”, and the trend line for credit is up while the trend line for yield is down.

The Compounding Argument Most Buyers Skip A 9% BDC yield that stays flat pays $36,000 in year one and $36,000 in year ten, minus whatever principal has eroded. A 3.5% dividend growth portfolio that raises payouts 7% annually starts at roughly $36,050 on $1.03 million and doubles the income in about a decade, with the principal typically growing alongside it. At 9% you are renting income; at 3.5% you are building it.

PBDC distributions illustrate the point. The most recent quarterly payment was $0.696, down from $0.8251 in December 2025. That distribution cut already happened.

Three Steps Before You Commit Capital Pull the last five years of non-accrual rates and NAV per share for any BDC or BDC fund you own. If non-accruals are rising and NAV is falling, the current distribution yield is being subsidized by principal. Compare 10-year total return, not yield, between a broad dividend growth ETF and a BDC fund. Total return captures the compounding you actually keep. If you buy an ETN like BDCZ, size the position for issuer default. UBS credit risk is separate from the BDC index it tracks, and unsecured notes recover cents on the dollar in a bankruptcy. Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.