Market Signal Briefing

Concert demand's still rocking for Live Nation despite a soft economy.

Live Nation Entertainment (LYV +1.11%) continues to strike the right chord with consumers. On Aug. 7, the live entertainment and ticketing leader posted second-quarter revenue growth of 16%, driven by higher concert and event attendance worldwide. Meanwhile, profitability received a boost from record concert adjusted operating income (AOI), which grew an impressive 33%.

This shows that even in a challenging economy, fans are willing to pay up for the most popular shows, suggesting the live entertainment boom still has legs.

Image source: Getty Images.

Strong demand meets pricing power
The success story for Live Nation remains one of growing demand for live concerts, resulting in higher attendance and rising ticket prices. In the second quarter, the company welcomed 44 million attendees worldwide, up 14% from a year earlier. Stadium crowds tripled, and international arena attendance climbed 20%, indicating continued enthusiasm for live events around the globe.

This strong turnout drove concert revenue growth of 19%, while deferred revenue rose 22% to an all-time high, reflecting not only near-term performance but also a solid runway well into the future.

CEO Michael Rapino noted at a recent conference that there's still room to raise prices, describing concerts as "underpriced" relative to the value attendees place on live experiences such as sporting events. His comments emphasize Live Nation's ability to capture additional revenue while audiences continue to show up in record numbers.

Dynamic pricing turns demand into revenue
One of the keys to the company's success has been its market-based, dynamic pricing model. Much like airlines or hotels, ticket prices shift in real time depending on demand. This approach allows the company to capture revenue that might have gone to third-party resellers while keeping prices aligned with what attendees are actually willing to pay.

The model fuels both revenue growth and margin expansion, ensuring the company keeps more of the economic upside. While dynamic pricing can be controversial for fans, the results tell a clear story: Adjusting ticket costs to match real-time demand creates a model that scales with fan enthusiasm and attendance.

Today's Change

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Transparency takes center stage
In late 2023, Live Nation rolled out all-in pricing, displaying the total cost of tickets up front, including fees. The move addressed customer frustrations over hidden fees while also getting in front of the Biden administration's new rule targeting hidden "junk" charges by requiring total price disclosure for live-event tickets. By making pricing more transparent, the company aims to boost customer satisfaction and reduce regulatory scrutiny.

Positive feedback suggests the change has been well received, helping smooth over some of the tension that has occasionally surrounded rival Ticketmaster.

Looking ahead: Global expansion steps into the spotlight
Live Nation heads into the end of 2025 with nearly all large venue shows already booked and a robust pipeline of festivals and new venues. The company highlighted international expansion as a major growth opportunity, particularly in Latin America, where markets like Mexico and Brazil remain largely untapped. Live Nation also plans to open 10 new large venues in 2026, adding millions of potential attendees to its roster and further boosting revenue potential.

Meanwhile, the company continues to leverage its pricing power, ensuring the company captures more value from every show while maintaining pricing transparency. These strategies support profitability and margin stability, with the company projecting double-digit adjusted operating income growth in the second half of the year.

Investors should note that the company does operate under increasing regulatory scrutiny, particularly around ticket pricing and resale practices. Balancing growth and pricing strategies with regulatory compliance will be key if the company wants to keep the good times rolling.

Is Live Nation a buy?
Live Nation's Q2 results show a company hitting all the right notes: record attendance, rising ticket prices, expanding margins, and a strong pipeline of venues and events. The combination of global growth, strategic investments, and smart pricing strategies positions the company to benefit from the ongoing demand for live experiences.

While risks like economic pressures or regulatory scrutiny over pricing remain, the company's scale, pricing power, and expanding footprint make it a standout in the industry. For investors looking for exposure to the growing popularity of live concerts, Live Nation remains a story worth following.

Russian Sanctions Prove Hollow as Oil Flows Continue
Traders initially bid up prices on fears that U.S. sanctions on Russian majors Rosneft and Lukoil could disrupt global flows. However, those gains quickly reversed as it became clear that the measures were more symbolic than structural.

Russian exports continued largely uninterrupted, with India and China pausing only short-term purchases. Lukoil’s decision to divest international assets and use of shadow fleets underscored Moscow’s intent to maintain market access.

Inventory Draws Offer Temporary Relief
U.S. stockpile data provided some near-term support. The EIA reported a 6.86 million barrel draw in crude inventories—far exceeding expectations—while gasoline and distillate stocks also declined sharply. But the bullish surprise failed to shift the broader tone, as traders remained more focused on oversupply risks, reinforced by lackluster economic signals out of China and a strengthening U.S. dollar.

Supply Expansion Outpaces Demand Recovery
Oversupply concerns gained traction after data showed global producers have added over 2.7 million bpd in recent months, accounting for roughly 2.5% of global output. Saudi Arabia, in particular, raised August exports to a six-month high of 6.407 million bpd, with additional increases projected for December. Meanwhile, U.S. crude production hit a record 13.6 million bpd, adding to the structural imbalance in the market.

OPEC+ Seen Leaning Toward Modest Output Increase
The market’s focus is now squarely on the OPEC+ meeting scheduled for Sunday. Sources indicate the group is considering a modest supply increase of around 137,000 bpd in December.

This move would signal confidence in the group’s spare capacity and intent to reclaim market share amid resilient Russian exports and fading sanction impacts. However, only Saudi Arabia appears positioned to meaningfully lift production, limiting the practical effect of any quota adjustments.

Pfizer has escalated its fight for obesity biotech Metsera by filing suit against both Metsera and Novo Nordisk in the Delaware Court of Chancery on October 31. The litigation challenges Novo's bombshell $8.5 billion offer as legally superior to Pfizer's original $7.2 billion deal announced in September.

Alcoa Corporation (AA) Analyst/Investor Day October 30, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Company Participants

Louis Langlois - Senior Vice President of Treasury & Capital Markets
Thomas Gorman
William Oplinger - President, CEO & Director
Matthew Reed - Executive VP & COO
Tammi Jones - Executive VP & Chief Human Resources Officer
Renato Bacchi - Executive VP & Chief Commercial Officer
Molly Beerman - Executive VP & CFO

Conference Call Participants

Alexander Hacking - Citigroup Inc., Research Division
Carlos de Alba - Morgan Stanley, Research Division
Christopher LaFemina - Jefferies LLC, Research Division
William Peterson - JPMorgan Chase & Co, Research Division
Simon Mawhinney
Timna Tanners
Alex Stansbury - UBS Investment Bank, Research Division
Lucas Pipes - B. Riley Securities, Inc., Research Division
Nick Giles - B. Riley Securities, Inc., Research Division

Conversation

Operator

Hello, and good morning. Thank you for joining Alcoa's Investor Day 2025. At Alcoa, safety is a core value and something we take seriously.

Before the formal presentation begins, we ask that you settle in and silence your cell phones. We also ask that you identify the nearest exit in the event of an emergency. There are no alarms tests scheduled for today.

So if alarm tones can be heard, please take them seriously and follow the instructions closely. For those joining us online, please ensure your work environment is safe and clear of risks.

Thank you for your attention. And now please welcome to the stage, Louis Langlois, Senior Vice President, Treasury and Capital Markets.

Louis Langlois
Senior Vice President of Treasury & Capital Markets

Hello, and welcome to Alcoa Investor Day 2025. I'm Louis Langlois, Senior Vice President of Treasury and Capital Markets.

You will hear a great agenda today. First, we're going to hear from our Chairman of the Board, Tom Gorman. It's going to be followed by a video of our new vision, which is very inspiring.

Recommended For You

The stock is running hot and is near its all-time high.

Nebius Group (NBIS +5.35%) is a high-flying name in the stock market. The tech stock is up 347% in 2025, and up more than 500% since the company was restored to the Nasdaq on Oct. 21, 2024.

Nebius hit all-time highs this October and is trading higher than it did under its previous name, Yandex N.V. It is deeply engaged with the exploding world of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and data center expansion, so there's a lot of momentum behind the company right now.

Should investors anticipate a stock split for Nebius Group? After all, such a transaction can make an expensive stock more affordable for retail investors, and more attractive to anyone who wants to trade options on the stock.

Let's take a closer look.

About Nebius stock
Nebius, as mentioned, was formerly known as Yandex N.V. with its primary holding being the Russian internet company also called Yandex. It traded on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker YNDX, topping $80 at its peak in October 2021. However, after Russia invaded Ukraine and Russian companies were hit with sanctions, Nasdaq suspended trading of Yandex stock in 2022 and threatened to delist it. Yandex successfully appealed the ruling and announced a restructuring in 2023 that included divesting itself of all its Russia-based businesses.

That process completed, the company changed its name to Nebius, rebranded itself as an AI cloud computing platform and returned to the Nasdaq. And the cloud computing business is a great one to be in right now. More companies are eager to develop and run AI programs using a data center rather than spending millions of dollars to build one of their own. Nebius has thousands of Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) in its full-stack AI cloud platform, so its chips, servers, storage, and model training environments are available to rent.

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Nebius has been building AI data centers -- and raising money to finance them. It brought in $1.15 billion in a public offering in September, as well as $3.16 billion in an offering of senior convertible notes. It currently has 220 megawatts of power with projects planned in New Jersey, the U.K., Israel, and Finland, and has aspirations to secure 1 gigawatt of cloud computing capacity by next year.

It also has a five-year, $19.4 billion deal with Microsoft to provide dedicated GPU capacity for Microsoft Azure. Nebius stock rose 200% following the announcement.

Nebius isn't making a profit yet, but it's seeing strong revenue gains. Earnings in the second quarter showed revenue of $105.1 million, up 625% from a year ago. The company also announced that it achieved profitability on adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization).

Is Nebius a stock-split candidate?
There's a lot going for Nebius, to be sure. And one day it may very well want to split its stock. But that's a long way down the road, so I don't see Nebius being the next major company that splits.

Companies that perform a forward stock split, in which a company multiplies its share count to existing investors without changing the market capitalization, usually do so because the cost of the stock is prohibitively high. For instance, Chipotle Mexican Grill split its stock in a 50-to-1 transaction in June 2024, in part because management believed the share price in excess of $3,200 made stock inaccessible to its employees.

And there are plenty of other companies trading on U.S. indexes that carry a price much higher than Nebius Group, which is around $125. Booking Holdings is priced at more than $5,200; AutoZone is at $3,820; and Netflix, which last split its stock a decade ago, is $1,100.

If Nebius Group's stock price approaches $500, I would start considering it a stock-split candidate. But it's not there yet.

Patrick Sanders has positions in Nebius Group and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Booking Holdings, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Microsoft, Netflix, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft, short December 2025 $45 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill, and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The fintech leader still faces plenty of near-term and long-term challenges.

PayPal (PYPL +1.97%), the digital payments giant that was spun off from eBay (EBAY 3.03%) a decade ago, was once an impressive growth stock. It started trading at $41.63 on its first day and soared 641% to a record high of $308.53 on July 23, 2021.

At the time, PayPal dazzled the market with its robust growth rates during the pandemic and ambitious expansion plans. The buying frenzy in meme and growth stocks -- fueled by low interest rates, social media buzz, and commission-free trades -- amplified those gains.

But as of this writing, PayPal's stock trades at about $78. The bulls retreated as its growth cooled, it missed its own long-term forecasts, and rising interest rates crushed its valuations. Should contrarian investors buy the stock today and expect it to bounce back in the near future?

What went wrong at PayPal?
In 2018, eBay announced it would replace PayPal with its smaller Dutch competitor Adyen as its preferred payment partner over the following five years. That decoupling stunned PayPal's investors, who had likely expected eBay to remain its steadfast partner.

PayPal's growth during the pandemic -- driven by a surge in online transactions and peer-to-peer payments on Venmo -- temporarily offset its gradual loss of eBay's revenues. That growth spurt encouraged PayPal's then-CEO Dan Schulman to set some ambitious growth targets during its investor day presentation in early 2021.

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From 2020 to 2025, Schulman claimed PayPal would nearly double its year-end active accounts from 377 million to 750 million, more than double its annual revenue to over $50 billion, and more than double its annual free cash flow (FCF) from $5 billion to at least $10 billion.

But after the pandemic ended, PayPal's growth in active accounts, total payment volume (TPV), and revenue slowed. Schulman then abandoned his ambitious targets in 2022 and stepped down in 2023. PayPal ended 2024 with just 434 million active accounts, and it only generated $31.8 billion in revenue and $6.6 billion in FCF for the full year.

Metric

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

9M 2025

Active accounts growth (YOY)

24%

13%

2%

(2%)

2%

1%

TPV growth (YOY)

31%

33%

9%

13%

10%

6%

Revenue growth (YOY)

21%

18%

8%

8%

7%

5%

Data source: PayPal. YOY = year over year. 

Under Schulman's successor, Alex Chriss, PayPal gradually stabilized its business throughout 2024 as inflation cooled and it expanded its ecosystem with more online and in-store features. That stabilization softened the blow from its final decoupling from eBay, which concluded in 2023.

But in the first nine months of 2025, PayPal's growth decelerated again as it gained fewer accounts and processed fewer transactions per user. Its take rate (the percentage of each transaction it retains as revenue) has also continued to decline every year since its spinoff from eBay. That pressure can be attributed to its growing dependence on Venmo and its Braintree backend software, which both generate lower take rates than its core payment processing platform as well as intense competition from other fintech platforms.

What are PayPal's turnaround plans?
Alex Chriss doesn't want PayPal to sacrifice its margins to gain new accounts. Instead, he's focusing on expanding its operating margins to stabilize earnings growth.

To accomplish that, PayPal has been expanding its higher-margin features -- which include its own branded checkout tools (as opposed to its unbranded ones that run on Braintree), its "Pay with Venmo" tools that integrate the app into more physical and online stores, and its "PayPal Everywhere" initiative that bundles together a broad range of payment options (including debit card, NFC, in-store, and mobile app payments) for businesses.

It's accelerating the overall shopping experience with its one-click "Fastlane" checkout service, and it's streamlining its other payment services with AI agents through a partnership with OpenAI's ChatGPT. It's also trying to lock in more users with its buy now, pay later tools, cryptocurrency trading tools, and stablecoin-supported services.

But even as PayPal expands its ecosystem of branded services, it's pruning its workforce and plowing its FCF into buybacks to boost its earnings per share (EPS). That's why its adjusted operating margin expanded 116 basis points to 18.4% as its adjusted EPS grew 21% in 2024.

For 2025, PayPal expects its adjusted EPS to rise another 15%-16% to $5.35-$5.39 per share. At $78, its stock looks cheap at less than 15 times the midpoint of that forecast. From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect its adjusted EPS to grow at a CAGR of 11%.

That outlook seems stable, but the business is maturing and its high-growth days are over. Therefore, investors shouldn't expect PayPal to be a long-term turnaround play. It's a growth stock that is becoming a value stock, and it will likely generate modest gains while trading at a lower valuation for the foreseeable future.

There's nothing like a solid double beat on analyst estimates to attract interest to a company's equity.

Stock market players were willing to build positions in home designer and builder Cavco Industries (CVCO +5.12%) as the trading week came to a close. This was inspired by the company's latest quarterly earnings report, which prominently featured convincing beats on both the top and bottom lines.

With that bracing tailwind at its back, Cavco's stock raced more than 5% higher in value on Friday. That was a significantly better showing than the 0.3% increase of the bellwether S&P 500 index.

Broad-based growth
Cavco earned just under $557 million in revenue in its second quarter of fiscal 2026. This was almost 10% higher than its take in the same period of fiscal 2025. Net income under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) saw a more robust rise, advancing by just under 20% year over year to $52.4 million, or $6.55 per share.

Image source: Getty Images.

Both line items easily topped the average pundit projections. Analysts tracking Cavco stock believed the company would post less than $543 million in revenue, and only $6.09 for per-share GAAP net income.

In the press release detailing the results, Cavco quoted CEO Bill Boor as saying that "We saw continued strong performance from all phases of our business-production, retail and our financial services segment. Our teams executed with excellence in a fluid market with continuing macroeconomic risks."

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Safe as houses?
Indeed, Cavco did post growth in every corner of its business. This is anchored by family built housing; a market still hungry for homes pushed up the company's take from such dwellings by 10% to $535 million, comprising far and away the bulk of its revenue.

Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of TALK 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.

(This is the Warren Buffett Watch newsletter, news and analysis on all things Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. You can sign up here to receive it every Friday evening in your inbox.)

Berkshire worries grow as Buffett's CEO handover nearsTwo months from now Warren Buffett will no longer be Berkshire's CEO and investors appear to be getting increasingly nervous about the year-end transition.

On May 2, the Friday before Buffett's surprise announcement at the annual meeting that he plans to step down, Berkshire's B shares closed at an all-time high just under $540 per share.

At that point, they were outperforming the S&P 500 by 22.4 percentage points for the year.

Today, they are 10.9 percentage points behind the benchmark index, a slight improvement from Wednesday's 12.2 percentage point gap, the biggest so far in 2025. 

The B shares have dropped 11.5% since Buffett broke the news. That's still above their early August low when they were down almost 15%, but below their near-term closing high of almost $507 on September 4.

Analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods are especially worried.

In a report dated October 26, they lowered their rating on Berkshire's A shares to "underperform" (sell) from "market perform" (hold) and lowered their price target to $700,000 from $740,000.

The stock closed today at $715,740.

Under the headline, "Many Things Moving in the Wrong Direction," Meyer Shields and Jing Li write, "We believe GEICO's likely underwriting margin peak, declining property catastrophe reinsurance rates, lower short-term interest rates, tariff-related pressure on the rails, and the risk of fading alternative energy tax credits will drive underperformance over the next 12 months."

They attribute the stock's underperformance relative to the S&P and other insurance stocks in recent months "mostly" to Buffett's May announcement.

There is also what they call Berkshire's "historically unique succession risk" that reflects "Buffett's likely unrivaled reputation and what we see as unfortunately inadequate disclosure that will probably deter investors once they can no longer rely on Mr. Buffett's presence at Berkshire Hathaway."

That is, Berkshire doesn't operate like most other corporations, in part because it doesn't issue forecasts or meet with analysts, but investors felt they could trust Buffett. Without him, Wall Street probably won't give the company and new CEO Greg Abel as much leeway.

In an article with a headline about Berkshire's "New Normal ... No 'Buffett Premium,'" the Wall Street Journal quotes KBW's Shields as saying, "There are people that have developed enormous confidence in Warren Buffett. For them, that's where the investment thesis starts and stops."

As a counterpoint, though, the Journal has Semper Augustus Investments Group president Chris Bloomstran arguing Berkshire was overvalued just before the May meeting, and that its YTD gain of more than 5% is significantly better than GEICO's rival, Progressive, which is down 14%.

He's been buying the stock and doesn't think Buffett's job shift is pushing the shares lower. "Everybody I know inside the Berkshire world has nothing but rave reviews and good things to say about Greg."

And the Northstar Group's Henry Asher told the paper that even if Abel's stock picking ability doesn't match Buffett's incredible record, Berkshire's operating companies won't change.

"You're not going to cancel your shipment on the Burlington Northern because Buffett isn't there. The businesses will continue to produce mammoth amounts of cash flow, with or without Buffett."

Annual shareholder letter will get new authorThe Journal's article also confirms what we expected: Greg Abel will be writing the annual letter to shareholders starting next year.

(Buffett has already said he won't be on stage for next May's meeting in his role as chairman.)

Buffett clearly foreshadowed the authorship change when he wrote in this year's letter, before his May announcement, that "it won't be long before Greg Abel replaces me as CEO and will be writing the annual letters."

He will, however, have letters to his three children and to shareholders on November 10, presumably to accompany the gifts to family foundations that have become a Thanksgiving tradition in recent years.

DaVita position trimmed to keep stake at 45%In a filing this week, Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it sold 401,514 shares of DaVita for $54 million on Monday.

DVA shares are down almost 8% this week after the dialysis company's third quarter earnings came in below analysts' expectations as patient costs increased and the volume of treatments declined.

For the year, the stock is down more than 20%.

This week's relatively small sale, however, is almost certainly not a reaction to the stock's weakness.

In a 2024 agreement with DaVita, Berkshire promised to keep its stake at or below 45% of the company's outstanding shares.

In DaVita's quarterly report this week, it reported that buybacks have reduced its outstanding shares from 75.5 million to 70.6 million, which would have increased Berkshire's stake to 45.6%.

By cutting its share total to 31.8 million shares, (currently valued at $3.8 billion), Berkshire brings the stake percentage back to exactly 45.0%.

It has done similar sales in recent quarters to stay at the agreed upon level.

BUFFETT AROUND THE INTERNETHIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARCHIVEIt's Halloween. Here's what scares Warren Buffett (2025)Warren Buffett says the natural course of almost all governments is to devalue their currencies, and that's "scary."

watch now

WARREN BUFFETT: We wouldn't want to be owning anything that we thought was in a currency that was really going to hell. And that's the big thing we worry about with the United States currency.

I mean, the tendency of a government to want to debase its currency over time is — there's no system that beats that.

You can pick dictators, you can pick representatives, you can do anything.

But — but the people — there will be a push toward weaker currencies.

And of course, that is — I mentioned very briefly in the annual report that fiscal policy is what scares me in the United States because it's made the way it is.

And all the motivations are to doing a lot of things that will cause — can cause trouble with money.

But that's not limited to the United States. It's all over the world. And some places, it gets out of control, regularly.

You know, they devalue at rates that are breathtaking, and that's continued. I mean, and you — people can study economics, and you can have all kinds of arrangements.

But in the end, if you've got people that control the currency, you can issue paper money and you will, or you can engage in clipping currencies like they used to centuries ago.

There will always be people — it's the nature of their job, I'm not singling them out as particularly evil or anything like that.

But the natural course of government is to make the currency worth less over time, and that's got important consequences.

And it's very hard to build checks and balances into the system to keep that from happening.

And we've had a lot of fun here in the last — either the first hundred days [of the second Trump administration] or the last hundred days, whatever you want to call it — watching what happens when people try to make sure that they aren't running fiscal risks.

And that game isn't over, and never will be over, you know, in finality.

If you look up and search the great inflations of post-World War II, it's just a list that goes on forever and the same names keep popping up and everything.

So, currency is — the value of currency is a scary thing.

BERKSHIRE STOCK WATCHFour weeks

Twelve months

BERKSHIRE'S TOP U.S. HOLDINGS - Oct. 31, 2025Berkshire's top holdings of disclosed publicly traded stocks in the U.S., Japan, and Hong Kong, by market value, based on today's closing prices.

Holdings are as of June 30, 2025 as reported in Berkshire Hathaway's 13F filing on August 14, 2025, except for:

Itochu, which is as of March 17, 2025, and Mitsubishi, which is as of August 28, 2025. Tokyo Stock Exchange prices are converted to U.S. dollars from Japanese yen.The full list of holdings and current market values is available from CNBC.com's Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTSPlease send any questions or comments about the newsletter to me at [email protected]. (Sorry, but we don't forward questions or comments to Buffett himself.)

If you aren't already subscribed to this newsletter, you can sign up here.

Also, Buffett's annual letters to shareholders are highly recommended reading. There are collected here on Berkshire's website.

-- Alex Crippen, Editor, Warren Buffett Watch

NEW YORK, Nov. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE: JHX) and certain of the Company’s senior executives for securities fraud after significant stock drop resulting from the potential violations of the federal securities laws.

If you invested in James Hardie, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit.

Investors have until December 23, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in James Hardie common stock (formerly American Depositary Shares). The class action is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is captioned Laborers’ District Council and Contractors’ Pension Fund of Ohio v. James Hardie Industries plc, et al., No. 1:25-cv-13018.

Why Was James Hardie Sued for Securities Fraud?

James Hardie is a producer and marketer of high-performance fiber cement building solutions. The largest application for the Company’s fiber cement building products in the United Stated and Canada is in external siding for the residential building industry.

During the relevant period, James Hardie told investors that the results of its North American fiber cement segment demonstrated its “inherent strength” and “the underlying momentum in our strategy.” The Company also stated on May 20, 2025, that it was seeing “normal stock levels” among its customers and that it was “seeing performance in the month to date as we would expect.”

As alleged, in truth, the Company’s North American sales during the relevant period were the result of inventory loading by channel partners, with the hallmarks of fraudulent channel stuffing, not sustainable customer demand as represented.

The Stock Declines as the Truth Is Revealed

On August 19, 2025, James Hardie revealed that its North American fiber cement sales declined 12% during the quarter, driven by destocking first discovered “in April through May” as customers “made efforts to return to more normal inventory levels[.]” The Company also revealed that significant inventory destocking was expected to continue to impact sales for the next several quarters. On this news, the price of James Hardie stock fell $9.79 per share, or more than 34%, from $28.43 per share on August 19, 2025, to $18.64 per share on August 20, 2025.

Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit.

What Can You Do?

If you invested in James Hardie you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm.

All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses.

Submit your information by visiting:

https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit

Or contact:
Ross Shikowitz
[email protected]
212.789.3619

Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP?

BFA is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It has been named a top plaintiff law firm by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and ISS SCAS, and its attorneys have been named “Elite Trial Lawyers” by the National Law Journal, among the top “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers” by Lawdragon, “Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar” by Law360 and “SuperLawyers” by Thomson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.’s Board of Directors, as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd.

For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com.

https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit

Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Amazon is leading the U.S. stock market on October 31 to the finish of another winning week and month.

The S&P 500 was virtually flat after giving up a modest gain from the morning. The index is still near its all-time high set on October 28, and it’s on track to close a third-straight winning week and a sixth-straight winning month, which would be its longest monthly winning streak since 2021.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 102 points, or less than 0.2%, as of 1 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher.

Amazon led the way after jumping 10.3%. The retail giant was by far the strongest force pushing upward on the market after reporting profit for the latest quarter that blew past analysts’ expectations. CEO Andy Jassy said growth for its booming cloud-computing business has reaccelerated back to a pace it hasn’t seen since 2022.

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Because Amazon is so massive, worth roughly $2.4 trillion, its stock movements carry more weight on the S&P 500 than almost any other company’s.

Another highly influential stock, Apple, was having less of an effect even though it’s bigger than Amazon. Apple, which is worth more than $4 trillion, was swinging between modest gains and losses and was most recently up 0.1%.

It likewise delivered a better profit report than analysts expected, though by not as big a margin as Amazon did. CEO Tim Cook said Apple benefited from strong revenue for both its iPhone lineup and its services offerings, which include its app store.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, online message board Reddit jumped 12.1% to erase losses from earlier in the week after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Coinbase Global rose 6.8% after the crypto exchange’s profit likewise topped expectations.

Outside of earnings reports, Netflix added 3.3% after the video streamer announced a move that could make its stock price more affordable but still leave its investors holding the same amount. Netflix will undergo a 10-for-1 stock split, where it will give nine additional shares to every investor with one.

They helped offset a 4.8% drop for AbbVie, even though the medicine maker reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts pointed to how it’s beating forecasts by less than before, and expectations may have been high after AbbVie’s stock came into the day with a strong 28.4% gain for the year so far.

The pressure is on companies to deliver strong growth in profits to justify the huge gains their stock prices have made since April. Criticism has been growing that the stock market has become too expensive.

A day earlier, the S&P 500 slumped 1% as investors appeared unnerved by big increases in spending that Meta Platforms and Microsoft are planning as part of the investment spree underway in AI technology. Financial markets also appeared skeptical that President Donald Trump’s trade truce with China would put an end to tensions between the two countries.

Additional drops on Friday of 1.6% for Microsoft and 2.2% for Meta were two of the heaviest weights on the U.S. market.

In stock markets abroad, indexes dipped in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia.

Stocks fell 1.4% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai after data showed factory activity in China contracted in October for a seventh straight month and at the fastest pace in six months.

Japan’s Nikkei 225, meanwhile, jumped 2.1% to another record after a report showed industrial production rose more in September than expected.

In the bond market, Treasury yields eased after their spurt higher in the middle of the week, when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that another cut to interest rates in December “is not a foregone conclusion—far from it.”

The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped to 4.09% from 4.11% late on October 30, but it’s still above the 3.99% level it was at before Powell’s warning.

Other central banks have halted cuts to rates or hinted at pauses recently, and “it seems this is it for the 2025 easing season in developed economies,” economists at Bank of America wrote in a BofA Global Research report.

—By Stan Choe, AP business writer

AP Business Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

The early-rate deadline for Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards is Friday, November 14, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.

Lawrence Jengar
Nov 01, 2025 09:57

Solana's spot inflows have fallen to a six-month low of $180 million as the cryptocurrency struggles to maintain a price above $200, despite new ETF launches.

Solana (SOL), a prominent cryptocurrency known for its high-speed transactions and robust ecosystem, has seen its spot inflows plummet to a six-month low of $180 million. This decline comes amid the cryptocurrency's ongoing struggle to break through the $200 price barrier, according to CoinMarketCap.

ETF Launches Fail to Boost Inflows
Despite the recent introduction of two Solana-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States, investor interest seems to have waned. This lack of enthusiasm has been reflected in the reduced liquidity and increased exchange outflows, which have contributed to the decline in spot inflows. The ETFs, which were anticipated to invigorate market interest, have so far failed to generate the expected impact.

Technical Indicators Signal Bearish Trend
Solana's price has recently dipped to approximately $186, unable to maintain a position above the psychological $200 mark. Technical indicators, including moving averages, are currently signaling a short-term bearish trend. This suggests the possibility of Solana retesting lower support levels, which could further impact investor sentiment and inflow figures.

Market Context and Future Prospects
According to data from Coinglass, the current inflows are significantly lower when compared to previous months, highlighting a shift in market dynamics. The cryptocurrency market has been experiencing volatility, with macroeconomic factors and regulatory developments playing pivotal roles in shaping investor behavior.

Analysts suggest that for Solana to regain its upward momentum, it will need to break through the $200 resistance level and sustain its position. This could potentially reignite investor interest and lead to increased inflows, provided that external market conditions remain favorable.

As the market continues to evolve, Solana's development team remains focused on enhancing the network's scalability and efficiency, which are critical factors for long-term success. Observers will be keenly watching how the cryptocurrency navigates these challenges in the coming months.

Image source: Shutterstock

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cryptocurrency
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Tony Kim
Nov 01, 2025 10:12

Binance announces support for AI16Z's transformation to ELIZAOS, marking a significant shift in AI-powered token ecosystems. The swap will occur on November 6, 2025.

In a significant development for the cryptocurrency landscape, Binance, a global leader in the crypto exchange sector, has announced its support for the transformation of the AI16Z token into ELIZAOS. This transition is a pivotal move towards the next generation of AI-powered token ecosystems, as reported by CoinMarketCap.

Details of the Token Swap
The token swap is set to commence on November 6, 2025. As part of the transition, trading for AI16Z will be temporarily paused on Binance's Alpha 2.0 platform and Binance Futures. The conversion will occur at a ratio of 1:6, with trading activities expected to resume on November 7, 2025. This strategic move is aimed at enhancing interoperability and streamlining operations within the Binance ecosystem.

Implications for ELIZAOS Supply
As a result of the token swap, the total supply of ELIZAOS will expand significantly. The supply will increase from 6.6 billion to 11 billion tokens, with the circulating supply rising to 7.4 billion. This increase is part of a broader effort to bolster the token's utility and integration across various platforms.

Strategic Upgrade to Binance Alpha 2.0
The rebranding and swap of AI16Z to ELIZAOS is part of a larger ecosystem upgrade on Binance's Alpha 2.0 platform. This upgrade aims to facilitate the adoption of AI technologies within cryptocurrency trading and management, potentially transforming how users interact with digital assets.

The transformation of AI16Z into ELIZAOS signifies a new chapter in the evolution of AI-driven tokens, reflecting Binance's commitment to innovation and advancement in the crypto space. As the industry continues to evolve, such initiatives are crucial for maintaining competitiveness and fostering growth in decentralized finance.

Image source: Shutterstock

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Ethereum faced another volatile session this week as heavy selling pressure was followed by a modest rebound, narrowing its short-term trading range. Despite bearish sentiment across risk assets, ETH managed to stabilize near $3,770 after falling from a daily high of $3,921.

James Ding
Nov 01, 2025 10:17

BNB Chain has overtaken TRON as the leading network for stablecoin transactions, capturing 47% of the DEX market, according to ARK Invest.

In a significant shift within the blockchain ecosystem, BNB Chain has emerged as the top network for stablecoin transactions, surpassing TRON. This development is driven by a notable increase in decentralized exchange (DEX) volume and the impact of Binance’s trading incentives, as reported by ARK Invest.

BNB Chain Leads in User Engagement
BNB Chain's rise to prominence is attributed to its ability to attract a substantial user base, with over 190 million stablecoin users recorded. This surge in activity not only highlights BNB Chain's growing influence but also its ability to capture 47% of the DEX market, a significant share that underscores its competitive edge in the decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape.

Fragmentation in the Market
Despite BNB Chain's success, ARK Invest analysts have observed increasing fragmentation within the blockchain market. Liquidity, which was once concentrated on a few dominant networks, is now spreading across multiple chains. This diversification indicates a shift in how users and developers are engaging with blockchain platforms, seeking more tailored and efficient solutions for their needs.

Ethereum's Continued Dominance
While BNB Chain has made strides in user engagement and DEX volume, Ethereum and its Layer 2 networks continue to dominate in terms of institutional settlement. Ethereum's robust infrastructure and established trust among institutional players ensure its continued relevance in the blockchain space, even as newer networks like BNB Chain gain traction in other areas.

These developments mark a dynamic phase in the blockchain industry, where networks are evolving rapidly to cater to diverse user demands. The rise of BNB Chain and the fragmentation of liquidity highlight the ongoing transformation and competition within the space.

For more detailed insights, visit the original report by CoinMarketCap.

Image source: Shutterstock

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Just like every other top cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has failed to meet the strong bullish expectations for October.

Despite high expectations of a massive rally for October, Bitcoin has recorded a negative return for the month, according to data provided by crypto analytics platform CryptoRank.

Bitcoin breaks six-year streak of positive "Uptober" returnsBitcoin has closed October on a negative note despite the initial hype spurred by bullish expectations. Data from the source shows that the leading cryptocurrency slipped 3.93% in October, breaking its six-year streak of positive “Uptober” performances.

Across the broad crypto market, October is known as a month for high bullish sentiment, when most of the leading cryptocurrencies record notable monthly returns.

After Bitcoin recorded a promising September rebound of 5.31%, it had ignited optimism among investors, fueling notable hype for the cryptocurrency as it entered October.

However, Bitcoin has failed to meet the bullish expectations of traders after consistently facing severe consolidations and increased market volatility during the month. This has seen Bitcoin struggle to maintain its upward trajectory for October 2025.

While Bitcoin has maintained positive October performance for the past six years, the decline witnessed this time marks Bitcoin’s first negative October since 2019, when it surged an impressive 10.5%.

Historically, October has been one of Bitcoin’s strongest months, averaging a 33.4% gain since 2011. Thus, this year’s decline stands as a notable underperformance that cannot be overlooked.

Bitcoin maintains positive outlook for 2025Despite the disappointing October momentum, 2025 has still been a moderately positive year for Bitcoin, gaining institutional interest and steady adoption as a strategic treasury reserve asset.

Following the notable price rallies witnessed in the previous months, Bitcoin remains up about 20% year-to-date, all thanks to the decent positive returns it recorded in April (+14.2%), May (+11.1%) and July (+8.02%).

While it has also seen recurring mid-year setbacks like its negative performance in August when it declined by 6.43%, strong resilience from big institutions like Strategy, BlackRock and others has helped the asset to maintain a positive outlook for the year.

The recent Ethereum price rejection that pushed it back below the $4,000 level has created a concerning trend that could send the price spiraling. The major point of interest lies at the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level, where the last rejection occurred. Given this, it is likely that the Ethereum price could see more declines in the coming days, although there is still the possibility of the bulls taking over and invalidating the entire bearish setup.

Ethereum Price Is Showing A Lot Of Weakness
The rejection from the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level marked the start of the decline from the $4,200 level during the last recovery. This rejection resulted in the formation of a lower high on the 4-hour timeframe, and historically, such lower high formations mean that there is more selling pressure piling up for the digital asset.

As the bullish momentum looks to be fading, it puts the Ethereum price in a precarious position. Crypto analyst The Alchemist Trader explains that the rejection had come with increased bearish volume as investors offloaded their holdings on the market, putting bears in charge once again.

Following this development, the Ethereum price has continued to struggle around $3,900, where the next local support lies. The cryptocurrency has maintained a tentative hold at best on this local support, suggesting that the bulls could indeed be losing ground at this level.

If this corrective phase continues, then the Ethereum price decline is far from over. The current local weakness has put a strain on the support, and if $3,900 fails completely, the next major support lies below $3,400, more specifically at $3,385. This will serve as the next stronghold for the bulls to make their move.

“From a structural perspective, Ethereum’s inability to sustain momentum signals growing bearish pressure across lower timeframes,” the crypto analyst explained.

Source: TradingView
The Case For ETH Bulls
Despite the mounting bearish pressure, there is still the possibility that the Ethereum price could break out of this downtrend. Just like with the bearish case, the key lies at the $3,900 support and how well it holds.

In the case that bulls are able to reclaim and hold this support with momentum, then it could invalidate the bearish setup that has emerged. In this case, the crypto analyst believes that the Ethereum price could resume its uptrend above the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level.

ETH still trending below $4,000 | Source: ETHUSDT on Tradingview.com
Featured image from Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

10 minutes ago

Kronos Research’s Vincent Liu expects Solana ETF inflows to continue next week, noting that rotation from Bitcoin and Ether will likely persist.

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Spot Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continue to attract investor interest, recording their fourth straight day of inflows amid “capital rotation” from Bitcoin and Ether funds.

According to data from SoSoValue, spot Solana (SOL) ETFs added $44.48 million on Friday, bringing cumulative inflows to $199.2 million and total assets to over $502 million. The Bitwise Solana ETF (BSOL) led the charge, contributing the bulk of new capital with a 4.99% daily gain.

In contrast, spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs saw $191.6 million in daily net outflows on the same day, continuing a week-long trend of profit-taking. The funds saw $488.43 million in outflows on Thursday and $470.71 million the previous day.

Spot Ether (ETH) ETFs also posted $98.2 million in outflows, reducing their cumulative inflows to $14.37 billion. The funds shed $184.3 million on Thursday and $81.4 million on Wednesday.

Solana ETFs see inflows. Source: SoSoValueSolana ETFs gain momentumThe shift toward Solana ETFs comes amid what market participants describe as a “capital rotation.” Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research, told Cointelegraph that the trend highlights a growing appetite for new narratives and staking-driven yield opportunities.

“Solana ETFs are surging on fresh catalysts and capital rotation, as Bitcoin and Ether see profit-taking after strong runs,” Liu said. “The shift signals rising appetite for new narratives and staking-driven yield opportunities.”

Analysts suggest Solana’s momentum could continue into next week as Bitcoin and Ether consolidate. “Solana momentum may extend next week, with rotation staying alive while majors pause, unless macro news sparks extreme volatility,” Liu added.

New crypto ETFs enter marketsA new wave of crypto ETFs is hitting the market this week, led by Bitwise’s Solana Staking ETF (BSOL), which launched Tuesday with $222.8 million in assets and offers investors exposure to Solana (SOL) with an estimated 7% staking yield.

Several other funds are also entering the market, including Canary’s Litecoin (LTC) and Hedera (HBAR) ETFs, along with the anticipated conversion of Grayscale’s Solana Trust into an ETF. Meanwhile, Hong Kong approved its first spot Solana ETF last week.

Magazine: Bitcoin OG Kyle Chassé is one strike away from a YouTube permaban

Cardano (ADA) is in a pivotal accumulation phase, where balanced buying and selling hint at an impending breakout.

TL;DR

Core Innovation: Huma Finance introduces PayFi, merging DeFi with real-world payments through tokenized assets and stablecoin liquidity.
Token Utility: The HUMA token drives governance, incentivizes liquidity, and incorporates a deflationary buy-and-burn mechanism.
Future Outlook: Price forecasts for 2025‑2030 suggest steady growth potential, with varying scenarios from conservative to highly bullish.

Huma Finance is a blockchain-based protocol pioneering the concept of PayFi, a financial infrastructure designed to merge DeFi with real-world payment systems. Unlike traditional DeFi platforms that focus primarily on lending or yield farming, Huma Finance emphasizes global payment settlements, invoice financing, and credit access through tokenized real-world assets.

By leveraging stablecoins and decentralized liquidity pools, the platform enables businesses and individuals to access instant liquidity while reducing inefficiencies in cross-border transactions. This positions Huma Finance as a bridge between traditional finance and the emerging decentralized economy.

The HUMA Token
At the core of the ecosystem lies the HUMA token, which serves multiple purposes within the protocol. It functions as a governance token, granting holders the ability to participate in decision-making processes that shape the platform’s evolution. Additionally, HUMA incentivizes liquidity providers and aligns the interests of participants across the network.

With a total supply of 10 billion tokens, the protocol incorporates a buy-and-burn mechanism that uses a portion of protocol fees to reduce circulating supply, creating deflationary pressure over time. The token is actively traded on major centralized exchanges such as Binance, KuCoin, and Bitget, as well as decentralized exchanges on Solana, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of investors.

Why Huma Finance Matters
Huma Finance stands out in the competitive DeFi landscape by integrating real-world asset tokenization into its payment and credit solutions. This approach allows businesses to convert invoices into collateral, unlocking upfront liquidity while offering stablecoin yields to liquidity providers. By combining compliance-ready institutional services with permissionless retail access, Huma Finance appeals to both enterprises and individual users seeking efficient financial tools.

Opening the Door to Price Predictions
As Huma Finance continues to expand its ecosystem and adoption grows, the question of its long-term value becomes increasingly relevant. The following sections will explore Huma Finance price predictions for 2025 through 2030, analyzing potential growth drivers, market challenges, and broader industry trends that could shape its trajectory.

Huma Finance 2025 – 2030 Price Prediction
Huma Finance Price Outlook for 2025: Early Growth Potential

For 2025, CoinCodex projects that HUMA could trade within a relatively narrow channel, ranging between $0.0193 and $0.0276. This forecast suggests an average annualized price of approximately $0.0219, which would translate into a modest potential return on investment of around 0.75%. Such a projection highlights a conservative outlook.

On the other hand, alternative analyses present a more optimistic scenario for HUMA’s 2025 performance. According to technical forecasts, the token could reach a minimum price of $0.0403, with potential highs climbing to $0.0437 and an average trading value of $0.0418. This outlook nearly doubles the price range suggested by CoinCodex.

Youtubers Prediction for HUMA
Crypto With James, a popular YouTube channel, has shared an interesting price prediction video about HUMA, analyzing multiple key metrics and on-chain market performance.

Huma Finance Forecast 2026: Market Trends and Adoption Signals
According to DigitalCoinPrice, there is a possibility that HUMA could break through the $0.0697 barrier and sustain its position in the market by the end of 2026. The forecast suggests that the lowest price range for HUMA may fall between $0.0589 and $0.0697, while the most likely trading value is expected to stabilize around $0.0648. This projection reflects a steady upward trajectory.

Complementing this outlook, technical analysis points to an even more ambitious trajectory for HUMA in 2026. As the halving event approaches, the token is projected to potentially reach a peak price of $0.077094, supported by historical market data and technical indicators. The analysis further estimates an average price of $0.068834, with a minimum forecasted level of $0.060574.

Huma Finance 2027 Price Projection: Mid-Term Opportunities

CoinDataFlow’s experimental models suggest that HUMA could experience a notable upswing in 2027, with projections pointing to a potential 32.84% increase. In the best-case scenario, the token may reach $0.036578, while trading throughout the year is expected to fluctuate between $0.013923 and $0.036578.

In contrast, AI-driven forecasts for 2027 paint a more bullish picture for HUMA/USD. Analysts anticipate the token could climb to a peak of $0.057972 in December, with a low of $0.028148 in May, averaging around $0.043601 across the year.

HUMA Price Trajectory 2028: Evaluating Market Momentum
In 2028, HUMA is projected to trade within a channel ranging from $0.0261 to $0.0391, with an estimated average annualized price of $0.0288. Based on this outlook, investors could see a potential return on investment of approximately 42.45%. While the range suggests moderate volatility, the forecast highlights the possibility of steady gains for those holding HUMA through the year.

However, deeper technical analysis of historical price data paints a far more ambitious picture for HUMA in 2028. Projections indicate a minimum value of $0.1347, with the potential to climb as high as $0.1571, and an average trading price of $0.1384. This outlook significantly exceeds the earlier estimates.

HUMA Valuation Trends 2029: Signals from the Crypto Cycle

Analysts anticipate that HUMA could experience significant growth in 2029, potentially setting new highs in both price and market capitalization. Projections suggest that the token may surpass the $0.13 threshold, with estimates placing its maximum value at $0.13 and its minimum around $0.11 within the five-year outlook leading into 2029.

Building on the bullish momentum of the previous year, 2029 is expected to deliver even stronger performance for HUMA. Forecasts indicate that the token could average $0.10785 throughout the year, with price swings ranging from a low of $0.066941 in May to a high of $0.15958 in December.

HUMA Long-Term Projection 2030: Shaping the Future of PayFi
Experimental simulations suggest that HUMA could experience substantial growth by 2030, with projections indicating a potential increase of 392.92% under ideal conditions. In this scenario, the token may reach as high as $0.135732, while trading throughout the year is expected to fluctuate from $0.046945 to $0.135732.

At the same time, technical analysis points to an even more bullish outlook for HUMA in 2030. Forecasts suggest that the token could achieve a maximum price of $0.187228, with an average trading value of $0.178968 and a minimum of $0.170708. These figures imply that a strong bull market trend may dominate the cryptocurrency sector during this period.

Conclusion
Huma Finance’s innovative PayFi model positions it as a transformative force in bridging DeFi and real-world finance. With its tokenized asset approach, governance-driven ecosystem, and expanding adoption, HUMA shows potential for long-term growth. While forecasts vary, its unique value proposition underscores its relevance in shaping the future of decentralized payments.

The Price Predictions published in this article are based on estimates made by industry professionals; they are not investment recommendations, and it should be understood that these predictions may not occur as described.

The content of this article should only be taken as a guide, and you should always carry out your own analysis before making any investment.

Cardano Nears Strong Support: Technical OverviewCardano ($ADA) is once again approaching a critical buy zone, with the current trading level around $0.61 acting as a key technical point.
The chart shows repeated rebounds from the $0.55–$0.60 support range (highlighted by multiple green arrows), marking this as one of ADA’s strongest accumulation areas throughout 2025.

ADA/USD 1-day chart - TradingView

The RSI currently sits near 39, suggesting that ADA is entering oversold territory, which has historically preceded strong reversals. Similarly, the MACD momentum is flattening, indicating that bearish pressure might soon exhaust itself.

If $Cardano holds above the $0.55 support, a bounce toward $0.71 (the next resistance) could trigger a short-term uptrend. A breakout beyond $0.85 would confirm a major bullish reversal, potentially targeting the $1.20 zone later this quarter.

Cardano Passes AWS Decentralization TestIn a major validation of its long-term vision, Cardano has successfully cleared the AWS Decentralization Test, marking a new milestone in its mission to become one of the world’s most decentralized and secure blockchain networks.

According to Cardano Feed, Amazon Web Services (AWS) confirmed that Cardano’s network structure passed decentralization benchmarks using its cloud testing infrastructure. This achievement is not just a technical checkbox — it’s a proof of Cardano’s structural resilience and a continuation of its decentralization journey that began with the Shelley Era in 2020.

This validation strengthens confidence among institutional and retail investors, reinforcing ADA’s role as a leader in trustless and transparent PoS networks.

Ouroboros Phalanx: The Next Evolution in Cardano SecurityCardano’s upcoming Ouroboros Phalanx upgrade is being hailed as one of the most important technical milestones since Shelley.
Developed by Input Output Global (IOG), the Phalanx update introduces cryptographic safeguards to protect the blockchain against “grinding” — a theoretical attack that allows large stakers to manipulate block production randomness.

This innovation ensures that validator selection remains truly random and fair, removing the possibility of gaming the system.
Instead of allowing endless attempts at predicting the next winning block, Phalanx requires validators to perform real-time computational work, introducing time and energy costs that make such attacks mathematically impractical.

In simpler terms, Cardano is making decentralization tamper-proof, guaranteeing that the network remains trustless even as it scales further.

Analysts Expect a Massive ADA BreakoutWith Cardano hitting both a fundamental milestone and a technical support zone, analysts are now leaning bullish for the short-to-medium term. The convergence of on-chain progress, a confirmed decentralization audit, and a strong buy area on the chart creates the ideal setup for a potential breakout rally.

If $Bitcoin stabilizes above the $110K range, ADA could benefit from renewed risk appetite and regain momentum toward the $0.85–$1.20 range in the coming months.

Rongchai Wang
Nov 01, 2025 08:10

The HKMA, in collaboration with Cyberport, hosted a GenA.I. Symposium showcasing innovations from the GenA.I. Sandbox, attracting over 500 industry professionals.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (Cyberport), successfully hosted the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenA.I.) Symposium on October 31, 2025. This event served as an interactive platform for participants of the GenA.I. Sandbox to present their innovative solutions and insights, facilitating industry-wide collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Key Highlights from the Symposium
The symposium was attended by over 500 professionals from banking, insurance, and technology sectors. It featured diverse panel discussions with leaders from regulatory bodies, the Fintech Association of Hong Kong, banks, consultancy firms, and technology companies. These discussions centered around the latest advancements in GenA.I. and their implications for the financial sector. Additionally, fireside chat sessions with virtual avatars explored future cooperation models between banking professionals and artificial intelligence.

Notably, the event was powered by advanced A.I. services including live transcription and translation, along with an interactive A.I. photo booth for personalized digital memorabilia, highlighting the practical applications of GenA.I. technologies.

Insights from the GenA.I. Sandbox
During the symposium, the HKMA released a report on the first cohort of the GenA.I. Sandbox, highlighting its potential to enhance banking operations, particularly in risk management, anti-fraud capabilities, and customer experience. The report also provided technical insights from trials conducted at Cyberport’s Artificial Intelligence Supercomputing Centre, offering practical guidance on model fine-tuning and implementing safeguards for safer domain-specific GenA.I. solutions.

The HKMA also introduced a pilot GenA.I. chatbot, designed to offer users interactive access to the insights and guidance derived from the Sandbox. This chatbot aims to address common challenges such as hallucinations and inaccuracies in GenA.I. systems.

Future Prospects
Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the HKMA, emphasized the significance of the first cohort's findings, stating that they provide valuable insights into the tangible value that A.I. can deliver to banks and consumers. These insights have also catalyzed the initiation of Project Noor, a collaborative effort with the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub and other regulators, focused on developing an explainable A.I. toolkit. The HKMA is optimistic about the upcoming second cohort, which aims to further the responsible adoption of GenA.I., enhancing the resilience of banking services.

For more details, visit the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

Image source: Shutterstock

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The crypto market has been showing mixed signals this week, but one prominent analyst believes that XRP still has significant room to climb. EGRAG Crypto, a well-known market observer, has shared an optimistic outlook for XRP, arguing that the digital asset has not yet reached its cycle top.

Tether's reserves reached $181.2 billion, exceeding liabilities by $6.8 billion, creating a strong buffer for USDT.

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Quick Facts:

1️⃣ Bitmine just added another 44,036 $ETH ($166M), bringing its total Ethereum holdings to over 3.3M tokens worth $12.7B.

2️⃣ Ethereum is showing strong long-term bullish signals, finding solid support at the 200-day EMA and retesting a key breakout zone around $4K.

3️⃣ As Ethereum stabilizes, now could be the perfect time to explore the best altcoins to buy – like $PEPENODE, $MAXI, and $TRUMP.

Remember when Ethereum hit a high of around $4K after a sweltering 56% rally in July?

Three months later, Ethereum finds itself hovering around the same price level, sparking speculation over whether we could be heading into a deep consolidation zone or possibly even a downtrend.

Amid this uncertainty, institutional investors are making the most of the dip to beef up their Ethereum holdings.

Bitmine, easily the biggest Ethereum holder globally, has reportedly added another 44,036 $ETH ($166M) to its kitty, according to blockchain analytics platform LookOnChain.

This now brings the firm’s total Ethereum holdings to over 3.3M $ETH, currently valued at more than $12.7B.

Also, this isn’t Bitmine’s only purchase during Ethereum’s current downtrend. Just over 10 days ago, the firm scooped up $250M worth of Ethereum.

Ethereum Price Prediction: Long-Term Bullish Picture Remains Intact
So, what is Tom Lee seeing that retail investors are not? For one, Ethereum currently appears to be finding strong support at the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA).

Even more important is the fact that the last time this happened, $ETH spent nearly two months consolidating around the 200 EMA before triggering a 100% rally.

Going by this alone, we could be in for another month of consolidation before a new rally ensues.

Additionally, the token is currently retesting an important breakout zone – a former resistance turned support level that it broke out of during its August rally.

This particular zone, around the $4K mark, has been one of Ethereum’s most important levels recently. Most notably, it sparked a nearly 70% downtrend in December last year.

All in all, even though Ethereum’s current choppy price action looks sheepish, its long-term bullish picture remains firmly intact.

This, in fact, means now’s the best to load up on low-cap, high-upside tokens. Here are our top three suggestions for the best altcoins to buy now.

1. PepeNode ($PEPENODE) – Exciting Mine-to-Earn Cryptocurrency Offering Real Rewards
Currently available at just $0.0011272, PepeNode ($PEPENODE) is one of the best cheap cryptos to buy right now. What makes it even more attractive is its potential to churn out life-changing returns.

According to our PepeNode price prediction, a $100 investment today could turn into $642 by the end of 2026, as the token could hit a high of $0.0072.

What is PepeNode, you ask? It’s a unique mine-to-earn cryptocurrency project that makes crypto mining accessible to everyday users, while also offering them real rewards in return.

Simply put, you get an empty virtual server room as soon as you become a $PEPENODE holder. From there, your job is to stack the room with the most optimal combination of mining nodes.

The trick is to experiment with different meme nodes, as each one has its own characteristics, mining capabilities, and compatibility with other nodes.

Getting this combination right is absolutely crucial if you want to maximize your earnings from PepeNode’s gamified mining ecosystem.

Then, once PepeNode’s TGE (Token Generation Event) is complete and its virtual mining simulator goes live, the top players on the leaderboard will receive free $PEPENODE, $PEPE, and $FARTCOIN tokens as rewards.

Given that it offers a low-cost, user-friendly way to engage in crypto mining – albeit virtual – it’s no surprise PepeNode has already pulled in over $2M in its presale.

2. Maxi Doge ($MAXI) – Viral Doge-Themed Meme Coin Eyeing 1000x Returns
If you’ve watched Dogecoin struggle to rally to new highs and wondered if this is the end of dog-themed meme coins, Maxi Doge ($MAXI) is here to give you some hope.

With over $3.8M already raised in its ongoing presale, $MAXI is in a strong position to become the next 1000x crypto.

According to our $MAXI price prediction, it could hit a high of $0.0058 by the end of 2026, giving early adopters a mind-boggling 2,000% return on their investment.

What is Maxi Doge? On the surface, he’s a furious Shiba Inu out for revenge on his distant cousin, Dogecoin.

Under the hood, though, his insatiable desire for revenge stems from an emotional backstory – one where Dogecoin hogged all the limelight, leaving Maxi to grow up in loneliness.

That’s when Maxi decided to hit the gym, bulk up, and inject his veins not just with protein shakes, but with the charts themselves, preparing to become the ultimate meme coin for degen investors.

Looking ahead, $MAXI plans to dominate the space through its masterfully crafted tokenomics, which allocates 40% of its total token supply to marketing.

This includes PR pushes, influencer collaborations, and social media campaigns, as well as holder-exclusive benefits such as weekly trading events and leaderboard prizes.

On top of that, $MAXI also plans to list on futures platforms, positioning itself right alongside Dogecoin as the perfect gateway for meme coin traders seeking liquid markets, leveraged bets, and life-changing returns.

3. OFFICIAL TRUMP ($TRUMP) – Donald Trump’s Meme Coin Surges Again

Donald Trump’s popularity among crypto investors is on the rise again, evident from the recent surge in his official meme coin, OFFICIAL TRUMP ($TRUMP).

The token is up nearly 32% this week after finding strong support around the $5.7 mark.

Most importantly, $TRUMP has now broken out of a long-standing downward sloping resistance line, one that had capped its momentum since February.

According to this trading pattern, if the token holds its breakout, we could see a sharp move toward $24.5 – a massive 200% gain from current levels.

On the fundamentals side, the biggest reason behind this surge could be Trump’s recent warming up to China and efforts to bring the U.S. closer to a trade deal – a move that could ease tensions across not just crypto but also global stock markets.

Furthermore, Trump’s pro-crypto stance continues. Most recently, he even pardoned Binance’s founder, Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao, calling his prosecution an ‘overly prosecuted case by the Biden administration,’ and ‘a war on cryptocurrency.’

Interested? Buy $TRUMP on Binance or any of the other crypto exchanges.

Recap: With Ethereum likely consolidating before potentially finding renewed momentum, now could be the perfect time to hit a home run by scooping up low-cap gems like PepeNode ($PEPENODE), Maxi Doge ($MAXI), and OFFICIAL TRUMP ($TRUMP).

Disclaimer: Please do your own research before investing in crypto. It’s a highly volatile market, and this article is not financial advice.

Authored by Krishi Chowdhary, Bitcoinist – https://bitcoinist.com/best-altcoins-to-buy-after-bitmine-fresh-166m-ethereum-investment

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