Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB) will release its second quarter earnings report before the opening bell on Wednesday, July 15.

Analysts expect the Buffalo, New York-based company to report quarterly earnings of $4.67 per share, up from $4.24 per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for M&T Bank’s quarterly revenue is $2.46 billion. It reported $2.4 billion last year, according to Benzinga Pro.

On June 23, M&T Bank announced the appointment of Krista Phillips as its Delaware regional president.

M&T Bank shares rose 0.4% to close at $239.92 on Monday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.

Let’s have a look at how Benzinga’s most-accurate analysts have rated the company in the recent period.

Considering buying MTB stock? Here’s what analysts think:

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PYTH gained more than 25% over the past week, outperforming most large-cap altcoins. The Pyth Core upgrade on July 31 ends free, permissionless access to the network’s price feeds. All subscription revenue flows to the Pyth DAO, which funds monthly open-market token buybacks. Santiment ranks Pyth among the top three Solana ecosystem projects by development activity. Pyth Network’s native token has climbed more than 25% over the past seven days, trading around $0.045 with a market capitalization of $355 million, according to CoinMarketCap data. The rally comes three weeks before the Pyth Core upgrade goes live on July 31, a structural overhaul that ends the network’s free price data model and replaces it with paid subscriptions whose revenue feeds directly into PYTH buybacks. he timing invites an obvious reading – traders positioning before the deadline – though the move also coincides with a broader altcoin rotation, so the upgrade cannot claim sole credit. What the pace does show is acceleration: 12% of the gain arrived in the past 24 hours alone.

The end of free data Any developer has been able to pull Pyth’s price data free of charge since 2021, an arrangement that ends this month. According to the official Pyth Network blog, accessing any Price Feeds API after July 31 will require an active paid plan and an API key managed through the Pyth Terminal.

Pricing follows a tiered structure: the entry-level Starter Plan covers crypto prices, NAV data, redemption rates and indices, traditional asset classes sit in separate brackets, and institutions that want everything pay a flat monthly rate at the top of the scale.

Plan Coverage Monthly price Starter Crypto, NAV, redemption rates, indices $500 Individual asset classes US equities, futures or FX, per bracket $2,500 – $6,500 Full access All asset classes $10,000 The team stresses that API endpoints stay identical, so protocols built on Pyth since 2021 will not face broken integrations. The infrastructure serving those endpoints is another matter. Core feeds merge into the same scaling technology that powers Pyth Pro, which the project says reduces latency, improves price accuracy and expands symbol coverage well beyond the current catalog.

Three moving averages down, one barrier left The 4-hour PYTH/USDT chart from TradingView, based on Binance data, shows the token cutting cleanly through its 50, 100 and 200-period simple moving averages during the latest leg up. Those averages now sit clustered between $0.0361 and $0.0389, well below the current price near $0.0452. When a price trades above all three of these lines, it usually signals that short, medium and longer-term momentum have aligned in the same direction, something PYTH has not managed since its early May local top above $0.062.

The same chart carries a warning for anyone entering at current levels. The Relative Strength Index, an indicator that measures how fast and how far a price has moved, briefly pushed above 80 before settling near 72. Readings above 70 typically describe an overbought market, meaning the asset has risen quickly enough that a pause or pullback becomes more likely in the short term. The candle that tagged $0.048 on July 7 already met sellers, and the price has since retreated about 2%.

Metric Value Price $0.04512 24h change +12.01% 7d change +25.39% Market cap $355.35M 50 / 100 / 200-period SMA $0.0389 / $0.0369 / $0.0362 RSI 72 For traders watching levels, the former resistance band around $0.042, where the price stalled twice in early July, now acts as the first area of potential support. A deeper retracement would bring the moving average cluster near $0.038 back into focus. On the upside, $0.048 remains the barrier that rejected the latest push.

A buyback engine tied to real revenue Every dollar of subscription revenue flows to the Pyth DAO. From there, the Pyth Reserve spends one third of its accumulated treasury balance each month on open-market PYTH purchases, creating a direct link between commercial adoption and buying pressure on the token.

The scale of what becomes billable is not trivial. The network entered 2026 with more than 2,850 active price feeds serving over 650 onchain applications, usage that until now generated no recurring revenue. If even a fraction of those integrations convert into paying subscribers, the DAO treasury grows, and with it the monthly buyback budget.

The supply side makes the rally more notable than the percentage alone suggests. On May 19, Pyth released roughly 2.13 billion tokens from vesting, an unlock worth around $92 million that expanded the circulating supply by more than a third, according to data from Tokenomist. Cliffs of that size usually cap price action for months while the market digests the new float. PYTH instead spent seven weeks basing near its yearly lows and is now climbing into the upgrade with that overhang already behind it.

Some rough arithmetic shows what is at stake. If just 200 of those 650 integrations take the $500 Starter Plan, that is $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue reaching the DAO – modest against PYTH’s $355 million market cap, but recurring. The bull case requires institutional brackets: fifty clients on full access would mean $6 million a year, and a third of the growing treasury converting into monthly market buys. Neither scenario is confirmed, and that is precisely why the first revenue disclosure matters more than the upgrade date itself.

The upgrade also retires older parts of the network. Pyth is deprecating its original Pythnet appchain and winding down Oracle Integrity Staking emissions as data delivery migrates to the newer Pyth Lazer pipeline. Fewer emissions combined with recurring buybacks tilt the token’s supply dynamics toward scarcity, provided the subscription business actually generates meaningful revenue. That remains the open question, and the Core tier has no revenue history yet to test it against – the only disclosed figures so far come from Pyth Pro’s institutional side, which crossed $1 million in annual recurring revenue with a few dozen subscribers.

A hard deadline for builders Teams running infrastructure on Pyth face a hard deadline. Anyone using the standalone Price Pusher to manage on-chain updates must upgrade to version 10.5.0 or later and attach a Hermes access token obtained through the Pyth Terminal, otherwise automated price updates will start failing on July 31, according to the network’s developer documentation. The DAO will handle major contract switches automatically, but new integrations should fetch the updated contract addresses from the Pyth Developer Hub rather than relying on legacy references.

Development data gives the rally support that is independent of the upgrade itself. Santiment Intelligence placed Pyth third among all Solana ecosystem projects by development activity in its latest monthly ranking, behind only Chainlink and Solana itself, based on enhanced GitHub event data. Sustained developer output during a commercial pivot is not a given, and Pyth holding that position suggests the engineering side is keeping pace with the business restructuring.

Broader market rotation is working in the token’s favor too: CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index has climbed to 49, and capital moving into mid-cap tokens has lifted several oracle and infrastructure names this week. The next real test comes after July 31, when the first subscription figures will show whether the buyback program has meaningful funding behind it or whether the market front-ran a mechanism that still needs paying customers.

People walk behind a logo of Meta Platforms company, during a conference in Mumbai, India, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

SummaryCompaniesPenalties were calculated based on state laws in Colorado, California, Kentucky and New JerseyMeta says the number is not supported by evidenceThe company faces thousands of claims over addictive featuresJuly 6 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab said in a court filing on Monday that four states were seeking $1.4 ​trillion in penalties over accusations the company designed its Facebook and Instagram platforms to addict young users and misled the ‌public about their safety.

Meta put forward the figure in its response to the attorneys general's filings on how penalties should be calculated if the states prevailed at trial.

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The number, which has not previously been disclosed and is close to Meta’s market capitalization of around $1.5 trillion, comes ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California over ​the claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey against the company.

Meta said the amount was unsupported by the evidence.

"A ​sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement," the company said in ⁠the filing.

Representatives for the attorneys general did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the filing.

TALLYING DAMAGESThe states' filings are sealed, but ​at a court hearing in June they said they were calculating the penalties by multiplying the number of violations by fine amounts set by state law. The ​number of violations is based on the estimated number of teens and young users affected by Meta's actions, the states said.

Twenty-nine states have sued Meta in federal court, most of them alleging the company violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data from children without proper parental consent. The trial in August ​before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will address all claims brought under that law, plus the four states’ allegations that the company violated ​their state laws protecting consumers by misleading them about the safety of their platforms.

Meta has denied the allegations, saying the attorneys general have no evidence it ‌misled consumers ⁠about its platforms' alleged addictiveness because "social media addiction" is not an established psychiatric condition, and therefore statements that its platforms were not addictive could not be false.

A further 14 states have brought claims under their own laws, which will be heard at a separate trial in February.

Last month, Rogers rejected Meta’s bid to cancel the trial, saying there remained factual disputes over whether its social media platforms were addictive, whether Meta falsely denied it ​designed them that way, and whether ​it "partially" directed the platforms at ⁠children.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said after Rogers' ruling that Meta was putting profits ahead of children's safety and breaking consumer protection laws, promising to hold the company "fully accountable" for its role in the teen mental health ​crisis.

Meta, Snapchat and parent Snap Inc. (SNAP.N), opens new tab, YouTube and parent Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL.O), opens new tab, and TikTok and parent ByteDance are ​facing thousands of lawsuits ⁠in both federal and state court over claims they knowingly designed their platforms to have features that addict children and teens, fueling a mental health crisis.

States across the country have sued the companies, some as part of the case before Rogers and others in their home state courts. New Mexico ⁠was the ​first to go to trial, and a jury awarded the state $375 million in March ​after finding the company had misled New Mexico consumers.

A judge in New Mexico is currently weighing the second portion of the state’s case, which seeks additional damages and a court order ​directing the company to make changes to its Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp platforms.

Reporting by Diana Novak Jones; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Kate Mayberry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Diana reports on product liability, litigation, mass torts and the plaintiffs' bar. She previously worked at Law360 and the Chicago Sun-Times.

A buzzy Bloomberg report citing Netflix data suggests viewers are increasingly abandoning popular shows before the second season. The likely reasons aren’t hard to guess: Netflix frequently cancels shows, there’s too long a wait in between seasons, and much of Netflix’s content is designed for an algorithm instead of for the sake of art.

But the data also points to a shift in how people are consuming entertainment. Netflix’s defining innovation – the binge — was built for an era when streaming was competing with traditional TV. Today, Netflix is competing with TikTok, YouTube, Reels, and various microdrama apps. That shift makes Netflix’s binge model feel like a dated relic from another era.

Bingeing helped Netflix beat TV When Netflix first dropped an entire season of “House of Cards” in February 2013, it was a revelation.
Ad-free, internet-connected TV meant we could be unshackled from the traditional routine of once-per-week shows punctuated by commercials. Instead, bingeable shows meant viewers could be entertained for hours on end, quickly forming a bond with titles and their characters that would have otherwise taken years to develop. Plus, you could drop in on them at any time — not only the day the network decided to air them, as with linear television.

This way of viewing made sense in a world where Netflix was largely still competing with traditional TV like broadcast, cable, and satellite. But Netflix won that fight. Nielsen in June 2025 announced that the TV era reached a new milestone, when the Netflix-style streaming format for the first time eclipsed broadcast and cable viewing — a milestone that made clear Netflix’s original competition was no longer the threat.

Now Netflix’s competition isn’t the TV of old, but what has become the TV of today: video apps.

TikTok and YouTube are today’s threats Thanks to the rise of TikTok, Reels, and other short-form video platforms, there’s no need for you to visit Netflix when you have a couple of hours to kill with mindless entertainment. There’s an endless, free supply of video you can turn to instead.

According to eMarketer analysts, TikTok was already nearing Netflix in terms of time spent back in 2024, when U.S. adults were spending an average of 62.1 minutes per day streaming from Netflix and 58.4 minutes per day on TikTok. In 2024, the Financial Times reported that, globally, TikTok users spent an average of 95 minutes per day on the app, the highest engagement rate among major social networks.

Image Credits:eMarketer Then there is YouTube, which offers a combination of both short and longer-form content. Per a report released this year by Digital i, YouTube surpassed Netflix in average daily viewing for the first time, with 99.1 minutes daily in 2025 compared with Netflix’s 93.4 minutes.

These market reports use differing methodologies and demographics, so they should be taken with a grain of salt — but directionally, they point the same way. YouTube and apps like TikTok are Netflix’s real competition, not TV.

Netflix has even acknowledged this existential threat by way of a product redesign in April that added a TikTok-like feed based on Netflix content.

Where Netflix gets the feed wrong is that it’s still pitched as a way to help you find something to watch, rather than being the thing you watch. It’s understandable why Netflix went this route, given its library, but it’s not necessarily what the end user wants. Today, many people with dopamine-drained attention spans are instead seeking out microdrama apps in growing numbers when they want a serialized storyline they can consume in minutes.

Image Credits:ReelShort According to data from the app intelligence firm Appfigures, one top microdrama app, ReelShort, saw roughly $1.2 billion in gross consumer spending in 2025, up 119% from 2024, TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling previously reported. Meanwhile, another leading app, DramaBox, generated $276 million in gross consumer spending last year, more than doubling its 2024 numbers. Even TikTok acknowledged the competition, launching a microdrama app of its own to test the market appetite for this type of content.

Where does Netflix go from here? Where does that leave Netflix, whose claim to fame has been full seasons dropped at once for rapid consumption?

Likely, it will have to rethink how it’s greenlighting, producing, and releasing what it considers a “TV show.”

That doesn’t mean that the Netflix model has to pivot entirely to short-form to keep up with the competition, but it may need to reconsider how people want to stream. Viewers may no longer want to commit the hours and weeks it takes to get through a show and all of its subsequent seasons, for instance. They want something that feels more “finishable,” the way you can easily get through a YouTube video or TikTok series from a creator.

A simple fix could see Netflix try prioritizing single-season shows, traditionally known as miniseries or limited series, allowing people to tune into a completed work without having to worry whether it would end on a cliffhanger and never be renewed.

Netflix could also experiment with breaking up shows into smaller chunks, like the before-its-time Quibi model.

The Jeffrey Katzenberg-backed startup, Quibi, had bet that people would eventually gravitate towards TV content designed to be consumed in shorter sessions. Unfortunately for Quibi, the pandemic hit, and people suddenly had a lot of time to watch TV, leading to its demise.

Many Netflix shows could be easily revamped for shorter viewing sessions, particularly lightweight competition shows like “Nailed It,” “Is It Cake?,” or “Squid Game: The Challenge.” Meanwhile, Netflix could surely produce better microdramas than the ones currently on the market with their awful acting and ridiculous storylines.

To generate interest in its higher-quality content, some Netflix shows could be shifted to the weekly release model. This is something Netflix has already proven works in specific cases. For instance, it drops new episodes of its reality show “Love Is Blind” in weekly dumps, making it great watercooler fodder as everyone is watching the new episodes around the same time. (Faster consumption models could work, too. For instance, Peacock’s “Love Island USA” is the reality hit of the summer, as there’s a new episode almost daily).

But instead of experimenting with different types of short-form content for quick entertainment, combined with slower releases for seasons, or focusing more heavily on miniseries worth watching, Netflix has been dabbling in other areas.

As of late, it’s expanded its lineup with podcasts, which reportedly no one is watching, and live content, which can be hit or miss. In terms of the latter, Netflix investments in live sports have generally done well, but its recent entry into live reality competition shows, “Star Search,” has already been canceled despite a clever real-time voting feature. More work here is still needed.

Bloomberg’s report framed the problem facing Netflix as a failure to create loyal TV viewers who tune into a Season 2, but the underlying issue facing the streamer is much bigger. Netflix may need to rethink whether it still needs to focus on competing with traditional TV and its long-running shows, or whether it should focus on entertainment projects whose storytelling arcs have less filler and wrap up more quickly.

To find the right balance between viewers ditching cable and those who just want something better than TikTok, Netflix is finding itself needing to reinvent TV all over again.

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Louisiana-Pacific (LPX - Free Report) closed at $77.61 in the latest trading session, marking a -2.14% move from the prior day. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.72%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 1.12%.

Heading into today, shares of the home construction supplier had gained 12.34% over the past month, outpacing the Construction sector's gain of 0.11% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.9%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Louisiana-Pacific in its upcoming release. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $0.64, marking a 35.35% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $683 million, indicating a 9.54% downward movement from the same quarter last year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $2 per share and a revenue of $2.57 billion, demonstrating changes of -24.53% and -5%, respectively, from the preceding year.

It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Louisiana-Pacific. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged. At present, Louisiana-Pacific boasts a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Louisiana-Pacific has a Forward P/E ratio of 39.65 right now. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 28.84.

Also, we should mention that LPX has a PEG ratio of 1.99. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Building Products - Wood industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.51.

The Building Products - Wood industry is part of the Construction sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 167, this industry ranks in the bottom 33% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow LPX in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

In the latest close session, Boston Scientific (BSX - Free Report) was down 1.2% at $44.60. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.72%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.3%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 1.12%.

The medical device manufacturer's stock has dropped by 7.02% in the past month, falling short of the Medical sector's gain of 12.48% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.9%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Boston Scientific in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on July 29, 2026. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $0.83, showcasing a 10.67% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $5.39 billion, reflecting a 6.54% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $3.36 per share and a revenue of $21.61 billion, signifying shifts of +9.8% and +7.65%, respectively, from the last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Boston Scientific should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.32% lower within the past month. Right now, Boston Scientific possesses a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

In terms of valuation, Boston Scientific is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 13.44. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 19.08, so one might conclude that Boston Scientific is trading at a discount comparatively.

We can additionally observe that BSX currently boasts a PEG ratio of 0.86. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Medical - Products industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.73 as of yesterday's close.

The Medical - Products industry is part of the Medical sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 170, positioning it in the bottom 31% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.

In the latest trading session, Ulta Beauty (ULTA - Free Report) closed at $452.49, marking a -1.92% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.72% gain on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 1.12%.

Shares of the beauty products retailer witnessed a loss of 1.23% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Retail-Wholesale sector with its loss of 0.64%, and the S&P 500's loss of 0.9%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Ulta Beauty in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is expected to report EPS of $6.16, up 6.57% from the prior-year quarter. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $2.97 billion, indicating a 6.4% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $28.67 per share and a revenue of $13.21 billion, indicating changes of +11.82% and +6.61%, respectively, from the former year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Ulta Beauty. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.19% upward. Ulta Beauty is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Ulta Beauty has a Forward P/E ratio of 16.09 right now. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 15.56 for its industry.

It's also important to note that ULTA currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.44. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Retail - Miscellaneous was holding an average PEG ratio of 2.06 at yesterday's closing price.

The Retail - Miscellaneous industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 77, which puts it in the top 32% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.

Investors choosing between Caesars Entertainment (CZR 0.82%) and Six Flags Entertainment (FUN 6.86%) face two very different paths in the leisure market. Both companies are navigating major corporate shifts that will define their performance throughout 2026.

Caesars is a gaming giant currently moving toward a massive buyout while Six Flags is reshaping its theme park portfolio following its landmark merger with Cedar Fair. These businesses represent two distinct ways to play the consumer spending cycle. This comparison evaluates their financial health and growth prospects to see which stock fits your portfolio better.

Caesars operates a vast network of 52 domestic properties including iconic brands like Harrah’s and Horseshoe across 18 states. The company generates revenue through casino operations, hospitality, and a growing digital wagering segment that spans 34 North American jurisdictions. On May 28, 2026, the company entered a definitive agreement to be acquired by Fertitta Entertainment in a deal valued at approximately $17.6 billion, which could provide a clear exit strategy for current shareholders.

In its 2025 fiscal year (FY), revenue reached $11.5 billion, representing a growth rate of 2.1% compared to the prior year. Despite the steady revenue stream, the company reported a net loss of $502.0 million for the period. This widening loss from the previous fiscal year reflects the ongoing costs of maintaining a massive physical footprint and expanding its digital betting infrastructure.

As of its December 2025 balance sheet, Caesars reported a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.5x, meaning it carries 7.5 times more total debt than shareholder equity. Its current ratio of 0.8x indicates it has fewer short-term assets than short-term liabilities, which is a common trait among consumer discretionary stocks with high fixed costs. Free cash flow, the cash remaining after paying for operations and capital equipment, remained positive at roughly $520 million.

The case for Six Flags EntertainmentSix Flags Entertainment operates a diverse portfolio of 20 amusement parks and 14 water parks across North America and Saudi Arabia. The company utilizes popular characters from Warner Bros. and DC Comics to drive attendance and merchandise sales. In March of 2026, the company divested seven parks to EPR Properties for approximately $331 million as part of a strategic pivot to optimize its remaining high-performing assets.

During FY 2025, the company generated revenue of $3.1 billion, which was a significant 14.4% increase over the previous year. However, Six Flags reported a substantial net loss of $1.6 billion for the fiscal year. This loss was largely influenced by the complexities of integrating its operations following the merger with Cedar Fair and the associated restructuring costs.

Following its December 2025 balance sheet update, the company carried a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.8x. This high level of leverage shows that total debt is nearly ten times the value of shareholder equity. The current ratio of 0.7x suggests the company may face tight liquidity in the short term, while free cash flow was negative at $152.2 million for the year.

Risk profile comparisonCaesars Entertainment faces significant uncertainty regarding its pending acquisition by Fertitta Entertainment, as the deal must still clear regulatory and antitrust hurdles. Beyond the merger, the company is dealing with reputational and legal risks following a May 2026 data breach involving cloud-hosted guest records. High leverage and heavy rent obligations to real estate partners also limit the company's ability to pivot if consumer gaming demand softens.

Six Flags Entertainment is currently managing the difficult task of realizing cost synergies from its recent merger while simultaneously selling off underperforming assets. The business remains highly seasonal, with the majority of revenue tied to the summer months, making it vulnerable to bad weather or economic downturns. It also faces stiff competition for family entertainment spending from larger rivals such as Disney, which often have deeper pockets for new attractions and marketing.

Valuation comparisonSix Flags currently trades at a significantly lower forward earnings multiple than Caesars, though Caesars offers a lower valuation relative to its annual sales.

MetricCaesars EntertainmentSix Flags EntertainmentSector BenchmarkForward P/E90.3x49.5x93.7xP/S ratio0.5x0.7xn/aSector benchmark uses the SPDR XLY sector ETF. Valuation metrics sourced from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) and may differ from other data providers.

Which stock would I buy in 2026?In comparing Caesars and Six Flags Entertainment, weighing whether to invest in the former depends on if its planned acquisition by Fertitta Entertainment goes through. Caesars has until July 11 to consider alternative acquisition proposals. If Fertitta acquires the company, Caesars shareholders will receive $31 in cash for each outstanding Caesars share.

With Caesars stock trading around $30 as of July 6, the Fertitta acquisition does not provide much upside if you buy Caesars shares now. As a result, Six Flags is the better investment choice at this time.

Six Flags stock is well below its 52-week high of $33.50 reached last July, suggesting now is not a bad time to pick up shares. That said, the company has challenges, particularly its high debt and struggles to integrate Cedar Fair, as demonstrated by its mounting net losses.

In the first quarter, Six Flags reported a net loss of $268.6 million, up from $219.7 million in the previous year. However, adding Cedar Fair’s assets helped the company enjoy 12% year-over-year Q1 revenue growth to $225.6 million.

USD1 Goes Live Across Zebec's Full Platform@Zebec_HQ has integrated @worldlibertyfi's $USD1 stablecoin into its entire ecosystem, covering payrolls, payments, and yield. The move positions $USD1 as a core settlement asset within Zebec's financial infrastructure and extends the stablecoin's real-world utility beyond trading and DeFi.

According to CryptoNews, $USD1 is now supported natively inside the Zebec Super App, meaning teams can use the stablecoin directly within the existing platform without bridging to another network or switching tools. Users with @ZebecCards can also receive payroll spend in $USD1, and the integration provides direct access to WLFI markets from within Zebec.

Zebec has also indicated it plans to add further yield solutions later this year, signalling that the $USD1 integration is a starting point rather than a finished product.

What USD1 Brings to Zebec's InfrastructureTimes of Blockchain reports that the rollout reaches more than 65,000 workers across the US and global markets, giving staff the ability to receive, use, and move $USD1 via wallets and cards issued by Zebec. Employees can also access funds through Zebec-issued cards, linking blockchain settlement with everyday payment rails.

$USD1 is custodied by BitGo Trust Company and backed by cash and short-duration US Treasury bills held through government money market funds. Launched in March 2025, the stablecoin had grown to a circulating supply near $4.5 billion by Q1 2026, making it one of the fastest-growing fiat-backed stablecoins in the market.

For Zebec, the integration also aligns with the platform's broader institutional ambitions. Zebec completed its final ZBCN token unlock in March 2026, shifting to a deflationary revenue-funded buyback model, and has been expanding its payroll infrastructure across multiple blockchains. The addition of $USD1 reinforces its position as a multi-chain payroll and payments platform targeting enterprise-scale adoption.

Sources:
CryptoNews: World LibertyFi's USD1 Is Now Live In The Zebec Super App
Times of Blockchain: Zebec Expands USD1 Daily Payroll to 65K+ Global Workers
Eco: USD1 Stablecoin by World Liberty Financial

Michael Saylor, the man who turned a mid-tier software company into the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin piggy bank, is doing something he swore he’d never do: selling Bitcoin.

But before anyone panics, here’s the thing. Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, plans to sell roughly 0.2% of its Bitcoin holdings per month while simultaneously buying back five to ten times that amount.

The tactical sell that isn’t really a sell During Strategy’s Q1 2026 earnings call on May 5, Saylor laid out the new playbook. The company, which held over 818,000 BTC at the time of the call, would begin modest monthly sales to generate cash for dividends on its STRC perpetual preferred stock.

“Even if we were to sell one Bitcoin, we’d be buying 10 to 20 more Bitcoin.”

Between May 26 and May 31, Strategy executed its first Bitcoin sale since 2022, offloading exactly 32 BTC for approximately $2.5 million at an average price of roughly $77,135 per coin. That 32 BTC represents about 0.004% of the company’s total holdings.

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By early June 2026, Strategy’s Bitcoin stash had grown to over 843,000 BTC, with later filings confirming 846,842 BTC. The company’s average cost basis sits between $75,000 and $75,700 per coin, reflecting years of aggressive accumulation dating back to 2020 when Saylor first pivoted the company’s treasury strategy toward Bitcoin.

Why sell at all? The short answer: preferred stock dividends need to be paid in dollars, not satoshis. Strategy has been raising capital through various instruments, including its STRC perpetual preferred stock, which come with cash dividend obligations requiring actual fiat currency.

Rather than focusing purely on total Bitcoin held, Saylor wants investors to evaluate how much Bitcoin each share of Strategy stock represents. If the company sells 0.2% of its Bitcoin monthly but buys back five to ten times that amount through capital-raising efforts, the Bitcoin-per-share ratio actually increases over time.

Saylor emphasized during the earnings call that Strategy plans to be a “net buyer of Bitcoin in every month and every quarter going on forever.”

What this means for investors For Bitcoin market participants, the immediate impact of Strategy’s sales is negligible. Thirty-two BTC in a market that trades billions of dollars daily is a rounding error.

Strategy isn’t reducing its position. The company added over 25,000 BTC between the May 5 earnings call and early June, pushing from 818,000 to over 843,000 BTC.

For Strategy stockholders specifically, the Bitcoin-per-share metric that Saylor keeps highlighting deserves close attention. If the company can consistently grow that number, the stock functions as a leveraged Bitcoin proxy with yield.

Strategy’s average cost basis of roughly $75,000 per BTC means the company is currently sitting on unrealized gains, but a sustained Bitcoin downturn could turn those modest monthly sales into more significant liquidations if dividend obligations remain fixed while Bitcoin’s price drops. Strategy has one asset, one thesis, and 846,842 BTC — a position worth well over $60B at current prices.

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

Ethereum [ETH] has rallied 11.7% over the past week, but it is possible that short-term holders were preparing to exit the market.

Source: Glassnode The exchange net position change had been negative since mid-May, but posted a positive bar on its histogram on Sunday, July 5.

Negative net position change implies a net outflow of assets from exchange-affiliated addresses. A shift toward positive indicates that net inflows were greater in volume.

This inflow can be interpreted as readiness for selling from holders, though it need not provide an immediate bearish price reaction.

Recently, AMBCrypto pointed to a discrepancy between trader and developer activity. Alongside the monthly TD Sequential buy signal, bulls had hopes of a move toward $2,000.

That optimism faded as Bitcoin [BTC] faced rejection from the $63k area, unable to assail the $64k local supply zone in earnest. This rejection has caused an Ethereum price slide below $1,800.

Ethereum bullish hopes misplaced? Source: CryptoQuant Crypto analyst Darkfost drew attention to the severe decline in Open Interest. From a record high of $33.9 billion in October 2025, to just $11.2 billion, the corrective leg of the cycle has shaken market conviction.

Examining the liquidation volume bubble map showed a high volume of long liquidations towards the end of June, rivaling the size of the October long liquidations.

Source: CryptoQuant The Coinbase Premium Index has been negative since late April, another sign of bearish market sentiment. U.S.-based investors have not been taken in by the recent price bounce toward $1.8k.

The large volume of short liquidations showed that many traders had been positioned for further downside before the recent rally forced them to exit. A small corrective bounce amid a wider downtrend has caused $314.5 million in short liquidations so far in July.

Source: Glassnode The Ethereum holder accumulation ratio tracks the proportion of active users who are increasing their holdings, compared to those who are decreasing. Lower ratios indicate bearish momentum, and tend to mark periods of distribution and profit-taking.

The drop in the holder accumulation ratio since May suggested the current distribution has not ended.

Final Summary Ethereum was up by 11% over the past week of trading, triggering over $300 million in liquidations within a week. Other onchain metrics showed that the current distribution trends were likely to cause a deeper ETH price slide.

Cardano has reached one of the final technical checkpoints before the Chang hard fork, with node version 9.0.0 now released by IntersectMBO.

For more details, visit the official GitHub platform.

TL;DR Cardano node 9.0.0 has been released on GitHub.The upgrade is tied to the final preparation stage for the Chang hard fork.Chang is expected to move Cardano closer to on-chain governance. For ADA holders, this is not just a routine software update. Node releases are how Cardano’s governance roadmap becomes operational. The Chang hard fork has long been framed as the step that brings more formal decentralized governance into the network’s live structure.

Why Node 9.0.0 Matters Blockchains do not upgrade because a roadmap says they should. They upgrade when node operators, stake pool operators, exchanges, and infrastructure providers actually move to compatible software. That is why a major node release is worth watching.

Node 9.0.0 supports the technical path toward bootstrap governance thresholds. In plain English, it helps prepare the network for the governance machinery that Chang is supposed to activate. The more operators adopt the release, the closer the network gets to the conditions needed for the hard fork.

Governance Becomes The Test Cardano has always leaned heavily into research, process, and formal governance. Critics argue that this can make the ecosystem slow. Supporters argue that it is exactly what gives the chain durability. Chang will test that thesis in public.

The market response may still depend on broader ADA sentiment, but the development signal is straightforward: Cardano’s next major governance upgrade is moving from planning into execution.

This report is based on the Cardano node 9.0.0 release on GitHub.

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

Tether, the company behind USDT, is preparing to issue the stablecoin natively on Bitcoin through the RGB protocol version v0.11.1. Deployed by the UTEXO software lab, USDT is set to return to the chain where it first launched in 2014 via the Omni-Mastercoin Layer. 

UTEXO, the company leading the commercial rollout, has positioned itself as the issuer and distributor of this Bitcoin-native USDT in partnership with Tether.  “Finally, after eight years of development—if not more—we are the company that is launching USDT over Bitcoin with strong support from Tether,” said Viktor Ihnatiuk, UTEXO co-founder, in an exclusive interview with Bitcoin Magazine. 

The RGB protocol combines its novel client-side validation with the Lightning network for instant, private settlements, while anchoring security to Bitcoin’s UTXO model. Users can expect to be able to handle USDT on native Bitcoin addresses as well as send and receive it over the Lightning network with compatible wallets. 

The RGB protocol on Bitcoin also offers significant privacy features to USDT users as the asset benefits from Bitcoin’s UTXO model, which standardizes fresh addresses for every transaction compared to the account-based address reused commonly in EVM blockchains like Tron, Ethereum or Solana. Address reuse is the first mistake of onchain privacy, yet most altcoins built their interfaces to reuse addresses, despite the risk it poses to users. RGB’s integration with the Lightning network further protects user privacy by moving USDT via the offchain payments network, which leaves few marks on the public blockchain. The deep integration with Tether also means that there are fewer middleman companies charging extra fees or collecting data. 

On the topic, Vktor emphasized that, “We built Utexo so that USDT could move on Bitcoin the way money is supposed to move: instantly, privately, with no surprises on costs. Our partners integrate our API once and can route USDT on the most resilient open network ever built, with full control over cost structure.”

UTEXO vs TRON UTEXO emerged from a joint venture involving Viktor’s Boosty Venture Studio, Fulgur Ventures, and Tether Investments. The goal was straightforward: bring RGB to mainnet after years of delays under prior development teams. The protocol had been in active development since at least 2016, but failed to be ready for the 2017 bull market, giving the TRON blockchain dominance over USDT volume and usage throughout the developing world, a dominance which it still retains. 

UTEXO of specifically building “the last mile” of software needed for wide USDT deployment across the Bitcoin ecosystem, which includes a software development kit, APIs, mid-level protocols, UI design work and even a mint bridge that is live today at mint.utexo.com. This bridge lets users move USDT across popular blockchains with “deterministic low fees” and no middlemen thanks to its direct integration with Tether as the primary mint. The RGB protocol layer was developed by Bitfinex R&D Strategist Federico Tenga.

“Right now if you want to swap USDT to Bitcoin you need to pay high fees for all these wallets who charge you a one percent wallet fee plus a swap provider charge of one percent plus, and you have slippage one percent as well, so you pay three percent, and also you wait forever until the swap happens” Viktor told Bitcoin Magazine, adding that; “with USDT and Bitcoin over Lightning, for the first time you have two main assets on one chain, you can swap instantly without any slippage. You can swap decentralized USDT to Bitcoin and back on-chain. The price is almost the same as spot markets in Binance.”

Networks like Tron that are primarily used to move USDT also add extra fees, swap commissions and friction to the user experience. They require a different address type, with fees paid in an asset like TRX, which is only ever used to move the stablecoin. With most of the monetary volume in the crypto market concentrated in Bitcoin and Tether, having to buy an altcoin just to pay fees ends up feeling like red tape. 

Bitcoin, as the payment rails of USDT, also comes with blockchain levels of security that other chains simply can not offer. While USDT will always be fundamentally centralized in Tether as a corporation, the rails can also add risk, for example, if a contentious fork occurs or major bugs are found on novel blockchain systems. Bitcoin, being the oldest and most conservative blockchain, delivers a quality assurance of sorts that can not be matched by other chains. 

RGB traces its roots to Peter Todd’s single-use seals back in 2014 and was formalized in 2016 by Giacomo Zucco and Riccardo Casatta. The RGB acronym, originally derived from “Riccardo Giacomo Bitcoin,” was later rebranded “Really Good Bitcoin”. Tether explored the protocol early but faced delays with the previous team. Had RGB shipped on schedule around 2019, the stablecoin landscape and broader DeFi industry might have developed differently around Bitcoin’s UTXO model instead of Ethereum’s account-based system.

As such, bringing USDT back to Bitcoin is a core motivation for UTEXO. Viktor minced no words on the matter: “For the first time in eight years or nine years, USDT is coming back home. We have no chance to fail. If we fail, no one will think about Bitcoin as a settlement layer anymore.”

USDT on Bitcoin via RGB is expected to be launched within weeks, possibly this July, with wallets like Tether Wallet among others announcing support, and exchanges across the world announcing integrations.

Former Tether chief investment officer Richard Heathcote is seeking to sell part of his 1.26% stake in the stablecoin issuer, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter.

Heathcote stepped down as Tether's chief investment officer in March to take an advisory role after overseeing the stablecoin issuer's investment portfolio. Bloomberg reported the planned sale involves only part of his 1.26% ownership stake.

Tether issues USDt (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin by market capitalization. With a circulating supply of roughly $184 billion, USDT accounts for roughly 59% of the stablecoin market, according to DefiLlama data.

The planned sale could offer a rare look at ownership in Tether, which remains privately held despite becoming one of the crypto industry's most profitable companies.

The sale also comes as Tether navigates regulatory pressure in Europe. USDT has been delisted by a growing number of MiCA-authorized platforms after Tether opted not to comply with the European Union's crypto framework, with Revolut announcing this month that it will remove the stablecoin from its platform.

Crypto companies weigh IPOs While Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has said outright that the stablecoin issuer does not need to go public, several other crypto companies are reportedly mulling initial public offerings (IPOs).

Kraken has taken several steps toward a public listing. Fortune reported in September 2025 that the crypto exchange had raised $500 million at a $15 billion valuation, fueling expectations that the exchange was preparing for an IPO.

Source: Paolo Ardoino

The company also announced it had confidentially filed a draft registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering in November 2025. However, Bloomberg later reported that the IPO plans could be pushed back until 2027 following layoffs tied to the company's expanding use of artificial intelligence.

South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb also announced in April that it is delaying its IPO until after 2028 as it works to strengthen its accounting policies and internal controls following earlier regulatory setbacks.

Magazine: The end of anonymity? AI could unmask crypto’s hidden identities

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Jul 6, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

1 min read

Visa stablecoin data shows fiat-pegged token monthly activity increased to a record $1.79 trillion in June. ((Media/Visa)Summary

Circle’s USDC accounted for about 70 percent of adjusted stablecoin transaction volume in the first half of 2026, widening its lead over Tether’s USDT, which held roughly 25 percent.Adjusted stablecoin transaction volume hit a record $1.79 trillion in June 2026, up 63 percent from May and 125 percent from June 2025, contributing to $8.82 trillion in volume for the first six months of the year.Growing adoption of stablecoins by banks and financial institutions, including new USDC services from Standard Chartered and BNY, reflects a broader shift toward established fiat-pegged digital asset networks.Circle’s USDC stablecoin widened its lead over competitor Tether’s USDT by transaction volume during the first half of 2026, according to fresh data from Visa’s onchain dashboard.

In June alone, stablecoin activity increased to a record $1.79 trillion in adjusted transaction volume, up 63% from May's $1.1 trillion and 125% from about $795 billion in June 2025. Visa removes bot activity, exchange transfers and other blockchain transactions that do not reflect real economic activity before calculating adjusted volume.

These figures come as banks and other financial institutions expand their use of stablecoins for payments, settlement and treasury operations. Standard Chartered and BNY recently added services around Circles’s USDC rather than building their own infrastructure which also reflects a broader shift toward using established stablecoin networks as activity and demand for fiat-pegged digital assets increases.

The first six months of the year totaled $8.82 trillion in adjusted stablecoin transaction volume. That is more than the $5.8 trillion recorded during all of 2024 and $2 trillion less than the record $10.8 trillion reported in 2025.

USDC accounted for about 70% of adjusted transaction volume during the first half of 2026. USDT represented roughly 25%..

In 2020, USDT made up nearly 90% of adjusted transaction volume. USDC accounted for less than 10%. By 2022, USDC accounted for about 45% of adjusted transaction volume.

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Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness

Building the Zcash Machine: Tachyon and Quantum Readiness

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

Jun 30, 2026

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

Why it matters:

Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX 0.99%) was an IPO of superlatives. From its unparalleled $75 billion raise to its enormous day-one trading volume, it broke so many records that it probably even broke the record for breaking the most records. With a heady mix of space travel, artificial intelligence (AI), and proposals to take tourists to the moon, it's natural to wonder if SpaceX has a place in your portfolio.

The trouble is that it is hard to justify a valuation of over $2 trillion for a firm that reported a net loss of $4.9 billion last year and had total 2025 revenue of $18.7 billion. Plus, many of the claims in its prospectus -- including the potential total addressable market of $28.5 trillion -- don't stand up to scrutiny. If you're thinking of buying SpaceX today, here are three things to know.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. You may already own it Several major indexes fast-tracked SpaceX's entry, causing index funds to automatically add the stock. The Russell 1000 added SpaceX on June 27, and the Nasdaq-100 followed on July 7, so investors who hold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that mirror those indexes, such as the iShares Russell 1000 ETF or the Invesco QQQ Trust, already own a small stake in SpaceX.

Other technology- and space-themed ETFs also give exposure to SpaceX. These include Ark Space & Defense Innovation ETF and iShares AI Innovation and Tech Active ETF. Think about what percentage of your portfolio you want to allocate to SpaceX and what you'll get through your existing investments.

2. SpaceX is burning through a lot of cash Last year, SpaceX's capital expenditure (capex) totaled $21 billion for its space, connectivity, and AI segments. This year, it is spending money even faster: It burned through over $10 billion in Q1 alone. SpaceX is different from the AI hyperscalers racing for dominance because big tech firms like Alphabet have pretty solid financial cushions and are generating significant revenue to justify some of the costs.

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In fairness, SpaceX has already landed three major AI deals, and its Starlink internet arm does generate cash. Even so, it is borrowing heavily to fund its expansion into two high-risk areas -- space and AI -- and it isn't clear when they will start to pay off. In fact, some of its forays into unproven technologies may never generate revenue.

3. Elon Musk is part of SpaceX's DNA SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is part of why the company's IPO broke so many records. Some invested in SpaceX purely because they believed Musk could deliver, regardless of the risks. But his reputation is not the only reason Musk and SpaceX are tied; the firm is structured around his leadership.

Musk's Class B shares have 10 times the voting power of the Class A shares investors bought in its IPO, giving him control of around 80% of SpaceX's votes. Among other things, if shareholders lose faith in his leadership, they can't force his dismissal. That raises some interesting governance questions that will likely play out in the coming years.

It also raises a practical issue because Musk has other commitments, and any distractions could delay SpaceX's ambitious timelines. Moreover, without a clear succession plan, SpaceX may not survive if ill health or other issues remove Musk from the helm.

The period after high-profile IPOs is always volatile. Throw in the high risks, heavy spending, debt, and structural challenges, and it makes sense for long-term investors to wait and reevaluate SpaceX once the frenzy has passed.

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Google has expanded the scope of data it collects to train its artificial intelligence models, now incorporating media uploaded by users across several of its primary search-related services.

The policy change, Engadget reported Monday (July 6), was implemented without much public fanfare and allows the technology giant to use images, audio, video and other files submitted through tools such as Google Lens and Google Translate.

Google’s move highlights the demand for high-quality datasets as generative AI developers confront a scarcity of fresh information to feed their large language models.

Under the updated terms, any photo uploaded to Google Lens for visual identification or audio captured during a voice-activated search may be harvested for training purposes. The data collection also extends to any files processed through Google Translate, encompassing “images, files and audio and video recordings,” according to the report.

For professionals in the digital economy and banking sectors concerned with data privacy or corporate security, it is notable that users are automatically opted into this training program. Engadget, citing earlier findings by TechCrunch, notes that the current policy is restricted to search-related products; personal repositories such as Google Photos are currently excluded from this specific training data sweep.

As generative AI seeks new data sources, Google has provided a manual mechanism for users to restrict their data from being used in this manner. To opt out, users must navigate to their dedicated Search Services History page to uncheck the “Save Media” box. Additionally, users are advised to review their Search Services Personalization settings to ensure no further media is being retained for AI training.

For those seeking to limit their interaction with Google’s AI outputs entirely, the report also highlights a technical workaround: appending “-AI” to a search query will effectively remove AI-generated overview results from the interface.

The shift underscores a broader trend among Big Tech firms seeking to leverage proprietary user interactions to maintain a competitive edge in the AI race, even as questions regarding user permission and data ownership persist. Google itself highlighted this trend earlier this year, when the company pressured news organizations to allow its AI to train on their articles or risk losing the annual payment for being featured in Google News.

Verizon Communications (VZ - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $42.07, moving -1.15% from the previous trading session. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.72% for the day. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.3%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 1.12%.

The stock of largest U.S. cellphone carrier has fallen by 6.19% in the past month, lagging the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 6.12% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.9%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Verizon Communications in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on July 24, 2026. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.27, signifying a 4.10% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $35.41 billion, indicating a 2.62% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $4.96 per share and a revenue of $142.69 billion, demonstrating changes of +5.31% and +3.25%, respectively, from the preceding year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Verizon Communications. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.33% increase. As of now, Verizon Communications holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Verizon Communications is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 8.57. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 10.59, so one might conclude that Verizon Communications is trading at a discount comparatively.

Also, we should mention that VZ has a PEG ratio of 1.04. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Wireless National industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.04.

The Wireless National industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 175, which puts it in the bottom 29% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.

Chainlink’s Smart Value Recapture product pulled in $3.57 million in revenue last week. Year-to-date, that figure now sits at $12.43 million.

SVR works by capturing what’s called oracle extractable value, or OEV. Every time a lending protocol like Aave needs to liquidate an undercollateralized position, there’s a window where the timing of the oracle price update creates value that would normally leak out to arbitrage bots. SVR runs an auction for the right to trigger those liquidations, captures that value, and splits it between Chainlink and the DeFi protocol hosting the activity.

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Where the money actually goes Of last week’s $3.57 million, roughly $2.3 million flowed back to DeFi protocols and approximately $1.27 million went to Chainlink.

Aave is the dominant player here, accounting for roughly 92% of total SVR revenue. Compound, Venus, and Morpho have also contributed to the recaptured value pool. Aave’s governance voted to adopt SVR on Arbitrum and Base in March 2026.

The other big number in this story is $49.5 million. That’s how much has flowed into what Chainlink calls its Reserve, a mechanism launched in August 2025 that converts enterprise oracle payments and on-chain profits into LINK token acquisitions.

The FastLane acquisition and what it means for SVR’s ceiling SVR launched in late 2024 or early 2025, built initially in collaboration with Aave contributors. Then in January 2026, Chainlink acquired Atlas, the order-flow auction protocol developed by FastLane Labs. Atlas brings more sophisticated transaction ordering and value capture across a broader range of ecosystems, which means SVR’s addressable market expands beyond liquidations to other categories of on-chain value that currently leak to searchers and validators.

What investors should watch The concentration risk around Aave is worth monitoring. At 92% of SVR revenue, any governance shift at Aave, any migration to a competing oracle solution, or any slowdown in Aave’s liquidation volume would have an outsized impact on SVR’s weekly figures. The Arbitrum and Base expansions reduce that dependency at the margin, but the current revenue picture is essentially an Aave story.

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

Shares of Lemonade (LMND +10.04%) furthered their recent ascent on Monday. Investors are growing increasingly intrigued by the future earnings power of the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered insurance provider.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

A favorable new deal should bolster Lemonade's profitability The market continues to reprice Lemonade's shares following its announcement on June 30 that it renewed its reinsurance program on significantly better terms.

Lemonade will now cede about 18% of premium to reinsurers, down from a prior 20%. The new agreement also increases Lemonade's catastrophe protection.

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Reinsurers provide insurance to other insurance companies. They take on a portion of the liabilities in exchange for some of the premium.

The new terms are set to boost Lemonade's profits, while also reducing its risks. That's a good deal for shareholders.

"This renewal improves Lemonade's reinsurance economics, coverage, and capital efficiency at the same time," chief financial officer Tim Bixby said. "We are retaining more premium, adding protection against the volatility that matters most, and doing so on terms that are attractive on a risk-adjusted basis."

AI is fueling Lemonade's growth With hassle-free service, minimal paperwork, and competitive rates, Lemonade is winning new business at an impressive clip. The AI-driven insurer's revenue soared 71% to $258 million in the first quarter, driven by a 23% jump in customers and a 32% rise in in-force premium to $1.3 billion.

Management said in its Q1 letter to shareholders that Lemonade is on track to achieve positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) in the fourth quarter.

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

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AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC 7.94%), a theatrical motion picture exhibition and cinema operations company, closed at $1.74, down 7.93%.  Investors are monitoring the upcoming earnings webcast and summer box office performance closely.

How the markets moved todayS&P 500 (^GSPC +0.72%) closed at 7,537.43, up 0.72%, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC +1.12%) finished at 26,121, up 1.12%. Among movie theater exhibition and cinema operations peers, Cinemark Holdings (CNK 5.01%) closed at $29.95, down 5.01%, and IMAX (IMAX 6.39%) closed at $37.33, down 6.39%, showing weak trading across the group.

What this means for investorsAMC’s decline came as selected theater stocks traded lower, with investors weighing the company’s recent capital raises against improving box-office trends. The $150 million at-the-market offering and $200 million registered direct offering added liquidity and supported debt-reduction efforts, but the new share issuance keeps dilution central to the stock’s near-term debate.

The summer box office is helping balance out AMC’s challenges. The company just had its busiest U.S. weekend of 2026, thanks to Toy Story 5 and other new releases. Higher attendance and more food and drink sales show how quickly AMC can benefit from a healthier release slate. The next quarterly report will reveal whether this increased traffic is leading to better profits and sufficient financial improvement to ease pressure on its financing.

Eric Trie 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.

A HyperSwap user lost about $12,300 after clicking a fake airdrop link on X, approving one wallet request, and unknowingly giving a scammer control of his funds.

BeInCrypto reconstructed the attack with the victim using public blockchain records. The records show a fast phishing operation inside the Hyperliquid ecosystem. 

The scammer took the victim’s position on HyperSwap, withdrew the funds behind it, converted them into HYPE, and moved the money to Ethereum in less than two minutes.

Note: HyperSwap is an exchange that runs on the Hyperliquid blockchain. HyperSwap has its own team, and Hyperliquid does not manage it — just as the creators of Ethereum do not manage applications like Uniswap running on it.

The Trap Started With a Fake X Account The victim used HyperSwap. Like other decentralized exchanges, it lets users trade directly from their wallets without a company holding their funds.

The victim had supplied money to a HyperSwap liquidity pool. In simple terms, he had deposited crypto, so other users could trade against it. In return, he could earn fees.

On HyperSwap V3, that position was represented by NFT #178549. This was not a picture or collectible. It was more like a digital receipt. Whoever controlled that NFT controlled the funds linked to the position.

The victim told BeInCrypto he saw a post on X promoting an airdrop. An airdrop is a token giveaway, often used by crypto projects to reward users.

The Scammer’s Post Using a Fake X Account with a Very Similar Username to the Official HyperSwap Account The post appeared to come from HyperSwap. It did not. It came from an impostor account with a handle that closely resembled the real HyperSwap account, HyperSwapX, which is linked from the project’s official website.

The victim followed the link and connected his wallet. He believed he was checking whether he qualified for the airdrop. Instead, he approved a transaction that gave the scammer permission to move his HyperSwap position.

That approval was the key moment.

One Approval Gave the Scammer Control Crypto wallets often ask users to approve transactions. Some approvals are harmless. Others give another address permission to move valuable assets.

To most users, the warning can look routine. A fake site can make a dangerous approval look like a normal step in claiming tokens.

That appears to be what happened here.

At 20:21:51 UTC on June 29, the scammer used the earlier approval to transfer NFT #178549 out of the victim’s wallet. The victim did not sign anything at that moment. The scammer had already secured permission.

The scammer’s address was 0x880C95246D7525b84902E6c040818a7C72d3Aa77. HyperEVM explorer records flagged it as Fake_Phishing3746335, with a “Phish / Hack” tag reported by HashDit.

The NFT moved to another scammer-controlled wallet. Once that happened, the attacker controlled the liquidity position.

Twenty-five seconds later, the scammer withdrew the funds behind the NFT. The position contained about 3,935 USDC and 116.6 WHYPE. Together, they were worth roughly $12,300 at the time.

Theft transaction in hyperevmscan: On June 29, 2026, the address marked as Fake_Phishing3746335 transferred the victim’s NFT (0x39f2…0f9E) to his wallet The Money Was Moved Fast After withdrawing the funds, the scammer prepared to move them away from HyperEVM.

First, the wallet gave permission to LI.FI, a legitimate cross-chain bridge and swap service. A bridge lets users move crypto from one blockchain to another.

There is no evidence that LI.FI took part in the theft. The scammer used it after stealing the funds.

The scammer then converted the stolen USDC and WHYPE into about 175.9 HYPE. Seconds later, the HYPE was bridged from HyperEVM to Ethereum.

The destination was 0xFa47eef42fB2C63DCEA0cAC2295a58036052932D. On Ethereum, that wallet received the funds and almost immediately moved 7.035 ETH onward in one transaction.

The wallet had been created shortly before. It was used once and left almost empty. That pattern is common in laundering chains, where stolen funds pass through temporary wallets to make tracing harder.

From the NFT transfer to the bridge transaction, the active theft took about 84 seconds.

A Wider Phishing Pattern The scammer’s wallet appeared to be part of a broader operation.

Explorer records reviewed by BeInCrypto showed the address had been active for about 33 days. It was also linked to roughly 25 other addresses. That suggests the attacker may have targeted more than one user.

The link to the fraudulent resource has been hanging in messages since June 26 For victims, the problem is practical. Blockchain records can show what happened. They rarely stop it from happening in real time.

Once a user signs a bad approval, the scammer can act quickly. Once funds move across chains, recovery becomes even harder.

The victim later tried to report the suspicious link and get it removed. He said he felt ignored and began to suspect the HyperSwap team had failed to act.

The on-chain evidence reviewed by BeInCrypto points to a phishing attack from an impostor account. The fake X account was separate from HyperSwap’s official account. The official HyperSwap account and official contract were not shown to have carried out the theft.

However, the victim’s experience highlights a serious weakness in the ecosystem. Users can be attacked through fake social media accounts, drained through confusing wallet approvals, and left with few clear options after the money is gone.

During a conversation with BeInCrypto journalists, the victim stated that they tried various ways to warn the Hyperliquid team about the scam, but received no response.

According to the victim, the only active communication channel with HyperSwap was Discord. At the time of writing, the link to it is invalid. So he tried to get the problem across to the ecosystem team where the project works, but that attempt was unsuccessful.

The screenshot shows our interlocutor trying to reach Hyperliquid support via Discord. In this case, the Hyperliquid command ignores the user’s request to send a message about the found vulnerability and prompts him to contact HyperSwap himself. Overall, the scammer’s method was simple. A fake account promoted a fake airdrop. A fake site secured wallet approval. A flagged phishing wallet took the victim’s HyperSwap position, emptied it, and moved the funds to Ethereum.

The loss was about $12,300. The theft took less than two minutes.

The victim suggested that HyperSwap employees may be involved in the theft or are deliberately hiding it. However, BeInCrypto could not find any exact information to support those claims. 

SAN FRANCISCO, July 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX) faces a securities class action lawsuit after its April 30, 2026 Q1 2026 report indicating a surprisingly large sequential decline in daily active users (“DAUs”) tempered by its age-check rollout. The news drove the price of Roblox shares down $10.13 (-18%) the next trading day and erased over $6.7 billion from the company’s market capitalization.

The lawsuit seeks to represent investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Roblox common stock between October 30, 2025 and April 30, 2026.

National shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman is investigating the legal claims that Roblox and its co-defendants violated the federal securities laws. The firm encourages Roblox investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.

Class Period: Oct. 30, 2025 – Apr. 30, 2026
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Aug. 7, 2026
Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/rblx
Contact the Firm Now: [email protected] | 844-916-0895

Roblox Corporation (RBLX) Securities Class Action:

The primary focus of the litigation is on the propriety of Roblox’s disclosures about the impact on its business and prospects of the age-check verification rollout aimed at increasing safety within certain social features on its platform. The rollout began in November 2025.

Throughout the Class Period, Roblox has characterized its rollout as the “gold standard” intended to be implemented with “no friction.” The company has also touted its high year-over-year DAU growth and related revenue and bookings growth.

As recently as February 5, 2026, during Roblox’s Q4 2025 earnings call, CEO David Baszucki responded to an analyst’s question about additional detail about the age-check rollout, assuring investors that “[w]e’re very excited and proud of the way our age verification rollout has gone” and “we found so many other opportunities for optimization that I’m very pleased and happy about the way the rollout has gone.”

The complaint alleges that Roblox made false and misleading statements while failing to disclose important information to investors about the true state of the company’s growth potential. More specifically, the complaint alleges that Roblox would see significant growth slowdown as enrollments in its age-check rollout would quickly taper, compounding the resulting slowdown in on-line platform communication and resulting in app store rating reductions and a swift reduction in organic growth.

The truth entered the market on April 30, 2026. That day, Roblox reported its Q1 2026 financial results, revealed a steep deceleration in year-over-year and sequential DAU growth, slashed its 2026 revenue guidance (reflecting ongoing shrinkage in DAU growth), and severely cut its 2026 bookings growth midpoint from 24% to just 10%.

The company blamed its adverse situation on just 51% of Roblox global DAUs having age checked and further revealed that “as a result of age check […] we have seen a reduction in app store ratings, and we believe this may be contributing to a reduction in organic sign-ups that typically flow from app stores.” Roblox also said its lowered prospects are the result of “continued friction” resulting from the age-check rollout.

“We’re focused on when Roblox and its management knew of the adverse consequences of the age-check rollout and whether they intentionally misled investors,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm’s investigation.

If you invested in Roblox and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that will assist the firm’s investigation, submit your losses now.

If you’d like more information and answers to other frequently asked questions about the Roblox case and the firm’s investigation, read more.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Roblox should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman’s team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. 

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.

Contact:
Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895

Solana price has held above key technical support even after slipping 1.7%, while U.S.-listed spot Solana ETFs have continued attracting fresh inflows as Bitcoin and Ethereum funds recorded weekly withdrawals.

Summary

Solana held above key support as $5.75 million in spot ETF inflows contrasted with Bitcoin and Ethereum fund outflows. Solana ranked second in weekly spot trading volume, while non-vote transactions topped 1 billion for the first time. Rising active users, strong DApp revenue, and bullish technical indicators continue to support Solana’s recovery. After climbing more than 15% last week, Solana (SOL) price met selling pressure near the $80 level, where traders again defended resistance amid the broader market pullback. Even after the recent recovery, the token remains about 73% below its all-time high of $294.33 reached on Jan. 19, 2025.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin fell 1.65% during the same period, dragging the total cryptocurrency market capitalization down 1.47% to $2.14 trillion.

ETF demand has stayed positive despite market weakness Fund flow data showed Solana diverging from the two largest cryptocurrencies during the latest reporting period. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of $527 million between June 29 and July 2, extending their losing streak to eight consecutive weeks. Spot Ethereum ETFs also registered net outflows totaling $13.67 million.

By contrast, U.S.-listed spot Solana ETFs attracted $5.75 million in net inflows over the same period. The inflows indicated that investors continued adding exposure despite weakness across the wider digital asset market.

Capital also moved into several other altcoin investment products. XRP ETFs recorded $17.19 million in net inflows, while HYPE ETFs added another $4.32 million during the week.

Away from fund flows, on-chain activity continued to strengthen. According to SolanaFloor, Solana ranked second in global spot crypto trading volume for the second consecutive week, processing $12.25 billion across centralized and decentralized exchanges. That total remained ahead of Bybit’s $10.57 billion, although Binance retained the top position among exchanges during the reporting period.

SolanaFloor also reported that weekly non-vote transactions surpassed one billion for the first time. Unlike validator voting activity, non-vote transactions represent actual network usage generated by users, decentralized applications, and traders. The sharp rise at the beginning of July points to heavier activity across the ecosystem.

Technical structure still favors buyers above key support Network participation has accelerated alongside the recovery. According to Artemis data, Solana’s weekly active addresses climbed from 16.8 million to 29.7 million in just two weeks, an increase of roughly 12.9 million wallets, or about 76.8%. The rebound followed slower activity during June as users returned to decentralized applications across the network.

Source: Artemis Separate ecosystem rankings also kept Solana at the top of several blockchain activity metrics. The network led all Layer 1 and Layer 2 chains in both 24-hour and seven-day decentralized application revenue while also recording the highest decentralized exchange trading volume over those periods. Polygon, Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain and Hyperliquid followed behind across the tracked categories.

Price action continues to support the improving network data. On the daily chart, Solana remains above its 20-day, 50-day and 100-day moving averages, while the MACD indicator is still in bullish territory despite momentum easing after last week’s rally.

Solana daily price chart — July 6 | Source: crypto.news On the 4-hour chart, the Supertrend indicator continues to hold below price near $78.30, and Chaikin Money Flow has stayed slightly above zero, indicating modest buying pressure.

Solana price 4-hour chart — July 6 | Source: crypto.news The latest consolidation has left immediate resistance around the recent high near $84, while the Supertrend level near $78 and the Fibonacci support around $76 remain the first areas buyers may need to defend if selling pressure returns. Together with steady ETF inflows and rising network activity, those technical levels suggest Solana’s recovery remains intact unless those support zones give way.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

BonkDAO, the decentralized autonomous organization tied to the Solana-based memecoin BONK, said Monday it was the target of a malicious governance proposal that drained an estimated $20 million worth of BONK tokens from its treasury, according to a post on its official X account. The DAO said the…

BonkDAO, the decentralized autonomous organization tied to the Solana-based memecoin BONK, said Monday it was the target of a malicious governance proposal that drained an estimated $20 million worth of BONK tokens from its treasury, according to a post on its official X account.

The DAO said the attack routed through a governance vote rather than a smart-contract bug, a vector that has hit other protocols this year, including a June governance takeover at Balancer-linked TOP token pools that drained $1.58 million.

BonkDAO said it has already identified the exchange wallets used to buy BONK ahead of the proposal being submitted, a pattern suggesting the attacker positioned tokens before pushing the malicious vote through. The DAO is "actively working with exchanges, bridges and Solana Foundation to best manage the situation," per its statement.

Law Enforcement NotifiedBonkDAO said law enforcement has been notified and that it continues working with "relevant parties to recover funds and identify those responsible," according to the same post. The DAO did not name a suspect or disclose the specific governance mechanism exploited to pass the proposal.

The disclosure came directly from BonkDAO's verified X account, with no on-chain transaction hash, security-firm tracing report, or third-party confirmation yet available. BONK is among the largest Solana memecoins by market capitalization, and a governance-level treasury drain of this size marks one of the larger DAO exploits reported this year via the proposal-attack vector rather than a code vulnerability.