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Strategy sold 2.73 million MSTR shares for $263.5 million in net proceeds between July 13 and July 19. The company did not purchase any bitcoin during the week, leaving its holdings unchanged at 843,775 BTC, acquired at an average price of $75,476 per coin. Its U.S. dollar reserve increased to $3.225 billion. Investors will watch …
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BitMine said its crypto, cash, marketable securities, and other investments reached $11.5 billion as of July 19. The company holds 5.78 million ETH, about 4.8% of Ethereum’s supply, with more than 4.9 million ETH staked through its staking operations. BitMine also repurchased 5.5 million shares under its buyback program and added 7,430 ETH during the …
The post Can Stablecoin Market Cap Reach $1 Trillion? What the Data Reveals appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Stablecoins have evolved far beyond their original role as settlement assets for cryptocurrency trading. With the total stablecoin market exceeding $310 billion, growing institutional participation, record on-chain payment activity, and regulatory progress in major jurisdictions, several financial institutions now project the market could expand well beyond its current size over the next decade. Forecasts vary …
The US Dollar remained resilient against its major peers early Friday as investors continued to monitor developments in the Middle East and looked ahead to a fresh batch of US economic data.
Market participants are set to focus on the US economic calendar later in the day, which includes the June Export Price Index, Import Price Index, and Housing Starts data.
Investors will also watch the preliminary July Consumer Sentiment Index from the University of Michigan (UoM) for further clues on economic conditions.
The US Dollar regained momentum on Thursday after declining for two consecutive sessions.
The USD Index ended the day in positive territory, supported by stronger-than-expected Initial Jobless Claims data.
The stronger labor market data helped the greenback recover.
At the same time, increased risk aversion across global financial markets boosted demand for the US Dollar as a traditional safe-haven asset.
Early Friday, the USD Index held on to modest gains near the 100.80 level during the European session.
Investor sentiment remained cautious as geopolitical tensions continued to dominate market attention.
The United States carried out strikes for the sixth consecutive night, focusing on southern Iran.
According to Al Jazeera, officials in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran reported that civilian infrastructure, including power facilities and a train station, had been hit.
Separately, Reuters reported in an exclusive article published late Thursday that Iran had asked Yemen’s Houthi militia to remain prepared to close the Red Sea oil route if US strikes targeted Iranian power infrastructure.
The report highlighted a potential new threat to global energy supplies, contributing to the cautious mood across financial markets.
The geopolitical uncertainty prompted investors to reduce exposure to riskier assets.
Reflecting this shift, US stock index futures were down between 0.8% and 1.5% during the European morning session, pointing to a broader flight to safety.
The stronger US Dollar weighed on several major currencies.
The euro struggled to recover after Thursday’s decline, with the EUR/USD pair remaining below the 1.1450 mark during Friday’s European trading session.
The British pound also stayed under pressure.
GBP/USD extended its losses and moved toward 1.3450 after falling nearly 0.5% in the previous session.
Meanwhile, USD/JPY traded within a narrow range below 162.50.
Japan’s Finance Minister, Satsuki Katayama, reiterated on Friday that Japanese authorities stand ready to respond to currency movements whenever necessary.
The Indian Rupee opened marginally stronger against the US Dollar as trading headed into the weekend.
The USD/INR pair slipped toward the 96.30 level as the Indian currency gained ground.
As reported by Reuters, the move followed intervention by the Reserve Bank of India, which supported the rupee despite the broader strength seen in the US dollar.
With geopolitical tensions continuing to shape investor sentiment, markets will closely monitor the upcoming US economic releases for additional direction.
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The US Dollar traded in a narrow range at the start of the week, while major currency pairs showed limited movement.
Meanwhile, oil prices advanced amid the absence of any signs of de-escalation in the Middle East crisis.
The US Dollar (USD) Index fluctuated below the 101.00 level after posting a two-day rebound at the end of the previous week.
At the same time, US stock index futures traded little changed, indicating a cautious start to the trading week.
Oil prices moved higher at the beginning of the week as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East continued to support energy markets.
There were no indications of a de-escalation in the conflict, keeping investors focused on potential supply risks.
During Asian trading hours, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) announced that it kept its benchmark Loan Prime Rates (LPRs) unchanged.
The central bank left the one-year Loan Prime Rate at 3.00%, while the five-year reference rate remained at 3.50%.
Following the announcement, the Australian Dollar showed a limited reaction.
The AUD/USD pair traded relatively quietly on Monday and edged marginally higher during the session, remaining slightly below the 0.7000 mark.
Investors are also awaiting New Zealand’s quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, which Statistics New Zealand is scheduled to release during the early Asian trading session on Tuesday.
Ahead of the inflation release, the New Zealand Dollar remained firm.
The NZD/USD pair held on to modest gains and traded near the 0.5850 level during the European morning session on Monday.
The Euro traded with limited direction against the US Dollar at the start of the week.
The EUR/USD pair remained broadly flat during the day after opening with a small bearish gap.
It traded slightly below the 1.1450 level as investors refrained from taking significant positions.
The British Pound also posted modest gains against the US Dollar.
Market attention remained on political developments in the United Kingdom, with Andy Burnham set to become the country’s seventh Prime Minister in a decade later in the day.
Burnham is expected to appoint Shabana Mahmood as finance minister, with Mahmood widely viewed as someone who would support fiscal conservatism.
Against this backdrop, the GBP/USD pair held on to small gains and traded above the 1.3450 level at the start of the European session.
The Indian Rupee opened the week on a weaker footing against the US Dollar.
The USD/INR pair climbed to around 96.46, supported by a fresh rise in oil prices and continued foreign fund outflows from the Indian equity market.
The combination of higher energy prices and sustained selling by foreign investors weighed on the Indian currency at the start of the week.
Overall, currency markets remained largely range-bound as investors assessed geopolitical developments, monitored central bank decisions, and awaited key inflation data from Canada and New Zealand for further direction.
The post Global currencies trade in narrow ranges as markets focus on inflation and oil appeared first on Invezz
Crude oil prices continued rising on Hyperliquid as investors reacted to the ongoing escalation between the US and Iran. Brent jumped to $88.7, with its 24-hour volume soaring to $59 million. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark, rose to $83.62, with the volume rising to $111.2 million.
Brent and WTI prices continued their recovery this weekend as the US-Iran war escalated. The US launched the eighth round of attacks against key Iranian assets, with officials hinting that more attacks will be likely. According to Axios, the US has sent more air refueling planes to Israel in preparation for more attacks.
The current phase of attacks seems to be more severe, with the US focusing on key civilian infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. Iran, on the other hand, has warned that it would no longer abide to the terms of the agreement made with the US.
It has also warned its Gulf neighbors of more sustained attacks in the coming weeks. It attacked a key desalination plant in Kuwait during the weekend, with officials warning that airports and other essential infrastructure projects will be hit. As a result, there are concerns that this is turning into a forever war.
All this is happening at a time when analysts are warning that the buffers that prevented a more dramatic surge in oil prices in the first phase of the war were no longer there. A recent FT report cited Energy Aspect’s Amrita Sen, who warned that the roughly 400 million barrels of excess inventories at the start of the war have largely been depleted. She said:
“Now we have close to nothing. complacency around Hormuz flows is being severely tested.”
Recent data from the US shows that oil inventories have continued falling. A report by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed that inventories fell by 1.7 million barrels in the previous week.
At the same time, ship tracking data shows that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has continued to dwindle this month. Just ten ships were sailing through the Strait in the last 24 hours, with 444 of them waiting.
The worst part about all this is that there is no easy way out for the current phase of the war since the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed three weeks ago has failed.
Iran will not have an incentive to restart talks with the US as the country has attacked it at least three times during negotiations. It did that in June last year, February, and now during the MoU.
Iran will also have the incentive to prolong the war, and possibly close the Red Sea, a move that will dramatically reduce the amount of oil coming to the market. It has also warned that it will target Fujairah, another location where oil is still flowing to the market.
Brent crude oil price chart | Source: TradingView
The four-hour chart shows that Brent crude oil price jumped to its highest level since June 12. It has soared by over 25% from its lowest level in June.
Most notably, it has moved above the bullish pennant pattern, which is made up of a vertical line and a symmetrical triangle. It also moved above the key resistance at $83.25, its highest point on June 17.
Oil has also formed a cup-and-handle pattern and moved above the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA). Therefore, the price will likely continue soaring, potentially to the key resistance level of $100.
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Tesla stock dropped to a crucial support level on Friday as traders waited for the upcoming earnings. It also retreated as Xpeng, a top Chinese rival, hinted that it was about to launch a new Model Y killer. TSLA dropped to $380, down by over 23% from its highest point this year.
Xpeng, a top Chinese electric vehicle company worth over $12 billion, hinted that it was working on a new car that will take on Model Y in China and Europe. In a statement, the company’s co-founder said:
“I think we’re not far from beating Model Y. I really believe in that.”
The statement came after the company launched L03, its more affordable electric SUV that starts at about 35,600 euros. It launched this model simultaneously in China and Europe. It is a more affordable vehicle than Model Y, which starts at 39,990 euros.
Xpeng hopes that the new vehicle will help it supercharge its deliveries and stock. In a recent report, the company said that its deliveries stood at 40,126 vehicles in June and 103,295 in the second quarter. It delivered 34,611 vehicle in June and 103,181 vehicles in Q2 of last year.
Tesla has come under significant competition pressures in the past few years as Chinese companies have continued launching new models and gaining market share. Some of its top competitors are companies like BYD, SAIC, Nio, and Li Auto.
The next key catalyst for the TSLA stock price will be the upcoming earnings report that comes out on Wednesday.
Analysts expect these results to show that its revenue jumped in the second quarter after its strong deliveries. It produced 450,000 vehicles in the quarter and delivered 480k. This was a big turnaround after the company made 408k vehicles and delivered 358k.
One possible reason for the rebound is that gasoline prices jumped in the second quarter as the US-Iran war escalated. In most periods, a surge in gasoline prices pushes more people to buy EVs, which are often cheaper to maintain.
The average estimate among analysts is that the company’s revenue will come in at $26.36 billion, up by 17.20% YoY. For the year, analysts estimate that its revenue will jump by 10% to $104.5 billion.
In addition to the rising competition, the company is also seeing elevated costs, especially in the data center industry.
TSLA stock chart | Source: TradingView
The daily chart shows that the TSLA stock price has slumped in the past few months, moving from a high of $498 to the current $380. It has recently dropped below the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA).
The Percentage Price Oscillator (PPO) has moved below the zero line and is pointing downwards. Notably, it is hovering slightly above the ascending trendline that links the lowest swing since April last year.
Therefore, the most likely scenario is where the stock drops further, potentially to $350 after earnings. On the other hand, a rebound above $400 will point to more upside.
The post Tesla stock hits crucial support as Xpeng teases 'Model Y killer' ahead of earnings appeared first on Invezz
The US Dollar remained resilient against its major peers early Friday as investors continued to monitor developments in the Middle East and looked ahead to a fresh batch of US economic data.
Market participants are set to focus on the US economic calendar later in the day, which includes the June Export Price Index, Import Price Index, and Housing Starts data.
Investors will also watch the preliminary July Consumer Sentiment Index from the University of Michigan (UoM) for further clues on economic conditions.
The US Dollar regained momentum on Thursday after declining for two consecutive sessions.
The USD Index ended the day in positive territory, supported by stronger-than-expected Initial Jobless Claims data.
The stronger labor market data helped the greenback recover.
At the same time, increased risk aversion across global financial markets boosted demand for the US Dollar as a traditional safe-haven asset.
Early Friday, the USD Index held on to modest gains near the 100.80 level during the European session.
Investor sentiment remained cautious as geopolitical tensions continued to dominate market attention.
The United States carried out strikes for the sixth consecutive night, focusing on southern Iran.
According to Al Jazeera, officials in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran reported that civilian infrastructure, including power facilities and a train station, had been hit.
Separately, Reuters reported in an exclusive article published late Thursday that Iran had asked Yemen’s Houthi militia to remain prepared to close the Red Sea oil route if US strikes targeted Iranian power infrastructure.
The report highlighted a potential new threat to global energy supplies, contributing to the cautious mood across financial markets.
The geopolitical uncertainty prompted investors to reduce exposure to riskier assets.
Reflecting this shift, US stock index futures were down between 0.8% and 1.5% during the European morning session, pointing to a broader flight to safety.
The stronger US Dollar weighed on several major currencies.
The euro struggled to recover after Thursday’s decline, with the EUR/USD pair remaining below the 1.1450 mark during Friday’s European trading session.
The British pound also stayed under pressure.
GBP/USD extended its losses and moved toward 1.3450 after falling nearly 0.5% in the previous session.
Meanwhile, USD/JPY traded within a narrow range below 162.50.
Japan’s Finance Minister, Satsuki Katayama, reiterated on Friday that Japanese authorities stand ready to respond to currency movements whenever necessary.
The Indian Rupee opened marginally stronger against the US Dollar as trading headed into the weekend.
The USD/INR pair slipped toward the 96.30 level as the Indian currency gained ground.
As reported by Reuters, the move followed intervention by the Reserve Bank of India, which supported the rupee despite the broader strength seen in the US dollar.
With geopolitical tensions continuing to shape investor sentiment, markets will closely monitor the upcoming US economic releases for additional direction.
The post US dollar holds firm as Middle East tensions support safe-haven demand appeared first on Invezz
US stocks closed lower on Friday, capping a weak week for Wall Street as a deepening selloff in semiconductor stocks and renewed concerns over artificial intelligence spending weighed on investor sentiment.
The decline came despite a strong start to the second-quarter earnings season, with rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East adding to market uncertainty.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 394 points, or 0.75%, to close at 52,158.96.
The S&P 500 declined 1.01% to 7,457.78, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.40% to 25,511.12.
For the week, the S&P 500 lost more than 1%, the Nasdaq fell over 2%, and the Dow slipped nearly 1%.
Technology shares remained under pressure as investors continued to reassess the sustainability of the artificial intelligence investment boom that has fueled markets over the past year.
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) fell more than 8% for the week, marking its third weekly decline in four weeks.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index recorded its steepest weekly loss in more than a year and has fallen nearly 18% so far in July, although it remains up about 65% year to date.
The latest pressure followed the launch of a new artificial intelligence model by Chinese startup Moonshot AI, which claimed its Kimi K3 model narrows the gap with leading offerings from US companies.
The announcement added to concerns that increasing competition could reduce future demand for advanced AI chips and moderate the pace of technology spending.
The weakness in chipmakers eventually spread across the broader market as investors trimmed exposure to AI-related stocks.
Netflix was also among the session’s notable decliners, falling more than 6% after its earnings outlook failed to reassure investors about the sustainability of its growth.
Uber Technologies also declined after announcing its planned acquisition of Germany’s Delivery Hero in a deal valued at nearly $15 billion.
Shares of Intuitive Surgical also moved lower after the company maintained its procedure-growth forecast while warning that insurance-plan changes may be delaying patient care.
Although equity markets finished the week lower, the second-quarter earnings season has started on a positive note.
According to LSEG, 49 S&P 500 companies have reported results so far, with 90% exceeding analysts’ expectations.
Analysts now expect aggregate second-quarter S&P 500 earnings growth of 26%, up from projections of 19.2% at the beginning of April. Strong bank earnings earlier in the reporting season have helped lift overall expectations.
Economic data released on Friday presented a mixed picture.
Consumer sentiment improved to a five-month high in July, while industrial production edged up 0.1%. However, single-family housing starts and building permits both declined.
Investors also monitored escalating geopolitical tensions after the United States and Iran continued military strikes across the Middle East.
The renewed conflict has disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route, supporting higher crude prices.
US West Texas Intermediate crude traded above $81 per barrel, while Brent crude remained above $86.
The rise in oil prices helped energy stocks outperform the broader market, making the sector the strongest performer within the S&P 500 during Friday’s session.
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Some of Wall Street’s fastest-growing companies are turning expansion into something more tangible: cash.
Nvidia, Micron Technology, CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks have each reported sharp increases in operating or free cash flow while management or analysts lifted profit forecasts.
That combination provides stronger confirmation than an earnings beat alone because cash is available for research, acquisitions, buybacks and protection against downturns.
The catch is valuation, as these are financially strengthening businesses, but their shares already assume continued execution, leaving investors exposed if AI infrastructure, memory pricing or cybersecurity demand slows.
Nvidia generated a record $50.3 billion of operating cash flow in its fiscal first quarter, up from $27.4 billion a year earlier.
Free cash flow reached about $48.6 billion, giving the chipmaker ample room to fund product development, secure supply and support an additional $80 billion share-repurchase authorisation.
Consensus fiscal 2027 earnings estimates subsequently rose 14%, to $9.34 a share from $8.18.
KeyBanc analyst John Vinh raised his Nvidia target to $330 from $310 and retained an Overweight rating.
Writing in a note, Vinh said the CUDA software stack created “significant barriers to entry” and expected the Vera Rubin ramp to begin in July despite a slight delay.
Micron offers a more cyclical but faster-accelerating cash story. Fiscal third-quarter operating cash flow reached $25.39 billion, versus $4.61 billion a year earlier, while free cash flow hit $18 billion.
FactSet now expects fiscal 2026 earnings near $73.20 a share.
Long-term customer agreements provide added visibility, but Micron remains exposed to memory pricing and the industry’s history of overbuilding.
CrowdStrike’s fiscal first-quarter operating cash flow rose 54% to $590.9 million, while free cash flow increased nearly 68% to $468.5 million. Its free-cash-flow margin widened to 34% from 25%.
The cybersecurity company raised its fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings forecast to between $4.88 and $4.96 a share, from $4.78 to $4.90.
The improvement reflects the economics of its Falcon platform: customers can add identity, cloud and other security modules without CrowdStrike rebuilding its sales and infrastructure base for each product.
Morgan Stanley analysts said CrowdStrike still had room for further valuation expansion, while 22 brokerages raised targets after the quarter.
Yet the same report showed the stock trading at 138 times forward earnings.
That leaves little protection if annual recurring revenue, deal activity or cash conversion falls short of elevated expectations.
Palo Alto Networks generated $871 million of operating cash flow in its fiscal third quarter, up 39% from a year earlier.
Adjusted free cash flow climbed 57% to $910 million, while the trailing 12-month adjusted free-cash-flow margin expanded 4.3 percentage points to 38.5%.
Management raised fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings guidance to $3.77-$3.79 a share.
BTIG called Palo Alto its “top pick”, citing stronger momentum and larger contracts, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $420 and pointed to a “clear catalyst path.”
The platformisation strategy encourages customers to consolidate network, cloud, identity and AI-security tools with one provider, supporting recurring revenue and cash generation.
However, CyberArk and Chronosphere contributed $388 million of quarterly revenue, and adjusted cash flow excludes some acquisition-related costs.
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