News linked to both this project and an event.
Apple will release its earnings report after the US stock market closes on Thursday. The market will focus on whether it can sustain its strong performance as a beneficiary of the "Anti-capex AI Trade." So far this year, Apple's stock price has risen by 24%, making it the best performer among the "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks, and it has repeatedly broken the $5 trillion market capitalization mark.Analysts suggest that investors are shifting towards Apple due to concerns about the returns on massive AI capital expenditures, as the company maintains relatively lower capital spending. However, Apple's current forward price-to-earnings ratio for the next 12 months has risen to about 35 times, the highest since 2008. Meanwhile, rising memory chip costs and pressure on profit margins may become key points of focus in this earnings report. (Bloomberg)
MEXC, in collaboration with CoinGecko, has released the latest report "How Crypto Exchanges Are Reshaping Traditional Asset Trading," which provides an in-depth analysis of the rapid expansion of traditional financial assets on centralized crypto exchanges and the shift in global investor behavior.Key findings of the report:1. The TradFi (Traditional Finance) trading volume of six major centralized exchanges surged from $3.46 billion in January 2025 to $393.15 billion in June 2026, representing a growth of over 100 times. Among this, perpetual contracts accounted for 98.5% of the total trading volume in June 2026.2. In June 2026, US equities surpassed precious metals to become the largest TradFi asset class, with monthly trading volume increasing by 337.4% to $189.84 billion, capturing a 48.3% market share. Meanwhile, precious metals trading volume decreased by 48.2% from its March peak, falling to $122.59 billion.3. MEXC's TradFi monthly trading volume grew approximately 59 times, rising from $1.54 billion in November 2025 to $91.12 billion in May 2026. Between January and May 2026, MEXC maintained the second-largest market share among the six exchanges for five consecutive months.4. In precious metals trading, MEXC ranked first among the six exchanges for two consecutive months, with trading volumes reaching $72.12 billion and $85.15 billion in April and May 2026, respectively.5. Among native crypto users, 61.9% have begun trading traditional assets through crypto exchanges.6. Among users with traditional finance experience, 74.2% have transferred some or all of their traditional asset trading to crypto exchanges.7. Across all respondents, 83.3% indicated plans to further increase their scale of trading traditional assets on crypto exchanges.
Odaily News As Bitcoin prices have experienced a significant correction, publicly listed companies that had accumulated large BTC holdings are facing multiple challenges, including falling stock prices, debt pressures, and a deteriorating financing environment. Some of these companies are now starting to sell Bitcoin, repay debts, and even pivot towards artificial intelligence (AI) data center operations.Strategy pioneered the "Digital Asset Treasury (DAT)" model, continuously purchasing Bitcoin through financing and borrowing, inspiring a wave of other listed companies to follow suit. However, as the BTC price has fallen approximately 50% from its peak of around $126,000 in October 2025, the stock prices of related companies have also shrunk significantly, forcing them to reassess their BTC accumulation strategies.This week, shareholders of London-listed company Satsuma Technology approved the liquidation of all 668 BTC, returning capital to shareholders, while proceeding with delisting. Another London-listed company, The Smarter Web Company, sold 178 BTC to repay its convertible debt.Additionally, Sequans Communications has sold 1,025 BTC and further sold nearly 80% of its remaining holdings to repay convertible bonds. The company stated it will not continue purchasing Bitcoin in the future and plans to sell the remaining approximately 658 BTC.Nakamoto's stock price has fallen approximately 99% since its SPAC listing in May 2025. The company recently sold about 284 BTC, raising approximately $20 million for working capital. Of its remaining approximately 5,342 BTC, nearly 70% has been pledged as collateral for loans from Kraken, which market observers believe poses a potential risk event.Meanwhile, Bitcoin mining companies are also adjusting their strategies. Companies like Bitdeer Technologies and MARA Holdings are selling portions of their BTC to repurchase shares, repay debts, and redirect energy resources and computing infrastructure towards AI data center operations.Other companies selling BTC include Empery Digital. Data shows that Strategy has recently sold approximately 3,620 BTC and has authorized further asset sales to maintain its U.S. dollar reserves.However, Strategy remains the world's largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, with holdings exceeding 840,000 BTC. The company's CEO, Michael Saylor, stated that while it may sell some Bitcoin in the future to pay dividends, this does not mean the company is exiting its Bitcoin investment.Beyond asset adjustments, management and capital operations at some Bitcoin treasury companies are also changing. Jack Mallers has stepped down as CEO; and Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company (BSTR), affiliated with Adam Back, failed to complete a proposed merger due to the deteriorating market environment.Analysts believe that with rising financing costs and increased BTC price volatility, the "borrowing to buy Bitcoin" treasury model is undergoing a reshuffle. Some companies are shifting from simply hoard
Driven by the profit surge from the AI boom and the impact of U.S. tariff policies, South Korean companies are launching their largest wave of U.S. investment and M&A in recent years. According to data from the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance, the actual foreign direct investment (FDI) by South Korean companies in the U.S. in the first quarter of this year more than doubled year-on-year to $10.2 billion, hitting a five-year high. Companies benefiting from the AI infrastructure boom, such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, are accelerating their布局 in the U.S. AI supply chain. Samsung has already participated in funding rounds for ZutaCore, a company specializing in AI data center liquid cooling, and Groq, an AI chip company. Meanwhile, SK Hynix plans to invest $10 billion in U.S. innovative enterprises. Investment bankers believe that with Chinese buyers exiting the M&A market for large-scale U.S. tech assets, South Korean companies are entering a "golden period" for U.S. M&A. (Financial Times)
: U.S. prediction market platform Kalshi experienced explosive growth during the 2026 World Cup, with platform trading volume soaring from $6.67 billion on June 22 to $24.2 billion on July 14. The single "World Cup Champion" prediction market saw trading volume exceed $1.2 billion. Kalshi stated that its growth reflects a new trend in the AI era: as the volume of AI-generated content increases substantially, authentic, real-time, and non-replicable human interaction scenarios are becoming scarcer, positioning prediction markets as a novel tool for observing public sentiment and collective judgment.Meanwhile, Kalshi is seeking to transform from a sports prediction platform into the next-generation financial trading infrastructure. The company currently holds Designated Contract Market (DCM) status recognized by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and plans to expand into more prediction areas including sports, geopolitics, culture, and economics. (Fortune)
: As concerns over risks related to artificial intelligence intensify, bearish bets against the US stock market are climbing to record highs, reflecting investor skepticism about the sustainability of the current rally.Data shows that short interest in S&P 500 index components as a percentage of free float has approached 3.79%, the highest level since S3 Partners began tracking it in 2010. Meanwhile, the short interest ratio for Russell 3000 index components recently rose to 6.3%, also a new record.Previously, the S&P 500 has gained about 18% since late March, propelling the market higher. However, some investors are beginning to worry about the sustainability of the AI-driven tech rally and the risk of a correction amid high valuations.Analysts point out that the significant increase in short positions not only reflects investor concerns about AI bubble risks, earnings expectations, and market concentration but could also serve as a key signal of heightened market volatility.However, historical data shows that high short interest levels do not necessarily indicate an imminent market decline. If corporate earnings continue to improve or AI investments deliver better-than-expected returns, short covering could in turn drive stocks even higher. (Bloomberg)
According to Reuters, the PayPal board believes the $53 billion acquisition offer ($60.50 per share) jointly proposed by Stripe and private equity firm Advent International undervalues the company, and has concerns regarding regulatory approval risks and financing certainty; it has not yet formally responded to the proposal. The PayPal board believes that if management successfully executes the existing transformation strategy, the company's future potential value will far exceed the current offer. Meanwhile, the acquirers have obtained approximately $50 billion in financing support from JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, with Stripe and Advent contributing a combined $17 billion in equity. Reportedly, if the parties encounter antitrust hurdles, they may consider divesting assets such as PayPal's Braintree to Advent. Despite differences, Stripe and Advent are still regarded as the most serious potential buyers at present, and negotiations are expected to continue for some time. PayPal will release its quarterly earnings report on July 28, and the market will closely monitor the growth of its core checkout business.
Odaily reports, as the value of the artificial intelligence industry rapidly increases, political and tech circles in the United States have begun discussing how to share the immense wealth generated by AI with the public. A series of proposals all point in the same direction: having the government or public institutions hold equity in AI companies.Recently, Sam Altman discussed the possibility of granting the U.S. government or other public entities partial ownership in OpenAI. Meanwhile, the U.S. government already holds approximately 10% of Intel's shares, and it has indicated it may receive a certain percentage of revenue from NVIDIA's chip sales to China.U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders proposed that major AI laboratories contribute half of their shares to a new sovereign wealth fund, allowing the public to share in the growth dividends of the AI industry.Observers suggest that these plans essentially aim to redistribute some of the economic benefits from AI development back to society. However, critics point out that most current proposals boil down to one model: having the government hold equity in AI companies.Supporters argue that AI could become the most significant productivity transformation in the coming decades, and involving the government in revenue distribution could alleviate wealth concentration. Opponents, however, worry that direct government ownership of stakes in tech companies could impact market competition, corporate governance, and innovation incentives.As the valuation of the AI industry continues to rise, how to distribute the economic benefits generated by artificial intelligence is becoming a core topic of debate among U.S. policymakers and the tech industry. (The Information)
stablecoin banking platform Flex has announced the completion of a $70 million Series B1 funding round, led by Halo Fund. The new capital will be used to expand Flex Global, its stablecoin-based cross-border commercial banking platform, helping mid-sized enterprises conduct global payments and treasury management via stablecoin infrastructure. Data shows that the annual stablecoin payment volume has reached approximately $390 billion, with B2B transaction volume growing roughly 733% year-over-year. Meanwhile, as of April 2026, Visa's stablecoin settlement volume had reached an annualized $7 billion, representing a 50% year-over-year increase. (Forbes)
Elliptic (@elliptic) officially announced that blockchain analytics company Elliptic has received strategic investment from Circle Ventures. Previously, the company completed a $120 million Series D funding round in May this year, led by One Peak, with participation from Nasdaq Ventures, Deutsche Bank, and British Commercial Bank. Meanwhile, Circle has officially joined Elliptic's Agentic Design Partner Program. The program brings together infrastructure providers, compliance institutions, and technical teams to jointly develop compliance solutions for AI agents. Elliptic noted that AI agents differ from traditional bots, as they can set goals autonomously and make independent decisions. Their operating speed and scale have far exceeded the capacity limits of manual compliance systems, urgently requiring specialized solutions to address.
According to CoinDesk, Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company (BSTR) and Cantor Equity Partners I (CEPO) announced on July 8, 2026, that both parties will no longer proceed with the transaction under the original merger agreement signed in July 2025, but will instead renegotiate new terms to better reflect the current market environment. Meanwhile, the private investment in public equity (PIPE) arrangement attached to the original merger agreement will no longer be a prerequisite condition for the completion of the transaction. CEPO's shareholder meeting originally scheduled for July 10 has been postponed indefinitely; all redemption requests previously submitted will be cancelled, and the relevant shares will be returned to investors. BSTR initially planned to list via this SPAC merger, at which time its balance sheet would hold over 30,000 Bitcoins, and intended to raise up to $1.5 billion through PIPE financing to increase Bitcoin holdings.
According to the official announcement, Bybit Spot listed GROVE (GROVE/USDT) on the spot market at 15:00 UTC on July 7. Meanwhile, GROVE has joined the Bybit Token Splash Trading Competition, where eligible users have the chance to participate and share a GROVE prize pool of 4 million. Grove is unlocking the potential of the stablecoin economy. Through institutional-grade asset allocation, financing, and liquidity services, Grove brings real-world assets (RWA) and real-world application scenarios on-chain, helping build the next-generation global financial market.
the boom in AI infrastructure investment is cooling, and the market has begun to reassess the sustainability of spending on chips and data centers. As investors re-evaluate whether investment in AI infrastructure can be sustained, the "AI trade," which encompasses the semiconductor, memory chip, and data center industry chain, is showing signs of slowdown.Recently, AI-related chip stocks such as Micron Technology (MU) and SanDisk (SNDK) have come under pressure. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics reported record-breaking second-quarter results, but its revenue fell short of market expectations. Its stock price still fell nearly 7%, dragging the entire AI chip sector lower.Market concerns are growing that as major cloud computing providers (Hyperscalers) may slow down their AI infrastructure investments, the current AI boom cycle, driven by GPUs, High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), and data center construction, could face a repricing. Concurrently, South Korean memory chip giant SK hynix's stock price has fallen about 25% from its all-time high ahead of its US listing, and its IPO is also attracting some funds away from existing chip stocks.Analysts point out that after SpaceX's massive IPO inflated valuations of AI-related assets, investors are reassessing the growth logic for the next phase of the AI rally. If the intensity of AI investment declines further, some capital might flow back from the AI industry chain to other risk assets, including crypto assets. (CoinDesk)
: SK Hynix's US stock listing roadshow PPT has been exposed. It is reported that Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited, Coatue Management, and Situational Awareness Partners have each (not jointly) indicated their intention to subscribe for American Depositary Shares (ADS) in the offering, with a total subscription amount of up to $7 billion at the initial public offering price.According to the disclosed information, SK Hynix's motivation for this listing is a dual pursuit of valuation reassessment and capital expansion. The company has long faced a valuation discount dilemma, currently trading at 6.2 times its expected P/E ratio for the next 12 months, lower than Micron Technology's 7 times. In terms of expected price-to-sales ratio, its 3.6 times is also lower than Micron's 4.6 times. The fundamental reason for this valuation gap is that US investors face obstacles in directly investing in Korean stocks. Meanwhile, the raised funds will be used for domestic capacity expansion in South Korea, including 45.5 trillion won in capital expenditure and 11.9 trillion won for the purchase of EUV lithography machines. (leinews)
According to Reuters, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is developing its own AI chips, three informed sources revealed. The chip is designed specifically for inference scenarios, rather than for model training. The project was launched approximately one year ago and remains in the early stages. The company has engaged with chip design, wafer foundry, and storage enterprises, and has quietly increased recruitment of chip design engineers without publicly posting job listings. If successfully developed, DeepSeek will reduce its reliance on Nvidia and Huawei Ascend chips, following the trend of global AI giants such as OpenAI and Anthropic developing their own hardware. Affected by U.S. export controls, DeepSeek previously shifted from Nvidia H800 to Huawei chips. This self-developed chip is regarded as a significant strategic transformation. Meanwhile, DeepSeek also plans to complete its first round of external financing, with a fundraising scale of approximately $7 billion, and a valuation reaching $52 billion to $59 billion.
Grayscale Research stated that Strategy sold a portion of Bitcoin last week, which may help reduce financing risk and support Bitcoin price stability. This sale of approximately $216 million increased its USD reserves, expected to cover dividend payment needs for approximately 17 months. Meanwhile, the STRC price rebounded, indicating investors reacted relatively positively to this decision.
Odaily News, CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost stated on platform X that currently, active Bitcoin investors are floating at a loss of about 20% on average, and market sentiment is in a "devaluation" phase, but has not yet reached the deep pressure levels typical of historical bear markets.Darkfost pointed out that the True Market Mean (TMM) is currently around $76,700. This indicator reflects the average cost basis of active circulating BTC supply (excluding coins that have been dormant for a long time, potentially lost, or illiquid). Historically, this level acted as a significant resistance zone in May, where some investors chose to exit the market without incurring losses or with minor losses. Meanwhile, the AVIV Ratio (Active Value to Investor Value) is currently around 0.8, meaning active investors are down approximately 20% from their cost basis. In contrast, during historical bear markets, this indicator typically drops to 0.5–0.6, corresponding to a deeper drawdown of about 40%–50%.Analysis suggests that in this cycle, the entry of institutional funds and ETFs has not changed Bitcoin's cyclical nature; the market continues to operate within its own structural framework. Although significant devaluation pressure is already evident, it may not necessarily need to fall to historical bear market extreme levels to trigger a rebound. Overall, cautious judgment regarding cyclical fluctuations remains necessary.
According to monitoring by on-chain analyst Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens), as the price of ANSEM continues to rise, its market cap has surpassed $350 million. Meanwhile, the ANSEM assets held by crypto KOL Ansem are currently valued at over $204 million.
: "White-Haired Stock God" Serenity posted on platform X, stating that based on the capital flow direction in China's private VC market, institutions are currently pouring into fields related to Physical AI and World Models on a large scale.Data shows the approximate capital distribution as follows: Large Models/LLMs at about $23.56 billion, AI Infrastructure and Technology Layer at about $15.74 billion, Embodied Intelligence/Physical AI at about $13.36 billion, AIGC Applications at about $8.79 billion, and Autonomous Driving plus other top 20 sub-sectors totaling about $3.82 billion (note: metrics may not be directly comparable).Serenity pointed out that early-stage pure foundational model financing is largely closed, with capital more concentrated in existing leading companies and the World Model direction. He expects this trend to also appear in the US, potentially concentrating further towards leading companies like Anthropic and OpenAI. Regarding AIGC applications, Serenity believes this track's commercialization is already relatively mature, but an absolute winner has yet to emerge, exhibiting a fragmented competitive landscape in both China and the US markets.Overall, Serenity concluded that current AI investments continue to flow into infrastructure and the semiconductor supply chain. Meanwhile, capital is rapidly rotating towards Physical AI and Embodied Intelligence, but the World Model track still lacks direct investment targets.
Ethlabs posted on X platform to address its non-profit positioning and funding situation. It stated that the choice to operate as a non-profit structure is to focus on the long-term development needs of Ethereum as a "public good" and to maintain the organization's independence and neutrality in research and development.Regarding governance structure, Ethlabs pointed out that its funding comes from large ETH holders and builders within the Ethereum ecosystem. These funders are closely aligned with the long-term success of Ethereum but will not receive any governance control, nor will they participate in roadmap formulation or project priority decisions. Ethlabs emphasized that this arrangement is a deliberate design aimed at preventing external capital from influencing its core direction.Meanwhile, Ethlabs indicated that the future continuous fundraising mechanism itself acts as a "accountability mechanism." Only by consistently creating real value for the Ethereum ecosystem can it secure subsequent funding support, thereby forming a long-term feedback loop.In terms of funding, Ethlabs revealed that it is currently in the final stages of fundraising and has not yet disclosed the specific amount. However, the pledged funding commitments are expected to support an operational cycle of 2 to 3 years and cover the needs for recruiting top-tier talent. Ethlabs emphasized its positioning as a long-term project, not a one-time grant program.