Track the evolution of major financial and economic events
Ethereum is currently trading near $1,865, successfully breaking past the $1,800 resistance level following a rebound from its June low of $1,505. This upward momentum is fueled by inflows into Ethereum ETFs, which have now surpassed the $100 million milestone. With a technical pattern of ascending peaks and troughs established, market focus has shifted toward the $2,000 threshold.
New Zealand's annual inflation rate for the second quarter reached 4.1%, exceeding market expectations and the central bank's targets. The jump in consumer prices was primarily driven by surging fuel costs. Consequently, fears have deepened that interest rates will need to rise significantly in the coming months to combat the accelerating inflation.
Morgan Stanley has filed for low-fee Solana and Ethereum ETFs to be listed on NYSE Arca, featuring direct staking rewards for investors. This follows the launch of a tokenized investment fund on the Solana network by Japan's SBI Group. By July 24, Morgan Stanley received approval to list and trade these ETFs, submitting the final necessary filings with the US SEC to facilitate the official launch.
Steel Dynamics reported strong Q2 2026 results with a net income of $534 million and record steel shipments of 3.7 million tons. The company also repurchased $200 million in common stock, while Swedish steelmaker SSAB saw earnings growth driven by higher prices. However, high-strength steel markets in the Middle East were negatively impacted by the war in Iran, leading to increased costs.
Qualcomm has secured several key strategic developments, starting with a partnership with Vietnam's Viettel as the first global partner in the 6G Early Access Program. Additionally, Wetour Robotics joined the Qualcomm Partner Network to evaluate Dragonwing technologies for industrial use. The company also announced a long-term agreement with BMW to supply chips for future vehicle platforms. These chips will power digital cockpits and advanced driver-assistance systems through the next decade.
Tesla's earnings report brought its treasury holdings of 11,509 Bitcoin back into focus. Despite this, Tesla shares fell as rising R&D costs squeezed profits, while Alphabet shares declined following an increased capital expenditures forecast. Meanwhile, markets are awaiting Intel's earnings results, which are due to be released after the closing bell today.
Yemen's Houthi group announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, escalating regional tensions. The group threatened millions of barrels of Saudi oil passing through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait. Prediction markets currently estimate a 57% chance that the Houthis will successfully block Saudi ports by August 31.
AMD launched its first rack-scale AI system, Helios, which will be deployed by Microsoft in its Azure data centers to compete with Nvidia. Following this, Cerebras shares rose due to a technical partnership with AMD. Additionally, Core Scientific secured a deal with AMD for 2.5 gigawatts of data-center capacity, expected to generate over $14 billion in revenue. This significant partnership helped offset Core Scientific's wider-than-expected quarterly loss.
Domino's stock surged 7% following Q2 results where revenue reached $1.19 billion, slightly beating analyst estimates. While the CEO reaffirmed the company's strong growth trajectory, US same-store sales rose only 0.1%, marking the softest growth in five quarters. Additionally, earnings per share came in at $4.07, missing the projected analyst estimate of $4.18.
The London FTSE 100 edged lower to the 10,699 level, driven by escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and political uncertainty as Andy Burnham prepares to take office as the new Prime Minister. While Brent crude oil rose to $98 a barrel amid geopolitical concerns, gains in energy shares were offset by weakness in precious metal miners. Additionally, the UK government unveiled a 20% cut in business rates for pubs and clubs during this transition period.
BP has agreed to sell its Austrian mobility business, including petrol stations and EV charging infrastructure, to Volenergy as part of its strategic exit from the retail sector. The company is also in advanced negotiations to divest its solar business, Lightsource, to a consortium backed by Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund. Furthermore, BP has decided to market its UK North Sea assets for sale following discussions with Ithaca Energy. These actions highlight a broader trend of strategic divestments across the company's global portfolio.
AMC Entertainment reported record-breaking Q2 2026 results, achieving the highest quarterly revenue and Adjusted EBITDA in its 106-year history. The company's earnings easily surpassed Wall Street expectations, leading to a rise in AMC shares following the announcement. This historic performance highlights a period of significant financial growth that outperformed market projections.
IREN announced new multi-year cloud services contracts with leading AI developers totaling $2.8 billion in contract value. Following these agreements, the company raised its year-end 2026 AI Cloud annualized run-rate revenue (ARR) target to over $4 billion, up from the previous $3.7 billion forecast. These updates, confirmed between July 20 and 21, reflect a significant expansion in the company's customer base and future financial guidance.
Institutional Bitcoin holdings have reached approximately 4.19 million BTC across corporations, funds, and governments. Over the last 60 days, large-scale holders known as whales added more than 66,700 BTC to their portfolios, valued at $4.3 billion. These figures highlight a significant trend of accumulation by major institutional entities.
CLINUVEL has upgraded its U.S. listing to the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker CUVL to enhance liquidity and visibility. Meanwhile, Rockwell Medical announced it has regained compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirements. Additionally, Scancell Holdings agreed to an all-share merger with Neuphoria Therapeutics to secure its own Nasdaq listing.
Blackstone has invested in Futronic to expand its footprint in the industrial robotics and high-precision actuator sectors. Concurrently, Fortissimo Capital is in advanced talks to acquire RGIS's international operations from Blackstone for approximately $400 million. Additionally, Blackstone is seeking a $3 billion loan to finance its acquisition of AirTrunk data centers.
Ryanair reported a 36% drop in first-quarter after-tax profit, missing analyst estimates as operating costs climbed 11% to €3.8bn. The decline was primarily driven by geopolitical tensions causing unhedged jet fuel prices to double to $150 per barrel. Additionally, the airline warned that average summer fares are expected to be lower than last year due to ongoing global uncertainty.
British Airways has selected RTX's Pratt & Whitney GTF engines to power up to 63 Airbus A320neo aircraft, consisting of 33 firm orders and 30 options. The deal features a 12-year EngineWise Comprehensive services agreement for maintenance and fleet efficiency. Additionally, BOC Aviation announced an order for up to 220 Pratt & Whitney GTF engines from RTX.
Hyperliquid announced an upcoming upgrade aimed at boosting decentralization by enabling permissionless deployment for HIP-4 markets. The upgrade, announced on July 20, is designed to facilitate open access to market creation on the platform. This move focuses on expanding the capabilities of the Hyperliquid ecosystem through permissionless features.
Oil prices jumped 3% on Monday, with Brent crude surpassing $90 a barrel. The surge follows expanded attacks between the US and Iran, which have curbed energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. These developments highlight how escalating geopolitical tensions are directly impacting global energy flows.
Anthropic's potential IPO valuation could reach $1.2 trillion, positioning major investor Amazon as a primary beneficiary. Meanwhile, Bloomsbury Publishing confirmed a $1.5 billion settlement with Anthropic over copyright claims. Additionally, Andreessen Horowitz is leading a $1.7 billion funding round for Atoms, a new robotics venture founded by Travis Kalanick.
Ford employees in Canada ratified a new three-year contract featuring 3% annual wage increases and a $500 million investment in the Essex Engine Plant to secure jobs. Meanwhile, Ford announced plans for a manufacturing joint venture with Geely Auto in Spain. However, the company is also recalling over 565,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to a potential fire risk linked to engine compartment wiring defects.
Cardano activated the Van Rossem hard fork on July 18, successfully upgrading the network to Protocol Version 11. The upgrade is designed to optimize smart contracts by making them faster and more cost-effective while simultaneously strengthening node security. By July 21, the blockchain had fully implemented the transition, marking a successful network enhancement.
KeyCorp's stock remained steady as the bank demonstrated a balanced approach to loan growth and credit quality, reporting robust net interest income and gains in investment banking during the second quarter. CEO Chris Gorman highlighted plans to expand the bank's US middle-market footprint and pursue M&A opportunities in Europe. Following these results, KBW reiterated a Buy rating on KeyCorp with a $26.00 price target, while analysts also maintained positive outlooks for other regional players like East West Bancorp and Ally Financial.
