Connect with us

Crypto World

Gemini’s exchange business is shrinking. Its regulatory licenses may be the real prize

Published

on

Gemini stock performance since IPO (CoinDesk)

Gemini Space Station (GEMI), a crypto platform, has seen its price roughly 80% since its public debut, reviving questions about whether the platform founded by the billionaire Winklevoss twins could eventually become an acquisition target.

Lorenzo Valente, director of digital assets research at ARK Invest, argued in a post on X last month that Hyperliquid, the offshore perpetual-trading platform, should acquire Gemini and use it as a regulated U.S. gateway for perpetual futures and prediction markets, with the Winklevoss twins’ concentrated voting control potentially simplifying the deal.

Gemini stock performance since IPO (CoinDesk)

Is Gemini a viable target?

While there is no indication that Hyperliquid is actively pursuing a deal to buy Gemini, Valente’s proposal raises a broader question: What is Gemini’s value proposition to a potential buyer if its regulatory infrastructure is worth more than its shrinking spot-exchange business?

Currently, the stock’s market cap is $753 million, down from about $4 billion at its peak. Gemini’s second-quarter exchange revenue fell 38% from a year earlier to $12.5 million, while spot trading volume dropped 66% to $3.8 billion, and assets on the platform declined to $8.4 billion from $18.2 billion.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

Multi-Asset Trading Venue Monochrome Exchange Announces IEO of Its Native Token, $MCR

Published

on

[PRESS RELEASE – Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, September 20th, 2026]

Monochrome Exchange, a multi-asset trading platform, has announced the Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) of its native utility token, MCR. The platform aims to consolidate crypto, equities, bonds, and real-world assets into a single venue where trades settle on-chain. The exchange is currently live, featuring over 260 active markets.

MCR Initial Exchange Offering Details

  • Date: September 21, 13:00 UTC+8 to September 28, 13:00 UTC+8
  • Location: Monochrome Launchpad (monochrome.exchange/launchpad)
  • Token Price: $0.88 per MCR
  • Public Sale Supply: 10,500,000 MCR (5% of total supply)
  • Vesting Schedule: 1-month cliff from Token Generation Event (TGE), followed by 3-month linear vesting
  • Commitment Asset: USDT
  • Subscription Limits: No minimum; maximum of $100,000 per account

The MCR offering will take place directly on the Monochrome Exchange platform. Users can participate by depositing USDT and committing funds on the offering page during the designated seven-day window. Following the one-month cliff after the TGE, MCR tokens will vest linearly and be credited directly to user accounts.

Advertisement

Live Platform Offerings

Monochrome Exchange currently supports trading across four asset classes from a single account balance:

  • Crypto: Spot and perpetual markets.
  • Equities: Nearly 150 markets, including tokenized exposure to US and Hong Kong equities (e.g., AAPL, NVDA, TSLA, BYD).
  • ETFs and Indices: Over 30 options including SPY, QQQ, and XLE.
  • Commodities: Gold, silver, platinum, crude oil, Brent, natural gas, and copper.
  • Pre-IPO Markets: Tokenized exposure to private companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic.

Leadership and Backing

Monochrome Exchange was founded by Jeff Yew, former Chief Executive Officer of Binance Australia, where he led local operations for the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. He subsequently founded Monochrome Asset Management, the investment manager behind the first direct-holdings spot Bitcoin ETF of its kind admitted to trading on Cboe under an ASIC-issued Australian Financial Services Licence.

Yew has over a decade of experience across exchange operations, digital asset licensing and the design of regulated investment products. “Tokenisation has produced a large number of assets that barely trade,” said Jeff Yew. “The harder problem has always been the market underneath them: liquidity, settlement, and compliance that holds up. We listed the markets first and are offering the token second.”

Monochrome Exchange operates as a separate entity from Monochrome Asset Management. Jeff Yew’s professional history does not extend any licence, authorisation or regulatory status of any Monochrome affiliate to Monochrome Exchange or to the MCR token.

Advertisement

How It Works

The offering is conducted entirely within the Monochrome Exchange platform. Participation follows four steps:

  1. Account. Participants open a Monochrome Exchange account and enable two-factor authentication.
  2. Deposit. USDT is deposited to the exchange account. Deposits are credited once confirmed on-chain.
  3. Commitment. Funds are committed on the offering page during the seven-day window, which opens on 21 September at 13:00 UTC+8 and closes on 28 September at 13:00 UTC+8, or earlier if the allocation is filled. There is no minimum subscription and a maximum of $100,000 per account.
  4. Distribution. MCR is held against the participant’s account from the Token Generation Event. No tokens unlock during the first month. Following the cliff, the allocation vests linearly over three months and is credited automatically as it unlocks.

No external wallet, bridge or on-chain transaction is required at any stage, and no claim transaction is necessary.

MCR Tokenomics and Deflationary Mechanism

The maximum supply of MCR is capped at 210,000,000 tokens. Tokens allocated to the team and advisors are locked for 12 months, followed by a 36-month linear vesting schedule.

Advertisement

$MCR Tokenomics

Vesting Schedule

The token incorporates a buy-back and burn mechanism driven by platform activity:

  • 20% of net platform profit will be used to buy back MCR from the open market quarterly.
  • 25% of all Launchpad and Digital IPO fee revenue will be added to the buy-back allocation.
  • Purchased tokens will be sent to a verifiable burn address to reduce the circulating supply.

Token Utility

MCR serves multiple functions within the Monochrome ecosystem:

  • Fee Discounts: Holders receive trading fee discounts ranging from 10% to 50%, tiered by holdings.
  • Exclusive Access: MCR acts as the access token for Launchpad offerings and upcoming Digital IPOs, with allocations weighted by user balances.
  • Staking: Users can stake MCR to earn rewards, increase allocation weight, and qualify for the node program.
  • Governance: Holders can participate in voting on platform listings, Launchpad parameters, and treasury deployment.

Digital IPOs and Leadership

Monochrome Exchange is developing a Digital IPO framework designed to streamline the public listing process by moving issuance, subscription, allocation, and settlement on-chain. MCR will be required to participate in these offerings. The platform schedules its first Digital IPO for Q1 2027.

The exchange was founded by Jeff Yew, former CEO of Binance Australia and founder of Monochrome Asset Management. Yew brings a decade of experience in exchange operations and digital asset licensing. Monochrome Exchange operates as a separate entity from Monochrome Asset Management. Jeff Yew’s professional history does not extend any license, authorization, or regulatory status of Monochrome affiliates to Monochrome Exchange or the MCR token.

Advertisement

About Monochrome

Monochrome Exchange is a multi-asset trading venue where crypto, equities, ETFs, commodities and pre-IPO markets trade from a single account and settle on-chain. The platform currently lists more than 260 markets, including tokenised exposure to US and Hong Kong equities, index and sector ETFs, precious metals and energy, and private companies including OpenAI and Anthropic.

Monochrome Exchange was founded by Jeff Yew, former Chief Executive Officer of Binance Australia and founder of Monochrome Asset Management, the investment manager behind the first direct-holdings spot Bitcoin ETF of its kind admitted to trading on Cboe. MCR is the native utility token of the exchange, used for trading fee discounts, allocation in Launchpad offerings and Digital IPOs, staking and governance.

Monochrome Exchange is a separate entity from Monochrome Asset Management and operates independently of it.

Advertisement

Socials

Website: monochrome.exchange

Twitter: x.com/Monochrome_EN

Disclaimer

Advertisement

MCR is a utility token and does not confer ownership, dividends, profit-sharing, or redemption rights. Digital assets carry significant risks, including total loss. Users are advised to review the full documentation, risk factors, tokenomics, and vesting schedules at docs.monochrome.exchange prior to participation.

The post Multi-Asset Trading Venue Monochrome Exchange Announces IEO of Its Native Token, $MCR appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Options Nearly Double Their Share as Crypto Derivatives Market Shifts: Report

Published

on

Crypto derivatives markets are moving toward two main products, perpetual futures and options. Perpetuals provide continuous leverage, while options are becoming more important for pricing and managing risk.

That shift is also visible in how traders are allocating capital across derivatives. A Glassnode study produced with Bybit found that options increased their share of Bitcoin notional open interest from about 25% to nearly 50%. Meanwhile, dated futures have lost ground in the crypto market.

Options Are Becoming More Important

Dated futures volume is now roughly 97% below its 2021 level, according to the study. Perpetual futures have taken a larger role in leverage, while options have gained ground in volatility trading and hedging.

The growth in options has not been limited to bullish market conditions. Glassnode found that options gained market share in four of the five market regimes it examined since 2019. The largest increase came during a prolonged bear market, when demand for hedging can become more important. This suggests that traders use options not only for directional bets but also to manage risk.

Advertisement

Recent venue data shows that the shift is also changing where Bitcoin options trading takes place. Data through the settled close of August 23, 2026, showed Bybit’s share of options volume across four crypto-native venues rising from below 10% to 28%.

Bybit Expands Its Options Market

Ether has also become an important part of Bybit’s options activity, accounting for 32% of its options volume over the previous 90 days. That was the highest share among the four venues, ahead of OKX at 26%, Binance at 24% and Deribit at 12%.

Bybit also recorded the highest Ether options volume among the four venues for 143 consecutive days. Glassnode measured the lead using both coin and dollar volumes to reduce the effect of changing prices.

The concentration extends beyond crypto assets. Bybit’s tokenized gold perpetual market was the largest among tracked crypto venues for 476 consecutive days, while the platform held 97.1% of gold options open interest.

Advertisement

Bybit’s broader options market has also grown significantly, with its options book rising from $529 million in its first month to $2.33 billion. Growth was uneven, however, as options initially lost share while perpetual activity expanded before recovering.

The post Options Nearly Double Their Share as Crypto Derivatives Market Shifts: Report appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Open-source Memecoin launchpad adds 1,373 lines of solidity in latest development release

Published

on

Open-source Memecoin launchpad adds 1,373 lines of solidity in latest development release - 2

In crypto, a roadmap can describe what a project wants to build. Public code shows what developers have started to build already. That distinction is especially important for a memecoin launchpad, where users need to know how funding, token supply, refunds, and liquidity are meant to work.

MemeToro has released 1,373 lines of Solidity code across 17 files in its latest update. The project is building an AI-led fair-launch platform on BNB Chain and has raised more than $139,000 in its $0.00430 Stage 7 presale. 

The open-source update gives buyers and developers a clearer view of the proposed system, including its smart-contract rules and the work still required before mainnet deployment.

About MemeToro and its new AI agent on BNB chain

MemeToro is a planned BNB Chain ecosystem for discovering, funding, and trading memecoins. Its main goal is to use an AI agent to research trends and propose launches with documented reasons instead of relying on unverified hype.

Advertisement

The agent is designed to collect social, market, and news evidence. It then prepares a launch manifest that users can read before deciding whether to support a round.

The launch manifest is meant to show the proposed token structure, price, funding cap, and data sources. It gives buyers more information than a standard token announcement.

MemeToro’s validators are designed to reject proposals that fail basic rules. They can reject unsupported URLs, allocation totals that do not equal 100%, insider allocation above zero, and funding terms that conflict with the proposal.

$MT is the planned ecosystem token. It is intended to support access, funding, staking, rewards, memecoin trading, prediction markets, and a news portal.

Advertisement

The project is therefore building both an AI proposal layer and a contract layer. The agent suggests a launch, while smart contracts are meant to enforce the accepted rules.

What a $500 $MT position could look like

At the current $0.00430 Stage 7 rate, $500 would provide about 116,279 $MT before fees. MemeToro’s displayed launch target is $0.05186.

If $MT traded at that level, the allocation would have a theoretical paper value near $6,028, or about 12.06 times the original amount.

At a $1 billion fully diluted valuation, each $MT would be worth about $0.8333 based on the stated 1.2 billion supply. The same $500 allocation could then be worth around $96,899.

Advertisement

These figures are illustrative. They do not account for liquidity limits, slippage, transaction fees, taxes, supply changes, or the risk that $MT trades below the purchase price.

The real opportunity depends on whether MemeToro finishes the product and attracts enough users to make its AI-led fair-launch model valuable after the presale.

Open-source Memecoin launchpad adds 1,373 lines of solidity in latest development release - 2

The 1,373-line release builds the first contract  layer

The latest update includes 17 files and 1,373 new lines of Solidity code. The main addition is FairLaunchEscrow.sol, a contract designed to hold contributor funds for one memecoin launch round.

The update also introduces ILaunchExecutor.sol. This is the planned plug-in point where future token deployment and liquidity work will connect to the escrow.

A third component, IERC20Minimal.sol, provides the basic token functions needed to support future claim payments. The release also adds documentation, architecture notes, contributor rules, and a full test suite.

Advertisement

The code is built with Foundry, a common Solidity toolkit used for contract development and testing. This allows outside developers to inspect the design and review how the functions are meant to work.

Open-source code does not eliminate risk. It does provide a public trail of development that buyers can compare with the project’s public claims.

The contract design focuses on what cannot happen

MemeToro’s fair-launch draft is designed without an owner, admin role, or upgrade path. This is meant to prevent a team from adding new privileges after a round goes live.

The contract locks round settings at creation. It also stores a fingerprint of the public launch manifest, so users can compare the on-chain terms with the plan they saw before contributing.

Advertisement

The design limits contributor funds to two outcomes: refunds or the planned liquidity process. It does not include a stated route for developer or treasury withdrawals.

The allocation logic is designed to prohibit insider supply. Contributors and liquidity must account for the total supply, while any rounding remainder goes to liquidity.

This is a major part of MemeToro’s bullish case. Instead of saying “trust us, there are no insiders,” the project is publishing code intended to make an insider allocation incompatible with the launch math.

The final system still needs independent review and real-world testing. But the initial contract structure gives the community something concrete to examine.

Advertisement

Tests and remaining milestones show a serious development path

MemeToro’s test suite checks the important launch states: funding caps, deadlines, thresholds, refunds, claims, and unexpected behavior from connected contracts.

Random-sequence testing is also included. This checks that the contract’s accounting remains balanced across many possible transaction orders and that users cannot claim more than they are owed.

The team added two extra tests to ensure the code reaches funded, launched, claimed, and refunded states. That is a useful detail because a passing test is not enough if it never enters the situation it is meant to verify.

The project still needs to complete the real token executor, manifest-to-contract integration, deployment scripts, factory, BNB Chain testnet launch, ERC-8004 agent identity, and independent security review.

Advertisement

MemeToro lists Coinsult, BlockSAFU, and SOLIDProof as audit or review providers. These give buyers three named firms to check alongside the public code and official project updates.

More Information on MemeToro ($MT) Presale Here:

Website: https://memetoro.com/ 

X: https://x.com/memetoro_mt 

Advertisement

Telegram: https://t.me/memetoro_mt 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY0jgWy_DtA 

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Why Morgan Stanley likes Gilead’s HIV prevention play

Published

on

Why Morgan Stanley likes Gilead's HIV prevention play

Morgan Stanley met privately with Gilead Sciences (GILD) leadership at its 2026 Global Healthcare Conference this month, and the feedback strengthened the bank’s positive view on the stock.

Morgan Stanley’s biopharma team hosted a meeting and a management dinner with Gilead Chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day and Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer Johanna Mercier. According to a Morgan Stanley research note shared with me, the discussion reinforced its Overweight rating on Gilead and singled out one franchise as the biggest reason to stay positive.

Gilead trades around $150.89, up about 24% year to date and roughly 111% over five years. That kind of run in a biotech stock usually needs a catalyst, and Morgan Stanley points to HIV prevention. The bigger question for investors now is whether the new HIV prevention business built around Yeztugo can keep growing at the pace of the last few quarters.

What Morgan Stanley heard from Gilead’s leadership

Terence Flynn, a Morgan Stanley equity analyst who covers Gilead and other healthcare stocks has held an Overweight rating on the stock since January 2025.

Advertisement

According to the note, Gilead management described the company as being at “an important inflection point, supported by what it views as the most robust portfolio in the company’s history,” with no patent expiring until 2036.

That setup is rare, since most large-cap drugmakers usually spend time preparing for a patent cliff. A patent cliff is what happens when a top-selling drug loses its patent protection and cheaper copies flood the market, which reduces revenue.

Flynn’s price target uses a discounted cash flow model with a 10% weighted average cost of capital and a 3% terminal growth rate, based on the September 15 close of $146.30. The Overweight rating was already in place before the conference, so the note is a confirmation of the existing call.

Gilead earns most of its money from HIV medicines but also sells drugs for hepatitis, oncology, and liver disease. That mix supports cash flow while newer launches ramp up.

Advertisement

Yeztugo is the main reason for Morgan Stanley’s positive view

Yeztugo, the twice-yearly HIV prevention shot Gilead launched in 2025, is the main reason for the bank’s positive view. Yeztugo is a form of PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which is a drug people take to prevent HIV infection before they are exposed.

Gilead’s management guided its first full year of Yeztugo sales at approximately $1 billion, with the total prevention portfolio running at about $4 billion annually. According to the note, Yeztugo is drawing “a healthy mix of patients switching from existing PrEP options and individuals entering the category for the first time.”

Advertisement
Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Crypto World

Morgan Stanley Sees Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Breaking into New Highs

Published

on

Morgan Stanley Sees Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Breaking into New Highs

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) has substantially outperformed the wider market this year, supported by an unusually sharp surge in global refining margins as the prolonged Iran crisis has significantly tightened global refining capacity and reduced supplies of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

With Marathon up by over 150% since the beginning of 2026, there are now concerns that the stock may have topped out. However, the analysts over at Morgan Stanley are convinced that the rally still has further room to run. On September 14, Morgan Stanley analyst Joe Laetsch significantly raised the firm’s price target on MPC from $265 to $453, while reaffirming an ‘Overweight’ rating on the shares.

The target boost reflects an upside of over 9% from the current price level and even exceeds the stock’s record high of just under $411 per share achieved earlier this month. The Morgan Stanley update comes amid broader Wall Street optimism surrounding the American refining giant, with analysts from Raymon James, UBS, and several others also improving their respective outlooks on MPC.

Morgan Stanley Sees Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Breaking Into New Highs
Morgan Stanley Sees Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Breaking Into New Highs

Cashing In on the Refining Crunch:

Morgan Stanley’s vote of confidence suggests that Wall Street expects the ongoing refining upcycle to last longer than previously expected, especially given the fresh wave of attacks between Washington and Tehran. Even if the conflict in the Middle East subsides, the region’s refined fuel output is expected to remain relatively tight, since the damaged or idled refineries in the Middle East are likely to take some time to return to full operations.

As the largest refiner by volume in the United States, Marathon has significant operating leverage to capitalize on the current high-margin environment. The company already demonstrated its ability to translate the high crack spreads into material earnings when it delivered an almost fourfold increase in profits in the second quarter.

Advertisement

Another major growth engine for Marathon is its stake in MPLX, which owns and operates midstream energy infrastructure. This provides the American refiner with significant exposure to a diversified midstream infrastructure business with relatively stable fee-based income, helping it offset the cyclicality of the refining business.

Marathon Petroleum’s shareholder return strategy also adds to its investment case. The company utilized its elevated cash flows to return $2.8 billion to shareholders during Q2, up from $1 billion in the year-ago period. According to TD Cowen’s Jason Gabelman, the refiner is expected to repurchase about 20% of its market value between Q3 and the end of next year, potentially lifting its per-share earnings.

A Refining Pullback Could Hit Hard:

Investors should bear in mind that Marathon’s unusually elevated Q2 profits were driven by extraordinary market conditions, much of which may already be priced into the stock. As a result, even a modest decline in global refining margins could trigger a significant pullback in the shares.

Advertisement

Marathon’s “super refining” run can also pose a challenge. The company moved quickly to capture windfall profits, with its refineries operating at about 94% of capacity in the second quarter, while Gulf Coast refineries reached even 100% utilization. This prolonged push to operate at near-maximum capacity, particularly if necessary maintenance is deferred, raises the risk of equipment failures, unplanned outages, and high repair costs.

Conclusion:

Morgan Stanley’s improved outlook signals its continued confidence in Marathon Petroleum’s rally, supported by tight global refining capacity and strong margins. However, the stock’s elevated valuation and the cyclical nature of refining leave MPC vulnerable to margin-driven pullback.

Market Sentiment:

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) was held by 58 hedge funds in the Insider Monkey database at the end of Q2 2026, with a total investment value of $1.68 billion. This was up from 54 hedge fund investors with a cumulative stake value of $1.58 billion in the previous quarter.

While we acknowledge the potential of MPC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

Advertisement

READ NEXT: UBS Bets on Valero Energy (VLO) to Shatter its Record High and Energy Transfer’s (ET) Strong 2026 Run Gets a Fresh Vote from Stifel

This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

You Can Soon Get Pre-IPO Exposure on Binance Wallet, But There's A Catch

Published

on

UK Investors Sue Binance for $200 Million in Losses They Chased With Leverage

Binance Wallet and PancakeSwap have introduced Pre-Access campaigns selling tokenized exposure to private companies before they list publicly. The first project has not been named yet.

The launch extends a year of exchange expansion into traditional assets. Binance has added stock trading, tokenized equities, and pre-IPO derivatives.

But, there’s a catch. Read ahead to find out.

Exchanges Push Further Into Traditional Assets

Demand for on-chain versions of stocks and private shares has pulled several venues in the same direction. Robinhood and Kraken both offer tokenized stock products.

Advertisement

Binance has since moved across the same ground, starting with derivatives. In May, it listed perpetual futures giving users exposure to high-profile private companies ahead of their initial public offerings (IPOs).

The first of those contracts was SPCXUSDT, tied to SpaceX. That company has since completed its Nasdaq listing.

Binance opened US equities trading on June 1. bStocks followed on June 12. 

Demand justifies the pivot. The number of tokenized stockholders reached 3.7 million on September 19, a record, after rising 86% over 30 days. Distributed value also reached a record of over $3 billion, according to RWA.xyz.

Advertisement

Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens

Binance Pre-IPO Tokens Tie Allocations to Alpha Points

Pre-Access campaigns are the latest addition. Allocations rest on three inputs. Higher Alpha Points and a higher bStocks on-chain tier both increase allocation size, while Trencher Badge holders receive an extra allocation. PancakeSwap sets the final rules, according to Binance’s disclosure.

Binance Wallet framed the launch around access.

“Everyday people have never had access to this kind of early-stage exposure,” it said.

However, the catch is that holders receive no voting rights, dividends, or shareholder rights. Binance also warns that the tokens carry a high degree of risk and may not suit all users. Private company valuations are uncertain, and returns, liquidity, and settlement are not guaranteed.

Advertisement

The post said that the first campaign will be revealed soon. That company’s identity will show whether Pre-Access draws as much demand as the perpetuals did.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights

The post You Can Soon Get Pre-IPO Exposure on Binance Wallet, But There's A Catch appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Strategy stock gains 47.65%, leads Nasdaq-100

Published

on

what it means for BTC

Strategy shares have gained 47.65% over one month through Sept. 18, putting the Bitcoin treasury company at the top of the latest Nasdaq-100 constituent return ranking.

Summary

  • Strategy shares gained 47.65% in one month, leading Nasdaq-100 constituents through September 18 closing prices.
  • MSTR closed at $153.92 Friday after surging 16.39% as Bitcoin reclaimed the $80,000 level again.
  • Strategy held 845,050 Bitcoin through September 13, with aggregate acquisition costs totaling $63.73 billion total.
  • Strategy made no Bitcoin purchases for two consecutive weeks while directing cash toward STRC repurchases.
  • Bitcoin rose above $80,000 Friday while crypto-related equities gained amid fresh U.S. regulatory developments emerging.

History of Market data updated Sept. 19 showed MSTR at $153.92 with a trailing one-month return of 47.65% and a one-week gain of 17.52%. The dataset uses exchange closing prices and the Nasdaq-100 constituent list. Its ranking placed Strategy ahead of the other index members over the one-month window.

Strategy stock closes at $153.92 after 16% Friday surge

The final session of the measurement period accounted for a large part of MSTR’s latest gain. Strategy shares climbed 16.39% on Sept. 18, closing at $153.92 after ending the previous session at $132.25, according to market data.

Advertisement

Trading volume reached 54.34 million shares, well above the company’s recent daily levels. The stock traded as high as $154.02 during the session after opening at $132.25.

MSTR had closed at $104.25 one month earlier on Aug. 19. Its rise to $153.92 produced the 47.65% trailing return. The rally has recovered a portion of the stock’s earlier losses, though MSTR remained down more than 55% over the trailing 12 months as of Sept. 18.

Bitcoin’s Friday rally coincided with the sharp move in Strategy. Reuters reported that crypto-linked equities rose as Bitcoin climbed during a volatile U.S. trading session, while the Nasdaq finished higher.

Bitcoin advanced more than 5% and moved through $80,000 during the session. Ascrypto.news reported on Bitcoin’s Sept. 18 breakout, BTC reached an intraday high of $81,258 after recovering from $75,560.

Advertisement

The timing supports a close relationship between the two moves, but it does not establish Bitcoin as the sole cause of MSTR’s entire one-month gain. Strategy’s stock incorporates its Bitcoin exposure alongside its debt, preferred securities, cash balances, common-share structure and investor expectations for future capital activity.

Strategy remains exposed to 845,050 Bitcoin

Strategy’s latest SEC filing shows the company held 845,050 BTC as of Sept. 13. It acquired those coins for $63.73 billion in aggregate, including expenses, at an average cost of approximately $75,412 per Bitcoin.

The position equals just over 4% of Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million supply cap. Strategy remains the largest publicly traded corporate Bitcoin holder based on its disclosed balance.

Its latest addition came during the week ending Aug. 30, when the company purchased 4,603 BTC for $369.7 million at an average price of $80,318. The transaction increased holdings from 840,447 BTC to the current 845,050 BTC.

Advertisement

Strategy’s 4,603 BTC purchase, the acquisition was funded through common-stock sales. Strategy sold 4.53 million MSTR shares that week for $602.8 million in net proceeds, directing $369.7 million toward Bitcoin.

The company then stopped buying Bitcoin for the following two reporting periods. Its Sept. 8 and Sept. 14 SEC filings showed no Bitcoin purchases or sales and no at-the-market share issuance during either week. Strategy’s Bitcoin exposure therefore remained unchanged while MSTR’s market price moved sharply.

Strategy has redirected cash toward STRC buybacks

During the pause in Bitcoin purchases, Strategy directed capital toward its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch preferred stock, or STRC.

From Aug. 31 through Sept. 7, the company repurchased 1.81 million STRC shares for $176.3 million. Strategy simultaneously increased its Digital Credit Securities Repurchase Program authorization from $1 billion to $2 billion, according to its Sept. 8 filing.

Advertisement

Another 1.42 million STRC shares were repurchased for $139.3 million between Sept. 8 and Sept. 13. Strategy funded that transaction from its separate USD Cash balance, leaving its designated USD Reserve untouched.

As crypto.news reported on Strategy’s two-week Bitcoin pause, the company had neither issued common shares nor traded Bitcoin during the latest reporting period while continuing to reduce its preferred-share obligations.

Strategy had spent roughly $950.8 million on STRC repurchases since the program began in July. The preferred shares had recovered toward Strategy’s targeted $99-to-$100 range.

Strategy CEO Phong Le has described discounted STRC repurchases as an attractive use of capital because buying the preferred shares below their $100 stated amount reduces future dividend requirements at a lower purchase price.

Advertisement

The policy does not commit the company to a fixed amount or timing for future purchases. Strategy says repurchase decisions depend on market prices, liquidity, available capital and its other capital-allocation priorities.

MSTR rally outpaces the latest Bitcoin move

Strategy’s one-month return has been considerably larger than Bitcoin’s price increase over the same general period, reinforcing MSTR’s history of producing amplified moves around changes in the value of its primary treasury asset.

On Sept. 18 alone, MSTR gained 16.39% while Bitcoin rose roughly 5% to 6%, depending on the reference time. Barron’s reported that Strategy was among the strongest crypto-linked equities during the session as BTC climbed beyond $80,000.

Regulatory news coincided with the rally. The SEC had announced a five-year Innovation Exemption on Sept. 17 for qualifying tokenized U.S. stock trading, while the CFTC had sent proposed crypto-market rules for White House review. Bitcoin ETF flows had also returned to positive territory before Friday’s move.

Advertisement

Reuters reported that the wider market remained mixed as Treasury yields and oil prices continued to pressure equities. Against that backdrop, crypto-related stocks strengthened alongside the Bitcoin recovery, making Strategy’s advance part of a sector move rather than an isolated company event.

The History of Market dataset shows MSTR’s 47.65% one-month gain alongside a Nasdaq-100 index containing 101 securities as of Sept. 19. Strategy itself carries an estimated index weight of roughly 0.20%, far below the index’s largest holdings such as Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft.

The company’s shorter-term rebound has not erased its longer-term decline. History of Market recorded a roughly 55.35% trailing one-year loss for MSTR despite the latest monthly rise, while its year-to-date performance remained close to flat.

Strategy’s official capital position last disclosed on Sept. 14 included $5.10 billion in its USD Reserve and $1.30 billion in USD Cash. After the latest STRC purchases, approximately $1.05 billion remained under its preferred-securities repurchase authorization, while the separate $1 billion MSTR common-stock repurchase authorization remained unused.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Crypto World

Should You Trust a Chatbot With Your Money? A 10,000-Answer Test Has a Verdict

Published

on

AI Job Displacement Concerns Pushes US Senators to Demand Action

Mainstream AI models failed 57% of personal finance answers, according to UK fintech firm Saturn. Failure rates climbed to 88% on harder, multi-step queries.

The results came as consumer reliance on chatbots for money questions has grown sharply.

Harder Questions Broke Almost Every Model

The study ran 121 questions through 18 free and paid models from providers including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot. Each question was repeated up to 5 times, producing more than 10,000 answers.

The test scored an answer as a failure when it contained a factual error, skipped something material, or omitted a required warning.

Advertisement

Free models performed the worst, failing on 63% of answers compared to 49% for paid versions. On the hardest questions, free models failed 93% of the time.

Claude Opus 5 in reasoning mode led the field. However, it still failed 39% of answers. The errors included miscalculations, overlooked tax changes, and nonexistent rules. 

One pension tax answer could have exposed a saver to a £17,500 charge from HM Revenue and Customs.

“Millions of people are trusting the AI models for money advice, but they are getting wrong answers that can lose them money,” Amal Jolly, Saturn chief executive, said.

Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens

Advertisement

Trust in AI Chatbots Keeps Climbing Anyway

Meanwhile, usage has widened across markets and age groups. A global EY survey of 18,000 consumers found that 49% had used AI to support savings and investment decisions.

Britain’s financial regulator reported in August that four in five less experienced investors have used AI for help with investing. Of those surveyed, 56% said they trust the tools, ahead of television and radio at 47%.

Meanwhile, the same research found 44% wrongly believe AI-generated financial information is regulated.

A PensionBee survey of 1,000 US adults found nearly six in ten would act on money guidance without independently checking it. Nearly one in four said a chatbot had already given them wrong information about their finances.

Advertisement

Jolly said AI financial advice is unregulated, leaving consumers without the compensation rights a human adviser would carry. He urged the FCA to act quickly. 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights

The post Should You Trust a Chatbot With Your Money? A 10,000-Answer Test Has a Verdict appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Delta’s Non-Main-Cabin Revenue Hits 61% in 2026 — Why It Matters for Earnings

Published

on

Delta's Non-Main-Cabin Revenue Hits 61% in 2026 -- Why It Matters for Earnings

The airline industry is notorious for its cyclicality. Traditionally, airlines like Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) are seen as having strong pricing power when travel demand is high, only to suffer when demand wanes, as ticket prices decline while the airline continues to carry high fixed costs.

That said, Delta might not be as risky as you think, and the market may need to rethink how it values the company. Here’s why.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a “Double Down” signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same “Total Conviction” signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

Delta Air Lines is diversifying its revenue streams

Chief Commercial Officer Joe Esposito outlined on the second-quarter earnings call that “diverse revenue streams represented 61% of total revenue in the quarter, up 2 points over last year, with premium and loyalty revenue both up nearly 20%.”

Advertisement

The 61% figure is impressive enough, and it makes sense to create an apples-to-apples comparison across the industry, as other airlines don’t operate refineries (which is a low-margin business anyway). Still, I would argue that it underplays the issue.

By “diverse revenue streams,” Esposito means Delta’s non-main-cabin revenue. That’s fair enough, but when calculating the 61%, Delta adjusts the revenue figure by stripping out its refinery sales to third parties. Esposito is referring to the bottom figure on the right side of the table, but including refinery sales increases the share of non-main-cabin revenue to 65.3%.

Data source: Delta Air Lines presentations. * Adjusted figure excludes $2.091 billion in third-party refinery sales.

A deliberate strategy

Sticking with my figure of 65.3%, it represents a significant increase over the full-year 2017 equivalent figure of 50%. Back then, main cabin revenue was 1.7 times Delta’s premium cabin revenue, but as you can see above, Delta’s premium cabin revenue exceeded main cabin revenue in the second quarter.

Advertisement

It’s all part of a deliberate strategy to diversify Delta’s revenue away from the extreme cyclicality of main cabin ticket revenue. As Esposito noted on the recent earnings call: “We’re not growing Main Cabin seats. This is a multiyear, several years in a row, that we haven’t grown this cabin. We won’t be growing it next year either.”

An airport sign that says "departures" and "arrivals."
Image source: Getty Images.

Moreover, Delta continues to grow its highly successful loyalty-related revenue alongside remuneration from co-branded credit cards with American Express (management expects to grow 10% to $9 billion in 2026). This is high-quality revenue, as SkyMiles is paid for up front and is less tied to flying volume.

Higher-quality earnings

While Delta is never really going to escape cyclical exposure, that exposure is a lot less than many investors think. Trading at just 12.4 times 2026 earnings estimates, the stock looks like an excellent value, with plenty of revenue streams (premium, loyalty, credit cards, etc.) that hold up well in a slowdown.

All told, Delta is improving the quality of its earnings, including its resilience during a slowdown. That’s good news for investors.

Advertisement

Should you buy stock in Delta Air Lines right now?

Before you buy stock in Delta Air Lines, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Delta Air Lines wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $387,158!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,365,749!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 932% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 211% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.

Advertisement

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of September 20, 2026.

American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends American Express. The Motley Fool recommends Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Delta’s Non-Main-Cabin Revenue Hits 61% in 2026 — Why It Matters for Earnings was originally published by The Motley Fool

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Crypto World

Ripple (XRP) ETFs Hit 10-Week Green Streak, but Solana (SOL) Funds Go Even Further

Published

on

After a couple of consecutive weeks in which the spot XRP ETFs attracted nearly $19 million, the actual inflows were slashed in half during the previous, highly eventful five-day trading period.

Nevertheless, they have extended their green streak, which can also be said of the spot SOL ETFs. In fact, the Solana funds have been in the green for nearly three months now.

XRP ETFs Hit New ATH

On the day ahead of the crucial Senate vote for the CLARITY Act, the spot Ripple ETFs attracted $11.26 million, which helped them start the week with a bang. Interestingly, the failure of the bill vote on Tuesday didn’t result in any direct net outflows, with SoSoValue showing $0.00 in reportable data on that day, even though the underlying asset slumped by more than 8% in hours.

In fact, investors continued to pour funds into the financial vehicle on the next day, with $3.50 million entering the ETFs despite the Fed’s rate hike on Wednesday. That’s where the tide turned, and the net inflows stopped. SoSoValue shows $5.15 million in net withdrawals completed on Thursday, and a very modest $43,700 taken out on Friday.

Advertisement

As such, the cumulative total net inflows reached a new all-time high on Wednesday at $1.720 billion but dropped toward $1.710 billion a day later. Nevertheless, the week was still a success, with $9.56 million in net inflows. The last time the spot XRP ETFs were in the red was during the first full week of July.

Spot XRP ETF Inflows. Source: SoSoValue
Spot XRP ETF Inflows. Source: SoSoValue

SOL ETFs Are Doing Even Better

Similar to the XRP ETFs, the SOL counterparts began the week on a high note, attracting just over $11 million. They didn’t budge on Tuesday either, gaining another $1.35 million. The net inflows slowed down to under $840,000 on Wednesday and went to $0.00 on Thursday. As of press time, there’s no data on SoSoValue about what happened on Friday, so we will assume it was another non-action day of $0.00.

Given the currently available information, the week ended with $13.19 million in net inflows. Unless investors pulled out over that amount on Friday alone, which is highly unlikely since the last time this happened was on July 28, then the green streak of consecutive weeks with more net inflows grew to 12. In other words, the last time the SOL ETFs were in the red weekly was in late June.

Meanwhile, the underlying asset rocketed to a multi-month peak of around $115 during the Friday/Saturday rally, before it was rejected to below $110 as of Sunday afternoon.

Spot Solana (SOL) ETF Flows. Source: SoSoValue
Spot Solana (SOL) ETF Flows. Source: SoSoValue

The post Ripple (XRP) ETFs Hit 10-Week Green Streak, but Solana (SOL) Funds Go Even Further appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025