Tether has expanded the use of its $23 billion gold reserves by bringing its tokenized product Tether Gold (XAUT) to crypto lender Ledn.

Ledn said it is adding support for XAUT, alongside bitcoin BTC$60,525.11 and Tether’s stablecoin USDT, with borrowing against XAUT expected later this year.

Tether is attempting to monetize what has become one of the world’s largely privately held gold reserves. The stablecoin company says it holds around $23 billion worth of physical bullion backing XAUT, with each token representing one troy ounce of gold stored in vaults in Switzerland.

Gold-backed lending is traditionally the realm of central banks, major financial institutions and bullion dealers. Tether and Ledn argue that by tokenizing physical gold, the asset can function more like physical bitcoin as digital collateral, unlocking liquidity without having to sell it.

This follows the model Ledn has used for bitcoin-backed loans for several years. Client collateral continues to be held 1:1, without being lent out or used to generate yield, Ledn said, seeking to draw a line between the services it offers and those of its former rivals that went to the wall in the crypto winter of 2022.

The Stellar cryptocurrency (XLM) has once again started catching the eyes of crypto market analysts due to its long-term market price structure that appears to mimic past price action in previous market cycles.

Despite negative market sentiment and persistent bearishness in the altcoin market, technical analysts claim that XLM is headed toward a major accumulation price level that has historically been seen just before a strong rally. Though there has not been a breakout yet, some analysts see the possibility of the asset being on the verge of its third major price expansion phase.

XLM Reverts to a Common Area for Accumulation

According to CoinMarketCap, XLM is currently trading at $0.17, falling more than 2% in the past 24 hours and around 20% in the last seven days. In spite of the recent dip in prices, the digital coin continues to show positive gains from a monthly perspective.

In one analysis, an analyst argues that XLM has reverted back to the common area from where all previous cycles of macro expansion have commenced. He views the current pattern as positive rather than bearish, since it appears to be another period of accumulation in preparation for a fresh move up. Nevertheless, the most important thing is that the breakout has not happened yet.

Bullish Trend Based on Long-Term Compressions

The current technical setup is the result of consolidation seen for several months, which is more typical of an accumulation pattern compared to distribution. In past market cycles, XLM has spent long periods consolidating in narrow ranges ahead of significant volatility to the upside.

The weakness of selling pressure and the compression of price volatility are two factors that often precede explosive price moves after breaking above resistance.

Rather than exhaustion, the present technical setup seems to illustrate a growing balance between buyers and sellers competing inside a range. With a eventual takeover by buyers, a breakout could spark fresh momentum.

Resistance Levels That Will Define the Future Rally

In the event of a breakout by XLM, analysts have pinpointed key resistance levels that will help define the rally in the next bull phase. The initial target will be to recapture the heights seen early in 2025. Moving above those levels could foster more bullish sentiment and participation.

Moving further, technical analysts see $0.80 as the next key liquidity point, which was the peak level from the last cycle. Breaking above this resistance may shift focus toward the psychologically important $1 level. Though these resistance levels may seem speculative, they align with historical market patterns observed during past expansion phases.

Price Memory Has Been Consistent for Seven Years

One technical analyst highlights one of the most notable aspects of the XLM price chart: its consistent respect for price memory over the past seven years. Across many market cycles, the XLM price chart has repeatedly halted at the same level of historical resistance points before moving higher. Instead of just randomly trading through price levels, the asset continues to show consistency in treating certain points as key checkpoints in its journey upward.

This behavior supports the belief that historical market psychology still impacts XLM’s price movement. The analyst states that XLM is currently consolidating near the bottom end of its trading range. As long as the asset can breach the first resistance level at $0.35, then the path toward $0.63 becomes much clearer for XLM.

Will XLM Make History Once More

As with most aspects of investing and trading, past performance is no indication of future results. However, past price action can provide insight into investor psychology. The respect that XLM continues to show for key historical support and resistance areas creates a roadmap that has been tracked by numerous traders.

Key Takeaways

• GameStop has doubled down on its pursuit of eBay following the online marketplace’s dismissal of its approximately $56 billion combined cash-and-stock proposal
• The unsolicited offer was initially presented by CEO Ryan Cohen in May, with the rationale that a merged entity would pose stronger competition against Amazon
• The company indicated that “additional materials regarding the proposed transaction are forthcoming”
• GME shares finished Friday’s session up 3.57% at $21.76, followed by an additional 1.96% gain to $22.19 during after-hours activity
• The retailer anticipates adjusted EBITDA exceeding $600 million for fiscal 2026, representing substantial growth from the $345.4 million recorded in fiscal 2025

GameStop is refusing to walk away from its ambitious acquisition plans.

The video game specialty retailer submitted a regulatory disclosure on Friday reinforcing its determination to pursue eBay, despite the online auction platform’s previous rejection of the unsolicited proposal. GME shares ended Friday’s regular trading session with a 3.57% gain at $21.76, and continued climbing an additional 1.96% during extended trading hours to $22.19.

GameStop Corp., GME

The proposal, initially put forward in May by CEO Ryan Cohen, places eBay’s valuation at approximately $56 billion — representing a target roughly five times GameStop’s current market capitalization. eBay turned down the offer during the same month it was presented.

GameStop’s Friday regulatory submission was concise. The filing noted that the “leadership team remains focused on advancing the proposed acquisition of eBay” and confirmed that “additional materials regarding the proposed transaction are forthcoming.” Neither a specific timeline nor fresh details were disclosed.

Earlier in the week, GameStop had committed to releasing a comprehensive presentation outlining the strategic justification and operational blueprint for the potential merger. That promised presentation remains unreleased.

Cohen’s rationale has remained unwavering: combining both platforms would establish a more formidable competitor to Amazon. He has additionally indicated his intention to personally lead the merged organization.

eBay declined to provide comment when contacted on Friday.

Financial Performance and Projections

Alongside the acquisition status update, GameStop provided shareholders with its fiscal 2026 financial outlook. The organization forecasts adjusted EBITDA surpassing $600 million for fiscal 2026, representing nearly double the $345.4 million figure achieved in fiscal 2025.

Earlier this month, GameStop announced its most profitable quarterly performance on record — delivering net income of $389.6 million against revenue of $835.3 million, marking a 14% year-over-year improvement.

This financial momentum appears to support Cohen’s acquisition strategy. A more robust balance sheet provides GameStop with enhanced credibility when pursuing an acquisition target as substantial as eBay.

Nevertheless, prediction market platform Polymarket currently assigns just 16% probability to the deal’s completion, with potential shareholder dilution representing a primary concern among doubters.

Looking Ahead

GameStop has not yet published the comprehensive presentation it committed to delivering earlier this week.

The retailer has not clarified what structure a revised offer might assume, or whether it intends to bypass eBay’s board and appeal directly to eBay shareholders.

Currently, the regulatory submission represents the full extent of GameStop’s public stance — a clear declaration that the acquisition proposal remains under consideration, with additional information pending.

GameStop currently holds a 96th percentile ranking for Growth based on Benzinga Edge Rankings, notwithstanding negative performance across short, medium, and long-term investment horizons.

“If you’re looking for a regulated platform built for the long term, we’re excited to welcome you to OKX,” he said. “To celebrate this new chapter, we’re offering one of our biggest welcome campaigns for eligible EEA users, including welcome bonuses and deposit matching of up to 8%.”

Binance emailed its users notifying them the exchange was no longer able to accept new registrations and would restrict services, a spokesperson for the Abu Dhabi-based company told CoinDesk. “Your assets remain safe and secure, and will remain accessible at all times,” the email said.

On Thursday, the company said it withdrew its license application in Greece and would seek authorization in another EU country.

However, in a statement to CoinDesk, Binance said its “ambitions in Europe remain the same, and we are confident we will secure a MiCA licence in the coming months.”

The emails to clients in France, Italy, Poland and Spain come days before a June 30 deadline. Crypto firms must have a MiCA license from at least one EU member state by July 1 to provide services across all 27 member states. Unlicensed firms must wind down their EU activities.

Prediction market transparency is under scrutiny as decentralized platforms like Rain Trade promote open market creation and broader user participation.

Over the past several years, prediction markets have sold themselves as a window into public sentiment, cutting through speculation by putting real dollars behind possible outcomes. But recent news around industry leader Polymarket has raised questions about what happens when the platforms designed to measure public sentiment start influencing the outcomes they’re meant to measure. 

Investigations into the company’s marketing practices have alleged that paid influencers and simulated trades blurred the line between genuine market activity and paid promotion, sparking a broader debate about transparency in the forecasting industry. 

Their credibility depends on users trusting that markets are being created, promoted, and operated fairly. As forecasting platforms continue to grow, questions about transparency are no longer limited to market outcomes but now extend beyond market outcomes to the centralized systems that control them.

As questions around transparency continue to circulate, Rain Trade offers an alternative model for how prediction markets can operate. Built on decentralized infrastructure, the platform enables users to launch prediction markets on virtually any topic, event, or question. These markets can be public, created in any language, or limited to specific communities through invite-only access. The platform also reduces onboarding friction by allowing users to fund accounts across multiple blockchain networks and automatically converting assets to enable USDT trading. 

Rain Trade debuts during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, bringing Mike Tyson in its launch campaign as fans react in real time to goals, injuries, and unexpected moments on the field. Rather than relying on a centralized team to determine which conversations deserve a market, the platform allows users to create forecasts around the moments they believe matter most.

Sharing his perspective on the future of community-driven prediction markets, Roy Shaham, CEO of Rain Protocol, the decentralized protocol layer Rain Trade is built on, explains: “Traditional prediction markets have operated with a backward mentality. They’ve historically focused on controlling what people can predict rather than giving them the opportunity to create markets themselves. Rain Trade is giving users the freedom to decide what deserves a market, and the World Cup is a perfect stage to show how powerful prediction markets can become when they are shaped directly by the communities participating in them.”

The distinction goes beyond market creation. With more attention being put towards how prediction platforms are promoted and managed, Rain Trade’s infrastructure is designed to make market activity visible and verifiable. Market creation, trading activity, and outcomes are recorded onchain, creating a public record that cannot be altered after the fact. 

The platform also supports AI-powered and manual resolution, giving creators flexibility in how outcomes are determined. Market creators are rewarded with 1% of the trading volume generated by their markets, incentivizing users to contribute to the ecosystem rather than relying solely on platform operators.

Recent controversy has shown how quickly confidence can be questioned when users believe a platform has too much control over the system it operates. As the industry continues to grow, platforms that separate infrastructure from oversight may play an increasingly important role in restoring confidence in the category.

On Thursday as well, Specter Analyst, another blockchain intelligence platform, said on Thursday that “It appears there may be a phishing attack targeting Polymarket users, with estimated losses of $2.94M so far.”

One of the victims of the hack, Ash, on X wrote that his wallet had been hacked and had no idea why at the time. Ash also shared his and the attacker’s wallet addresses.

Polymarket has suffered other security breaches recently. In March, blockchain investigator ZachXBT highlighted a suspected security breach. He said over $520,000 was reportedly drained from two smart contracts on the Polygon blockchain. Polymarket then said the funds were safe.

In December, the platform confirmed a security incident on its Discord channel after users reported missing funds and suspicious login attempts. It blamed an unidentified third-party login provider for those account breaches.

The news of the phishing attack follows reports that Polymarket is under federal investigation following a Wall Street Journal article into the prediction markets platform deceptive social media promotion of users boasting winnings.

Key Highlights

• Lucid (LCID) shares skyrocketed 15.6% during Friday’s trading session, reaching an intraday peak of $5.95, fueled by heightened enthusiasm surrounding its autonomous vehicle collaboration with Uber and Nuro.
• The EV manufacturer serves as the exclusive vehicle provider for the robotaxi initiative, delivering Gravity SUVs with plans to launch commercial operations in 2027 across San Francisco and Houston markets.
• As part of a broader restructuring initiative, Lucid is trimming its domestic workforce by 18%, a strategic move projected to generate approximately $158 million in annual savings.
• Analyst sentiment remains subdued — the Street consensus stands at a “Reduce” recommendation with a mean price objective of $9.67.
• The company confronts legal challenges through a securities class action lawsuit targeting shareholders who purchased shares between February 25 and April 13, 2026.

Shares of Lucid Group (LCID) surged 15.6% during Friday’s session, peaking at $5.95, while trading volume exploded to 35 million shares — approximately three times typical daily activity. The previous session concluded at $5.12.

Lucid Group, Inc., LCID

The upward momentum reflected renewed investor enthusiasm regarding Lucid’s position as the exclusive vehicle manufacturer for the Uber and Nuro autonomous transportation initiative. The arrangement involves Lucid delivering Gravity SUVs alongside upcoming midsize vehicle models for the robotaxi fleet.

Production-validation units of these autonomous vehicles are currently being manufactured at Lucid’s Arizona manufacturing plant. The commercial rollout timeline targets 2027, with initial operations launching in the San Francisco Bay Area followed by Houston market expansion.

An engineering test fleet comprising nearly 100 Gravity-based autonomous vehicles is being deployed throughout California and Texas for comprehensive testing and safety certification protocols. Uber has already established a 50,000-square-foot operations depot and charging infrastructure in Houston, where supervised on-road testing is currently progressing.

This price surge follows a 7.5% appreciation nine days earlier, triggered by the initial announcement of the Houston expansion by Lucid, Uber, and Nuro. Houston represents the second metropolitan area designated for the program, following San Francisco.

Strategic Cost Reduction Amid Expansion

Beyond the autonomous vehicle headlines, Lucid is executing a comprehensive organizational restructuring. The company plans to eliminate 18% of its U.S. employee base, an initiative anticipated to yield approximately $158 million in annual cost reductions. Management transitions are simultaneously occurring alongside fresh vehicle development strategies.

Despite Friday’s rally, shares remain underwater 50.2% for the year-to-date period. At $5.92, the stock trades 82.3% beneath its 52-week peak of $31.30, achieved in July 2025.

Recent financial performance proved disappointing. Lucid disclosed a Q1 loss of $2.82 per share, falling short of the $2.53 consensus forecast. Revenue registered at $282.46 million, missing analyst expectations of $358.46 million, although this represented a 20.2% year-over-year increase.

Ongoing Legal Challenges and Analyst Hesitation

Several law firms are pursuing a securities class action litigation targeting shareholders who acquired LCID shares during the February 25 through April 13, 2026 timeframe. This legal exposure introduces additional uncertainty the company must navigate alongside operational hurdles.

Wall Street analysts show limited enthusiasm for upgrading their outlook. TD Cowen maintains a “hold” stance with a $7.00 price objective. Morgan Stanley projects a $5.00 target. Citigroup stands as the optimistic outlier with a “buy” rating and $14.00 target. The aggregate consensus reflects a “Reduce” rating with a $9.67 mean price target.

Goldman Sachs expanded its stake during Q1, nearly doubling holdings to 5.44 million shares. Institutional ownership collectively represents 75.17% of outstanding shares.

Lucid maintains a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, carries a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.00, and reports a current ratio of 1.02.

Key Takeaways

• Apple is petitioning the Trump administration for permission to source memory chips from CXMT, a Chinese semiconductor company designated on the Pentagon’s Chinese Military Company list.
• The tech giant implemented a 20% price increase on MacBook and iPad products driven by escalating memory component costs, prompting the search for alternative suppliers.
• CXMT specializes in standard DRAM production but lacks capabilities in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the advanced chip category fueling Micron’s artificial intelligence market expansion.
• Shares of Micron (MU) declined 6.69% following the disclosure, though market analysts indicate minimal competitive risk to Micron’s core business.
• Legislative resistance poses a significant obstacle, as Apple’s prior effort to partner with Chinese manufacturer YMTC in 2022 triggered swift congressional opposition.

Apple has initiated discussions with United States government officials seeking authorization to procure memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese semiconductor producer appearing on the Pentagon’s Chinese Military Company designation list, a Financial Times report revealed Friday.

Apple Inc., AAPL

AAPL stock traded up 3.14% to $283.78 during the reporting period. Micron (MU) dropped 6.69% following the revelation.

Apple has been requesting guarantees from the Commerce Department alongside other administration representatives that procuring components from CXMT wouldn’t result in subsequent restrictions or sanctions. Although purchasing chips from CXMT isn’t explicitly prohibited, proceeding without official approval could subject Apple to political backlash and reputation damage.

This initiative follows Apple’s announcement of price increases across multiple MacBook and iPad configurations by approximately 20%. CEO Tim Cook explained the company could no longer offset the climbing cost of components, especially memory. That disclosure triggered AAPL’s steepest single-day decline in over twelve months.

DRAM pricing has skyrocketed in recent years, propelled by constrained supply and massive demand from AI infrastructure expansion. Apple, representing the world’s largest memory purchaser, now aims to diversify its component sourcing to reduce these expenses.

Understanding CXMT’s Product Portfolio

CXMT manufactures traditional DRAM products — DDR5 for personal computers and servers, LPDDR5X for mobile devices, and enterprise memory solutions. Notably absent from its product lineup is high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the specialized chip driving Nvidia’s AI accelerators and the data infrastructure supporting the ongoing AI investment surge.

This distinction matters significantly for Micron shareholders. HBM represents where Micron’s profit margins and revenue expansion are concentrated. CXMT currently operates outside that segment. If Apple secures approval and begins purchasing from CXMT, Micron’s HBM operations would remain untouched.

Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix manufacture HBM. CXMT does not.

Apple Contributed to the Supply Crisis It Now Seeks to Escape

The situation contains notable irony. Throughout the previous memory market downturn, Apple leveraged its enormous buying influence to force suppliers like Micron toward bottom-tier pricing. Micron’s Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana openly criticized Apple’s approach as “not constructive,” noting it discouraged investment in additional manufacturing infrastructure.

Suppliers postponed or abandoned expansion initiatives. Subsequently AI demand emerged, leaving the market without capacity to react swiftly. The scarcity and inflated pricing Apple currently confronts stem partially from that previous cost pressure campaign.

Apple attempted a comparable strategy in 2022, exploring procurement from another blacklisted Chinese company, YMTC. Congressional members immediately cautioned the company against proceeding, referencing national security implications. CXMT encounters identical scrutiny, leaving uncertainty whether the White House would endorse the petition.

CXMT recently obtained authorization to pursue a public listing on the Shanghai stock exchange and has been scaling production with financial support from the Chinese government.

Samsung Electronics declined 5.30% and SK Hynix tumbled 8.36% on the disclosure.