Stock Market & Financial News
Silver Price Forecast: XAG/USD rises above $69.00, but stays constrained below 100-day SMA
Silver Price Forecast: XAG/USD rises above $69.00, but stays constrained below 100-day SMA
F1 sponsorship could give BYD lower-risk route to global recognition
Electric vehicle giant BYD is interested in getting involved with the Formula One motor racing circuit as it aims to boost its brand outside its home market of China, where it already has a strong foothold.
BYDDY Iran war fuel spikes lift Europe's EV sales again, but growth may not last
Rising fuel prices driven by the Iran war are boosting demand for new and used electric vehicles across Europe, industry data shared with Reuters shows, though some executives warn interest could fade if petrol costs fall.
CARZ From Hollywood to Crypto: A Major Celebrity Heads to Ripple Swell
The acclaimed Hollywood actor and philanthropist, Matt Damon, has been confirmed as one of the keynote speakers for the upcoming Ripple Swell technology event, which will take place from October 27 to 29 in New York City. The co-founder of the non-profit organization Water.
Enbridge: 181% Coverage, AI Data Center Catalyst, 5% Yield
Enbridge is a premier North American energy infrastructure operator, expanding its pipeline and utility footprint with robust organic growth and acquisitions. ENB's EBITDA and distributable cash flow are projected to reach record highs in 2026, supporting a compelling case to buy the recent dip. Despite trading at a 14.0X EV/EBITDA ratio, ENB's 31-year track record of growing distributions and strong dividend coverage (181%) underpin its investment appeal.
ENB 
Gold retakes $4,300 as US‑Iran peace deal weighs on USD after hawkish Fed
Gold retakes $4,300 as US‑Iran peace deal weighs on USD after hawkish Fed
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (OCUL) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (OCUL) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
OCUL 
Google Gemini co-lead Noam Shazeer leaves for OpenAI
Google's vice president of engineering and a co-lead of its Gemini AI models announced Wednesday he is leaving the company to join OpenAI. In August 2024, Google brought back Shazeer and fellow researcher Daniel De Freitas to its DeepMind AI unit.
GOOG 
TEI: Riskier Local Currency Emerging Market Sovereign Debt Play
Templeton Emerging Markets Income Fund targets sovereign debt in smaller emerging markets, offering a circa 9% yield. TEI has returned approximately 7% per annum since inception, with strong performance over the past three years. Emerging market central banks have managed inflation risks well, maintaining positive real yields and lower debt-to-GDP ratios (~60%) versus developed markets.
TEI 
McDonald's: Modest P/E, Healthy Dividend, And Value Meals Driving Comps Growth
McDonald's demonstrates resilience amid macro headwinds, outperforming chain restaurant peers despite a ~15% YTD decline from its peak. I reiterate my buy rating as MCD offers compelling value at 21.9x FY26 P/E and 20.0x FY27 P/E, now at the lower end of peer valuations. Dividend strength is evident, with a 2.6% yield and a decade of consistent growth, positioning MCD as a viable alternative to cash.
MCD 
Three must-own dividend stocks irrespective of the broader market trajectory
Wall Street's careening trajectory has left investors grappling with a highly volatile macro climate. Despite brief relief from a tentative US-Iran ceasefire, the Federal Reserve's latest Summary of Economic Projections paints a hawkish picture – slashing GDP expectations while projecting sticky PCE inflation at 3.6%.
KO 
Essential Properties: Priced At A Premium To Net Asset Value
Essential Property Realty Trust remains a hold as current valuation offers insufficient margin of safety despite recent credit rating upgrades. EPRT's business model targets higher cap rates from non-investment grade, middle-market tenants, trading off higher risk for AFFO growth outperformance. Valuation using NAVPS and WACC methodology shows EPRT is 6.22% overvalued relative to its current share price, indicating efficient market pricing.
EPRT 
German industry employment falls to ten-year low, study shows
The number of people employed in German industry in 2025 fell to a 10-year low of just 6.6 million workers, a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) showed on Thursday.
DAX 
USD/CHF forecast ahead of the SNB interest rate decision today (June 18)
The USD/CHF exchange rate rose modestly after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, with investors now turning their attention to the Swiss National Bank's upcoming monetary policy decision. It was trading at 0.7988, up slightly from this week's low of 0.7900.
Bittensor's ‘Root Reborn' Could Turn Validators Into On-Chain Fund Managers
Nature of the change: The proposed governance code modifies the automatic liquidation of rewards into an accumulation strategy. Mobilized capital: The Bittensor network emits approximately 7,200 TAO tokens daily, valued at more than $1.8 million. Development status: The initiative remains in the testing phase within GitHub and faces technical reviews due to bottlenecks.
A Google veteran who founded Character.AI is jumping to OpenAI
Noam Shazeer is leaving Google to join OpenAI as competition for AI talent intensifies. Shazeer is a Google veteran and the founder of chatbot startup Character.AI.
CGROF 
XRP Faces Defining Moment as Leverage Reaches 2026 Peak
The estimated leverage for XRP on the Binance platform has recorded a rise, reaching an approximate value of 0.1899. Active addresses on the blockchain network remain stalled in a steady band close to 28,300 users. The cryptocurrency's social volume recorded a sharp rebound at the end of May and early June.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin In Red Even As Trump Signs Iran Peace Deal: Analyst Says BTC In 'Fragile Recovery Phase'
Leading cryptocurrencies were red, while stock futures rallied overnight on Wednesday after President Donald Trump signed a historic "Memorandum of Understanding" with Iran to end all hostilities. Cryptocurrency 24-Hour Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 9:25 p.m.
AIEQ: Sophisticated AI-Driven Strategy That Underperforms
Amplify AI Powered Equity ETF tracks the AI Powered Equity Index, which selects constituents using the model that runs on the IBM Watson platform. Despite having a strategy powered by AI, AIEQ has not demonstrated consistent outperformance versus IVV and QQQ. It has trailed the former by close to 12% since January 2024. I remain neutral on AIEQ owing to its clearly disappointing performance, gargantuan turnover of 804%, and high expense ratio of 75 bps.
AIEQ 
Making Sense of the Evolving Earnings Picture
Even when excluding the significant upward revisions to Energy sector estimates, aggregate Q2 earnings estimates for the remainder of the S&P 500 index would still be in positive territory since the start of April.
MU 
Apple Plans Price Hikes as AI Companies Drive Up Chip Costs
Apple plans to raise prices due to a surge in the costs of memory and storage chips, CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in a report posted Wednesday (June 17).
AAPL 
Gold Rises After Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged
Gold rose in early Asian trade after the Fed left rates unchanged overnight.
AAAU 
PBOC sets USD/CNY reference rate at 6.8130 vs. 6.8096 previous
PBOC sets USD/CNY reference rate at 6.8130 vs. 6.8096 previous
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) Discusses Strategic Pillars, Growth Drivers and Financial Outlook Transcript
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) Discusses Strategic Pillars, Growth Drivers and Financial Outlook Transcript
AJG 
ZRO Team or Investor Sends 3.51M Unlocked Tokens to Binance
An address linked to the LayerZero (ZRO) team or an early investor has transferred 3.51 million unlocked ZRO tokens to Binance, drawing attention from on-chain watchers tracking insider wallet activity.
Bitcoin price prediction – How high can the U.S.-Iran peace deal push it?
After a brief pullback, the U.S. stock market climbed towards all-time highs on optimism about peace talks. Meanwhile, Bitcoin bulls were fighting an uphill battle.
Oil slips again as US, Iran sign peace deal
Oil prices fell in early trading on Thursday after the U.S. and Iran signed an interim agreement that would end the Iran war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and waive U.S. sanctions on Tehran's oil, resolving the largest energy supply disruption in history.
BNO 
Micron Technology: Agentic AI And Strategic Customer Agreements Make The Bull Case Compelling
Micron Technology is rated Strong Buy with a $1,673/share target, driven by tight memory markets and accelerating agentic AI adoption. MU's strategic expansion in DRAM/NAND capacity, backed by the transition towards multi-year customer agreements, positions it to capitalize on persistent supply constraints through at least 2028. Forecasts for eq3'26 include $35b net revenue and $19.89 EPS, with robust operating leverage and positive pricing dynamics supporting margin resilience.
MU 
Ready USDC Card Halts Non-EEA Service Following Card Issuer Transition
A Ready Card service halt outside the EEA shows how stablecoin payment products still depend on issuer relationships and regulated card rails.
USD/JPY, EUR/USD outlook: A different Fed changes the FX outlook
A hawkish shift from the Federal Reserve has seen markets rapidly reprice the US rates outlook, pushing Treasury yields and US dollar higher in the process. The result is a widening in interest rate differentials, helping propel USD/JPY back towards levels that previously forced the Ministry of Finance into action.
