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According to Bloomberg, the US conducted a fresh round of strikes against multiple Iranian targets on Saturday, hitting 10 military sites including surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense installations, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz, as a weekend of tit-for-tat attacks extended fighting into a third day and led both sides to claim violations of the ceasefire underpinning peace talks. US Central Command said "Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to," while President Trump warned on Truth Social that "there may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started." The escalation began when Iran struck a container ship on Thursday, prompting US strikes on Friday; Iran then hit another vessel carrying Qatari oil on Saturday. Bahrain's foreign ministry reported Iranian drones targeting the country, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, while a UK naval group said a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in Hormuz. The Joint Maritime Information Center raised the strait's security threat to "substantial" and published a mine-warning area. Iran's foreign ministry called the US attack "an explicit violation" of the MOU, while the IRGC claimed it struck US sites in response. Vice President JD Vance said the US had "honored" the deal and warned "violence will be met with violence." The fighting risks slowing progress toward restoring Hormuz shipping traffic to pre-war levels, with talks on MOU details due to resume Monday. On a separate track, Israel and Lebanon signed a US-brokered framework deal Friday to end their conflict, but Hezbollah chief Naim Qasem declared it "null and void" by Saturday morning. The two sides remain divided over whether Iran can impose tolls on vessels transiting the strait, with Oman telling European allies that fees may ultimately be required.

PA News reported that next week brings a "data tsunami" for markets, with the US June nonfarm payrolls report moved up to Thursday due to the July 4 Independence Day holiday compressing the trading week. The confluence of month-end, quarter-end, and half-year-end institutional rebalancing creates heightened risk of sudden liquidity dislocations and systematic volatility spikes. The macro backdrop has shifted: oil prices have fallen from about $100 a barrel a month ago to around $70 as the Middle East ceasefire holds, while the S&P 500 is up over 7% year-to-date but has struggled in June. Gold experienced another week of violent swings — dip-buying and safe-haven demand initially gave way to a sell-off driven by stronger-than-expected US economic data, stubborn inflation, a firmer dollar, and rising Fed rate-hike expectations, pushing prices back toward $4,000 before a last-minute rally recovered to the $4,100 edge.
Next week's key events include:
Sun Jun 28, 16:35 — 2027 FOMC Voter & Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin speaks
Mon Jun 29, 09:00 — Eurozone June Industrial & Economic Sentiment Index
Mon Jun 29, 14:30 — US June Dallas Fed Business Activity Index
Tue Jun 30, 14:00 — US May JOLTs Job Openings; US June Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index
Wed Jul 1, 07:50–08:30 — France, Germany, Eurozone & UK June Manufacturing PMI Final
Wed Jul 1, 09:00 — Eurozone June CPI (YoY/MoM, Preliminary)
Wed Jul 1, 12:15 — US June ADP Employment Change
Wed Jul 1, 13:30 — Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, ECB President Christine Lagarde, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey & BoC Governor Tiff Macklem speak at ECB Forum on Central Banking
Wed Jul 1, 13:45 — US June S&P Global Manufacturing PMI Final
Wed Jul 1, 14:00 — US June ISM Manufacturing PMI; US May Construction Spending (MoM)
Thu Jul 2, 09:00 — Eurozone May Unemployment Rate
Thu Jul 2, 12:30 — US June Unemployment Rate; US June Non-Farm Payrolls (Seasonally Adjusted); US Initial Jobless Claims, week ending Jun 27; US June Average Hourly Earnings (YoY/MoM)
Fri Jul 3, 07:50–08:30 — France, Germany, Eurozone & UK June Services PMI Final
Fri Jul 3, 08:00 — ECB President Christine Lagarde speaks
Fri Jul 3, 15:00 — BoE Governor Andrew Bailey speaks on fiscal and monetary policy coordination

The final day of World Cup 2026 group-stage action delivered drama across six matches. England beat Panama 2-0 to top Group L, Croatia edged Ghana 2-1 to finish second, and Colombia held Portugal 0-0 to win Group K. DR Congo came from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1, Argentina saw off Jordan 3-1 with Messi making history, and Algeria and Austria played a thrilling 3-3 draw. The group stage is now complete, with the Round of 32 set to begin.
Panama vs England: Harry Kane became England's all-time leading World Cup goalscorer as the Three Lions overcame a sluggish start to beat Panama 2-0 and finish top of Group L. After a frustrating first hour in which Panama threatened on the counter-attack, Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock on 62 minutes with a clever finish from Bukayo Saka's corner. Five minutes later, Bellingham turned provider, delivering an inch-perfect cross for Kane to head home his 11th World Cup goal, surpassing Gary Lineker's record. England's victory set up a last-32 meeting with DR Congo in Atlanta, though concerns remain after emergency right-back Jarell Quansah was forced off injured.
Croatia vs Ghana: Croatia secured their place in the knockout stages as Group L runners-up with a 2-1 win over Ghana in Philadelphia. The match started slowly with neither side attempting a shot in the opening 15 minutes, but Petar Sucic broke the deadlock after 31 minutes with a stunning long-range drive into the bottom corner. Ghana improved after the break and equalised through Derrick Luckassen's header from Ernest Nuamah's delivery, confirmed after a lengthy VAR check for offside. However, Nikola Vlasic headed home Luka Modric's corner with seven minutes remaining to send Croatia through, while Ghana also qualified as one of the best third-placed teams. The result confirmed Scotland's elimination from the tournament.
Colombia vs Portugal: Colombia topped Group K after a captivating 0-0 draw with Portugal in Miami, a result that sent both sides through but decided the group order. Jhon Cordoba nearly scored inside the first minute and was denied by a brilliant Diogo Costa save, while Colombia keeper Camilo Vargas made a stunning stop from Bruno Fernandes. Cristiano Ronaldo, fresh from two goals against Uzbekistan, was a peripheral figure throughout. Colombia pushed forward in waves in the second half, and Davinson Sanchez thought he had won it late, only for VAR to rule his goal out for offside by a toe. Rafael Leao poked wide at the death for Portugal, but a draw suited Colombia, who topped the group and set up a last-32 tie with Ghana.
DR Congo vs Uzbekistan: DR Congo reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time, coming from behind to beat Uzbekistan 3-1 and set up a last-32 clash with England. Eldor Shomurodov capitalised on a defensive mix-up between Axel Tuanzebe and Aaron Wan-Bissaka to dink Uzbekistan ahead, and the Asian side looked the stronger team for much of the first half. Nathanael Mbuku pulled DR Congo level before the break with a fierce finish inside the near post. After halftime, Yoane Wissa converted a penalty after being clumsily tripped by Abdukodir Khusanov, Fiston Mayele prodded home a second from close range, and Wissa arrowed a stoppage-time strike into the far corner to complete a historic comeback victory.
Jordan vs Argentina: Lionel Messi made more World Cup history as Argentina maintained their perfect group record with a 3-1 win over Jordan. Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring with a free-kick before Emiliano Martinez doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Musa Al Tamari pulled one back for Jordan, who exited without a point but earned credit for their debut campaign. Messi came off the bench to score a trademark free-kick, his sixth goal of the tournament and his 19th overall at World Cups, becoming the first man to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches. Argentina finished with maximum points from Group J and will face Cape Verde in the last 32.
Algeria vs Austria: Algeria and Austria played out a breathtaking 3-3 draw in Kansas City, a result that sent both teams through but eliminated Iran. Marko Arnautovic gave Austria the lead before Sofiane Belghali levelled, and Marcel Sabitzer restored Austria's advantage with a sweeping first-time finish. Riyad Mahrez equalised from the penalty spot early in the second half, and both sides seemed content to settle for a draw that would see them progress. But in stoppage time, Mahrez was sent through and slotted home what looked like the winner, only for Sasa Kalajdzic to head a dramatic equaliser in the fifth minute of added time. Austria finished second in Group J and will face Spain, while Algeria will play Switzerland.
Upcoming Matches for June 28 (all times ET):
3:00 PM ET — South Africa vs Canada (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles)

According to Yonhap News, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are set to announce major investment plans early this week at a briefing scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at Cheong Wa Dae, presided over by President Lee Jae Myung, the presidential office said Sunday. The briefing will cover the government's three mega projects aimed at balanced regional development, jointly pushed by the trade, science, transport, and energy ministries. Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won will attend the event and participate in a discussion session.
Industry watchers expect the two chipmakers to invest more than 1,000 trillion won ($650 billion) over the next 10 years, including the possible development of a semiconductor cluster in the southwestern Honam region.
President Lee described the investment on Saturday as a "historic achievement" and a policy initiative that could potentially change the fate of South Korea. The announcement comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the opposition People Power Party accusing the move of being "politically motivated," citing its timing alongside an internal power struggle within the ruling Democratic Party.

The global cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $2.08T, down by 0.10% over the last day, according to CoinMarketCap data.Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading between $59,753 and $60,941 over the past 24 hours. As of 09:30 AM (UTC) today, BTC is trading at $60,323, down by 0.07%.Most major cryptocurrencies by market cap are trading mixed. Market outperformers include S, ATM, and POWR, up by 24%, 21%, and 20%, respectively. Geopolitical Stress Meets Crypto Infrastructure Checks as Bitcoin Trades Around $60KCrypto markets remained mixed, with Bitcoin near $60,323 and major assets showing little directional conviction. The US-Iran escalation around the Strait of Hormuz adds a macro risk layer, while Base’s block production halts and FINMA’s real-time monitoring tools show how regulators and networks are both being forced to harden digital-market infrastructure. Top stories of the day:US Launches Fresh Strikes on 10 Iranian Military Targets After Drone Attacks on Commercial Vessels Key Takeaways:10 Iranian military sites hit on SaturdayHormuz threat raised to "substantial"Both sides claim ceasefire violationsSummary:The US conducted a fresh round of strikes on Saturday against 10 Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz, including surveillance, air defense, drone storage, and minelayer infrastructure, after a weekend of tit-for-tat attacks that saw Iran strike two commercial vessels and target Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet. US Central Command framed the action as a response to Iran's failure to honor the ceasefire, while President Trump warned on Truth Social that American patience has limits and raised the prospect of escalating to "complete the job." Both sides now accuse the other of violating the MOU underpinning peace talks, with the IRGC claiming retaliatory strikes on US positions and Iran's foreign ministry labeling the American attack an explicit breach. The Joint Maritime Information Center raised Hormuz's security threat to "substantial" and issued a mine-warning area, jeopardizing efforts to restore shipping traffic to pre-war levels ahead of Monday's scheduled resumption of MOU detail talks. FBI Urges OneCoin Victims to Seek DOJ Compensation Before June 30, 2026 DeadlineKey Takeaways:$40M+ in forfeited assets availableClaims open since April 13Co-founder Ignatova still at largeSummary:The FBI is urging victims of the OneCoin cryptocurrency fraud to submit compensation claims before the June 30, 2026 deadline, with more than $40 million in forfeited assets available for remission through a process launched by the Department of Justice on April 13. Eligible investors can file petitions online, by mail, or by email via onecoinremission.com, the only authorized portal for the claims. OneCoin, launched in 2014 from Sofia, Bulgaria by Ruja Ignatova and Karl Sebastian Greenwood, defrauded global investors of more than $4 billion, with Greenwood now serving a 20-year sentence and Ignatova remaining on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list — a reminder that even high-profile crypto fraud cases can take years to deliver partial restitution to affected victims. Swiss Regulator FINMA Accelerates AI Tools for Crypto Market Oversight, Amstad SaysKey Takeaways:Real-time crypto monitoring dashboard liveDual-AI system for inspection prepFocus on concentration risk detectionSummary:Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) Chair Marlene Amstad, who also chairs the International Organization of Securities Commissions, disclosed that the regulator has developed a real-time crypto monitoring dashboard combining quarterly institution-reported crypto-asset figures with daily market prices to flag excessive single-institution exposure and operational risks tied to token concentration on individual blockchains. Amstad also revealed that FINMA is building generative AI tools to scan regulatory documents ahead of on-site inspections, with a two-stage AI pipeline in which a second model reviews the first's recommendations before anything reaches supervisory staff. The initiatives signal accelerating regulatory adoption of AI and regtech tools across European markets, positioning Switzerland among the more technologically forward supervisors in crypto oversight. Fidelity Digital Assets Says Bitcoin Security Can Hold as Mining Rewards DeclineKey Takeaways:Miner revenue up from $26K to $40M dailyPrice appreciation offsets halving subsidy cutsMiners pivoting to AI infrastructureSummary:Fidelity Digital Assets pushed back against the longstanding argument that Bitcoin's security weakens with each halving cycle, with a research report by analyst Daniel Gray asserting that rising Bitcoin prices have more than offset declining block subsidies, citing average daily miner revenue growth from roughly $26,300 during the first halving cycle to over $40.2 million today. The report argues that transaction fees, market incentives, and economic forces beyond block rewards collectively keep attack costs prohibitively high and sustain miner participation, even as the current 3.125 BTC per block subsidy sits at half its prior cycle level. Despite Fidelity's long-term optimism, publicly traded miners face near-term financial pressure from lower rewards, rising costs, and intensifying competition, prompting a diversification push into AI and high-performance computing — a shift VanEck estimates could require up to $50 billion in additional capital and demands significantly higher facility standards than traditional Bitcoin mining operations. Base Releases Postmortem of June 25th Block Production OutageKey Takeaways:116-minute and 20-minute production haltsSequencer block-building logic defect identifiedNo impact on on-chain asset securitySummary:Base experienced two mainnet block production interruptions on June 25 and 26, lasting approximately 116 minutes and 20 minutes respectively, after a defect in the sequencer's block-building logic caused gas calculation errors following a failed transaction that was not properly cleared from historical journal state. The resulting invalid state-transition blocks halted production across the Layer 2 network, halting transaction inclusion and congesting the mempool, though Base confirmed on-chain asset security was unaffected and user funds remained accessible. Block production was restored after applying patch PR #3806, though an engine reset race condition during the sequencer cluster restart indirectly contributed to the second, shorter outage the following day. Base said it will strengthen protocol-level fuzz and stress testing, upgrade monitoring systems, and introduce a graceful recovery mechanism to reduce restoration time in similar incidents. STOCKS | Samsung and SK Hynix to Unveil Over 1,000 Trillion Won Investment Plan on Monday Key Takeaways:~$650B investment over 10 yearsPossible Honam semiconductor clusterOpposition calls timing politically motivatedSummary:Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are scheduled to unveil major investment plans at a briefing Monday at 2 p.m. at Cheong Wa Dae, presided over by President Lee Jae Myung, with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won in attendance for a discussion session focused on three government-backed mega projects aimed at balanced regional development. Industry watchers expect the two chipmakers to commit more than 1,000 trillion won ($650 billion) over the next decade, including the potential development of a semiconductor cluster in the southwestern Honam region. President Lee has described the planned investment as a "historic achievement" capable of changing South Korea's trajectory, though the announcement has drawn political fire from the opposition People Power Party, which accuses the administration of timing the move alongside an internal power struggle within the ruling Democratic Party. Market movers:NVDAB: $194.49 (+0.50%)SPCXB: $154.29 (+0.09%)MUB: $1141.03 (+0.34%)TSLAB: $381.1 (+0.18%)AMDB: $520.16 (-0.10%)INTCB: $128.17 (+0.20%)SNDKB: $2099.72 (+0.09%)ETH: $1582.16 (+0.09%)BNB: $556.82 (-1.33%)XRP: $1.0533 (-0.24%)

Wall Street remained focused this week on developments in the Middle East, and energy prices eased after a ceasefire agreement was reached. According to PANews, oil prices have fallen to around $70 a barrel from $100 about a month ago.
Major U.S. stock indexes are set to close out a solid first half of the year next week. The S&P 500 is up more than 7% so far in 2026, though equities faced a more difficult period in June.
Gold prices saw sharp volatility this week. Early dip-buying and safe-haven demand shifted into another round of heavy selling amid stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data, persistent inflation, a stronger U.S. dollar, and rising expectations for Federal Reserve rate hikes, pushing gold back near the $4,000 level. In a late surge, gold rebounded to the edge of $4,100.

Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhou has no single explanation for why crypto markets have fallen so sharply in the first half of 2026 — and he said as much directly. Geopolitical tensions, investors rotating into AI, and the typical four-year crypto market cycle may all be contributing, he told CoinDesk in an exclusive interview. Bitcoin opened 2026 near $89,000, briefly touched $96,000, and has since fallen to approximately $60,000 — down roughly 50% from its October 2025 all-time high above $126,000.
Why CZ Thinks the AI Rotation Is Actually Good News Long-Term
The most interesting element of CZ's assessment is how he frames the AI rotation — not as a threat to crypto but as a structural positive. Hot money flowing into AI is a temporary reallocation, he argued, not a permanent exit from the digital asset ecosystem. "New industries like AI taking in the hot money from the crypto industry will be a positive fact in the long term," he said. The implication is that AI and crypto are sequential waves of technological adoption rather than competing destinations for permanent capital allocation — a view consistent with the broader "Great Convergence" thesis that BlackRock's Jay Jacobs and others have articulated around TradFi and DeFi merging rather than competing.
CZ also flagged prediction markets as a structural positive for financial markets broadly, describing their rapid growth as good for the population by enabling more accurate price discovery and liquidity. He acknowledged the gambling component but drew the same parallel that regulators and analysts have made throughout 2026: speculation provides liquidity, and liquidity benefits legitimate market participants. Kalshi crossing $5.5 billion in perpetual futures volume in its first two weeks is the most concrete data point validating that thesis.
His Long-Term View and Why It Is Not Entirely Selfless
CZ is clear that his bullishness is not impartial. Most of his net worth is held in BNB — giving him a substantial personal stake in both Binance's health and the broader crypto market's trajectory. He acknowledged this explicitly rather than presenting his long-term optimism as purely analytical. "Over the long run, the industry will develop. There's going to be more and more demand for financial technologies, because there will be more and more transactions, so the industry will grow. So I'm not worried about the industry or the short-term price fluctuations," he said.
That framing — long-term structural growth regardless of short-term price action — is consistent with the assessment of every major institutional participant currently accumulating despite the bear market, from BlackRock reaffirming its 1-2% allocation thesis to Morgan Stanley adding 266 BTC last week to CF Benchmarks identifying the $50,000-$60,000 zone as where long-term buyers have always historically stepped in.
The Clarity Act: Important but Not Transformative
On the regulatory front, CZ expressed measured optimism about the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act — which he described as potentially becoming law by year-end if remaining issues, including an ethics provision covering the president, can be resolved. His framing of the legislation is telling: "sort of small, tactical things, which are really important, but those are not gonna impact the growth of crypto longer-term."
This is a notably lower-key assessment than most crypto industry voices have attached to the CLARITY Act. CZ's position appears to be that regulatory clarity is a necessary condition for institutional adoption but not a sufficient one — growth will come from genuine utility and financial technology demand regardless of whether any specific bill passes. He added that if the CLARITY Act is delayed, other countries may move forward first, reinforcing the competitive dynamic that has produced parallel regulatory frameworks in the UK, Japan, South Korea, and the EU throughout 2026.
US Politics: Staying Out While Watching Closely
CZ's most carefully worded comments concerned US politics — an area where his status as a foreign national and a recipient of a Trump pardon makes navigation particularly delicate. "I try to stay as far away from US politics as I can," he said during an interview in Washington where he had set up meetings — a combination that itself illustrates the tension between claimed political distance and active engagement with the policy environment.
On the 2026 midterms and the prospect of Democrats potentially retaking a congressional chamber, CZ said he hoped Democrats would recognize crypto's importance to American voters regardless of partisan affiliation. "Anybody who's anti-crypto now will probably lose quite a lot of votes," he said — a sentiment that echoes Coinbase's Brian Armstrong and Ripple's Brad Garlinghouse, though those executives have expressed it through direct PAC involvement that CZ cannot legally replicate as a foreign national. On potential Democratic scrutiny of Trump's pro-crypto pardons including his own, CZ was direct: "There's nothing to hide. There will be more scrutiny, more inquiries, more clarity. We're very happy to provide information if they're seeking information."

Base said it experienced two mainnet block production interruptions on June 25 and 26, lasting about 116 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively. According to Foresight News, the network said the incidents did not affect on-chain asset security and that user funds remained available.Base attributed the disruption to a defect in the sequencer’s block-building logic. After a transaction execution failure, the system did not properly clear historical journal state, causing gas calculation errors when subsequent valid transactions executed. This led to invalid state-transition blocks and halted block production across the Layer 2 network.During the outages, Base reported a complete stop in block production, transactions failing to be included on-chain, and mempool congestion. User-submitted eth_sendRawTransaction requests continued to return errors.Base said it restored block production after applying a patch (PR #3806). However, it noted that an engine reset race condition during the sequencer cluster restart hindered recovery synchronization and indirectly contributed to the brief outage the following day.Looking ahead, Base said it will strengthen protocol-level fuzz testing and stress testing to identify abnormal transaction paths earlier, upgrade monitoring and operations systems, and introduce a graceful recovery mechanism to improve restoration speed in similar incidents.

SpaceX (SPCX) will join the Nasdaq 100 on July 7, just 15 trading days after its initial public offering, marking the benchmark’s fastest-ever index inclusion. According to BeInCrypto, SpaceX listed on the Nasdaq on June 12 at $135 per share, raising roughly $75 billion in the largest IPO in history and implying a $1.77 trillion valuation.
The company is the first to benefit from a Nasdaq rule that fast-tracks large new IPOs into the index after 15 trading days, prompting index funds such as the Invesco QQQ Trust to buy shares before markets open on July 7. SpaceX closed at $161 on debut after a nearly 19% surge and has since pulled back to around $148; Allianz has warned its valuation may outpace near-term fundamentals.

The FBI urged victims of the OneCoin cryptocurrency fraud to apply for government compensation before the June 30, 2026 deadline, with more than $40 million in forfeited assets still available. According to BeInCrypto, the Department of Justice launched the remission claims process on April 13, and eligible investors can file petitions online, by mail, or by email via onecoinremission.com, the only authorized portal.OneCoin, launched in 2014 from Sofia, Bulgaria by co-founders Ruja Ignatova and Karl Sebastian Greenwood, drew investors globally; victims lost more than $4 billion. Greenwood was sentenced to 20 years in September 2023, while Ignatova remains on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list.

Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) Chair and International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Chair Marlene Amstad said regulators are accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence and regulatory technology tools, including tools aimed at supervising crypto markets. According to Foresight News, Amstad said FINMA has developed a real-time crypto monitoring dashboard that combines quarterly crypto-asset figures reported by institutions with daily market prices.She said the dashboard is designed to help identify cases where a single institution’s crypto exposure becomes overly concentrated, as well as operational risks that can arise when tokens are concentrated on a single blockchain.Amstad also said FINMA is developing generative AI tools to scan regulatory documents ahead of on-site inspections and flag anomalies. She added that recommendations produced by the first AI tool would be reviewed by a second AI tool before being passed to supervisory staff.

According to CoinDesk, bitcoin has fallen below $60,000 and is on track for a rare back-to-back quarterly loss, a pattern seen only twice in BTC's history. Despite Q2 historically being one of bitcoin's stronger quarters — averaging gains over the past decade — the asset is set to break that trend. Key drivers include outflows from U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs, a hawkish Federal Reserve under new Chair Kevin Warsh, a U.S. dollar near a seven-month high, and capital rotating toward semiconductor and memory-chip stocks amid the ongoing AI boom. A tech-stock selloff earlier in the week added further pressure. Traders will be watching whether ETF outflows and soft demand ease in Q3, or if first-half weakness carries into the second half of 2026.

Japan’s government is expected to call for “appropriate” monetary management in its basic policy guidelines, according to Bloomberg.
The wording appears aimed at discouraging the Bank of Japan from further interest-rate hikes, Bloomberg reported.

EMURGO said it has identified a recovery path for SecondFi users after an exploit drained about $2.4 million worth of ADA. According to NS3.AI, EMURGO CEO Phillip Pon said the recovery timeline is roughly two weeks.
SecondFi said external attackers took about 16 million ADA from 374 addresses. EMURGO did not provide additional details in the statement beyond outlining the recovery plan and expected timeline.

Ultrasonic Electronics said its shares were flagged for abnormal trading after the cumulative deviation in closing-price gains exceeded 20% over three consecutive sessions on June 24-26, 2026, according to 36Kr. In a June 28, 2026 announcement, the company said operations are normal and it has seen no major changes in its business or operating environment.
The company said its copper-clad laminate unit is not producing M8 or M9 copper-clad laminates, and its M7/M8-grade high-speed copper-clad laminates are still in R&D testing. It added that PCBs supporting 800G and 1.6T optical modules are under research follow-up, with uncertainty around progress, customer certification and mass production; the products have not been supplied at scale and have generated no revenue so far.
Ultrasonic Electronics also said market rumors that its high-frequency boards have passed Nvidia certification are untrue, and it currently has no products supplied to Nvidia.

Machi token rose 235% intraday to $0.000668 after a series of meme coin posts were published from the X account of Huang Licheng, also known as “Machi Big Brother.” According to Odaily, the token’s price briefly exceeded $0.0007 before pulling back.
It was not immediately clear whether Huang’s X account had been compromised. The report urged community users to remain vigilant.
The article also noted that meme coin prices can be highly volatile, often driven by market sentiment and concept-based speculation, and may lack clear real-world use cases.

Fidelity Digital Assets has rejected concerns that Bitcoin’s long-term security will weaken as mining rewards shrink, saying the network’s incentive structure can remain strong even as block subsidies decline. According to Cointelegraph, a new research report authored by Fidelity research analyst Daniel Gray argues that Bitcoin’s security is supported by more than block rewards, pointing to transaction fees, market incentives, and other economic forces that encourage miners to keep securing the blockchain and make sustained attacks prohibitively expensive.The report challenges a longstanding criticism that each quadrennial halving undermines Bitcoin’s security by reducing new coin issuance, potentially eroding miners’ incentives unless transaction fees rise enough to compensate. The debate remains a central long-term question for Bitcoin (BTC), which follows a fixed supply schedule that gradually reduces issuance until block subsidies eventually disappear. Since April 20, 2024, miners have received a subsidy of 3.125 BTC per block, down from 6.25 BTC in the prior halving cycle. Gray said lower issuance has not translated into weaker incentives because Bitcoin’s rising price has more than offset the decline in block rewards. He cited average daily miner revenue growth from roughly $26,300 during Bitcoin’s first halving cycle to more than $40.2 million today, writing that miner incentives—and by extension network security—have historically strengthened alongside Bitcoin’s price.While Fidelity’s report maintains that Bitcoin’s long-term incentive structure remains intact, publicly traded mining companies are facing near-term financial pressure. Some industry analysts have described the current environment as among the most challenging on record, citing lower mining rewards, rising costs, and intensifying competition. In response, several miners have diversified into artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, using existing power infrastructure and data center assets to serve demand for AI workloads rather than relying solely on Bitcoin mining.A recent VanEck report estimated that publicly traded miners could require up to $50 billion in additional capital to fully transition to AI infrastructure, highlighting the scale of the shift. Blocksbridge Consulting, writing in a Miner Weekly publication, said Bitcoin mines can operate with relatively simple buildings, modular infrastructure, and ASIC fleets that tolerate fast curtailment, while AI and HPC facilities require higher standards for uptime, cooling, electrical redundancy, networking, and customer support.

Explosions were reported in Iran’s Sirik area, with Iranian state media linking the blasts to multiple shells hitting a communications tower.
According to Jin10, Iran’s Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said the explosions were connected to several artillery shells striking a communications tower in the Sirik area in southwestern Iran.
U.S. outlet Axios reported that U.S. officials said the U.S. military was carrying out strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz area after Iran attacked a commercial oil tanker on Saturday.
Axios said the strikes marked the second round of U.S. airstrikes since the signing of a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Zhongjing Electronics (002579) said on June 28, 2026 that its shares showed abnormal trading volatility after the cumulative deviation in closing-price gains exceeded 20% over two consecutive trading days, according to 36Kr. The company said it has noticed heightened market attention on the PCB industry, adding that as the sector develops, more peers are adjusting strategies and increasing resource investment, which it expects will intensify competition. Zhongjing Electronics urged investors to remain rational and be mindful of risks, noting that short-term market themes can be influenced by multiple complex factors.

High-purity CO2 procurement for advanced semiconductor manufacturing is showing early warning signs as inventories fall below one month, according to Citrini analyst Jukan.
According to NS3.AI, liquefied CO2 prices have risen about 20% since the beginning of the year.
The analyst said supply constraints are expected to likely persist until the end of the year.

Southbound funds recorded net purchases of HK$8.924 billion this week, adding positions aggressively while the index was at low levels, according to 36Kr. DataBao statistics showed 13 stocks saw southbound investors’ holdings rise more than 20% week on week. Yaojie Ankang-B ranked first with a 142.51% increase in holdings, followed by Guofu Quantum (up 83.57%), Biren Technology (up 52.95%), and KTG Group (up 40.42%).

South Korea’s KOSPI triggered its second circuit breaker in a single week after an 8.19% intraday plunge on Friday forced a 20-minute trading halt, dragging Wall Street, Tokyo and Tokyo-listed SoftBank lower. According to BeInCrypto, the Korea Exchange halted trading at 12:10 p.m. local time after the index stayed more than 8% below the prior close for at least one minute; the KOSPI hit 8,198.33 at the suspension and later closed down 5.81% at 8,411.21. Samsung Electronics fell 5.30% and SK Hynix slid 8.36%.

Sydney posted its weakest weekend home auction clearance rate in more than six years as higher interest rates and property tax changes dampened activity and weighed on prices, according to Bloomberg.

A helicopter operated by Saudi Aramco crashed Sunday in the Saudi city of Ras Tanura, killing all 14 passengers on board, according to Bloomberg, citing the state-owned SPA news agency.

Yuma, an investment company backed by Digital Currency Group, has launched a new fund designed to give institutional investors diversified exposure to the Bittensor ecosystem as asset managers expand products tied to decentralized artificial intelligence. According to Cointelegraph, the Yuma Total Market Fund offers exposure to Bittensor’s native TAO token alongside a basket of AI-focused subnets through a single investment vehicle, aiming to simplify access without requiring investors to choose individual subnet tokens. The fund launched with seed capital from an undisclosed anchor investor.
Bittensor is a decentralized network that supports AI infrastructure and applications through specialized subnets spanning areas such as compute, marketplaces, and identity. Yuma said the network’s 128 subnets represent more than $900 million in combined value, though network tracker Taostats places the combined subnet value closer to $300 million. Institutional interest has increased alongside the subnet economy’s growth. In April, Grayscale raised TAO’s weighting in its Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund to 43% during a quarterly rebalance, though TAO’s allocation has since declined to about 20% while Near Protocol’s NEAR became the fund’s largest holding at roughly 44%. Asset managers have also pursued additional routes for investor access: Bitwise filed for a TAO Strategy ETF with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in April, and Grayscale submitted an amended registration statement to convert its Bittensor Trust into a spot TAO exchange-traded fund that would list on NYSE Arca if approved. Separately, attention on decentralized AI intensified after the US Commerce Department suspended public access to Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models over national security and export control concerns. Grayscale head of research Zach Pandl said the move highlighted risks tied to centralized AI providers and added that demand for decentralized AI such as Bittensor and TAO could rise as investors seek alternatives. The restrictions appear to be easing: the Commerce Department restored access to Mythos 5 on Friday, and Axios reported Saturday that the Trump administration under U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to allow Anthropic to resume public access to Fable 5 as soon as next week.

Iran’s police forces said an estimated 30% to 35% of Iran’s population will take part in farewell, funeral procession, and burial ceremonies in July for Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
According to Jin10, the police estimate that about 15 million to 20 million people will attend the ceremonies in Tehran.
The estimate also puts attendance in Mashhad at about 3.5 million to 8 million people, and in Qom at about 3 million to 5 million people.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy and Aerospace Force said they launched a joint missile and drone operation in Kuwait and Bahrain in response to recent U.S. strikes. According to Jin10, the statement was reported by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.

Hong Kong share sales surged to a five-year high in the first half of 2026 as investor enthusiasm around the artificial intelligence boom outweighed a sluggish equity market and regulatory headwinds, according to Bloomberg.

Aave has moved to automated AAVE buybacks under Aavenomics 3.0, following an earlier discretionary buyback program that purchased more than 205,000 AAVE.
According to NS3.AI, Aave governance also reduced the annual buyback budget to approximately $30 million from about $50 million.
The update is tied to the “Aave Will Win” framework, under which 100% of revenue from the Aave Protocol, GHO, and Aave-branded products is directed to the DAO treasury.

Tiger Research said crypto is entering an “Internet Capital Markets” phase and pointed to tokenized real-world asset (RWA) value growth of about 257% over 15 months.
According to NS3.AI, the report describes Solana as one potential implementation layer for U.S. institutional use cases, including settlement and payments.
Tiger Research also links Solana’s role to stablecoin activity and the distribution of tokenized RWAs, positioning the network as infrastructure that could support these institutional workflows.

More than 120 A-share stocks were surveyed by institutions in the week of June 20-26, with Guangshengtang attracting the most attention, according to 36Kr. Guangshengtang was surveyed by 53 institutions, including six fund companies, six securities firms and eight private equity firms.
Shenghong Technology, Shenghong Co., United Chemical and Hengkun New Materials each received ratings from more than 20 institutions; Hengkun New Materials, Guangxin Materials and Dinglong Corp. were also cited as having exposure to the photoresist theme.
In market performance over the same week, institution-surveyed stocks fell by more than 2% on average, while Orient Tantalum, BOE A, Xinde New Materials and Huicheng Vacuum each rose by more than 10%.

European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel said she expects the ECB to raise interest rates further. According to Jin10, Schnabel made the remarks while discussing the outlook for the ECB’s monetary policy.

Jupiter’s strategic reserve trust, Jupiter Litterbox Trust, bought 177,570 JUP yesterday, according to on-chain data.
According to ChainCatcher, the purchase was valued at about $39,000.
The trust has accumulated purchases of 13,346,232 JUP so far this month, valued at about $2.93 million.
ChainCatcher reported that the trust’s total purchases to date reached 142,703,464 JUP, valued at about $31.4 million.
The Jupiter Litterbox Trust is described as Jupiter’s official on-chain treasury fund, which automatically transfers 50% of Jupiter protocol revenue and uses smart contracts to buy JUP on the open market for long-term holding.

A Neuberger portfolio manager said the U.S. dollar could continue strengthening in the near term as U.S. real interest rates rise. According to ChainCatcher, Joseph Purtell said he expects the dollar to break out of the trading range it has held over the past six to nine months.
Purtell added that over the longer term the dollar may weaken, citing structural concerns including the fiscal sustainability of the U.S. government.

CryptoQuant analyst Axel Adler said in a weekly analysis that FUD sentiment around Strategy continues and that the company’s mNAV (market net asset value ratio) has fallen below 1.
According to PANews, Adler said this indicates the market’s “premium pricing” of Strategy’s business model has disappeared, meaning investors are no longer willing to pay more for its shares than the value of its Bitcoin reserves.
He added that while this does not mean the company will immediately face risk, it would significantly increase the difficulty of raising funds—such as through common stock issuance—and continuing to increase its Bitcoin holdings.
Adler said the key issue is whether Strategy can still meet dividend obligations without selling Bitcoin and continue to secure new funding.

China’s A-share market fluctuated and pulled back during the week of June 22–26, with major indexes posting declines while the STAR 50 Index rose sharply.
According to Jin10, by the close on June 26, the Shanghai Composite Index, Shenzhen Component Index, and ChiNext Index had fallen a cumulative 1.55%, 1.55%, and 1.37% for the week, respectively, while the STAR 50 Index had gained 6.32%.
On the fund-flow side, main funds across the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets recorded a combined net outflow of 216.935 billion yuan for the week. The data showed significant selling pressure in technology stocks, with the group known as “Yi Zhong Tian”—Eoptolink Technology, InnoLight Technology, and TFC Communication—seeing combined selling of more than 26.7 billion yuan.
In terms of individual stocks, InnoLight Technology posted the largest main-fund net outflow at 13.78 billion yuan. Victory Giant Technology recorded a net outflow of 8.161 billion yuan. Dongshan Precision, TFC Communication, and Accelink Technologies each saw net outflows of more than 7.0 billion yuan.
HGLaser recorded a net outflow of 6.267 billion yuan. Eoptolink Technology and Tongguan Copper Foil each posted net outflows of more than 5.0 billion yuan. Zhongtian Technology and Contemporary Amperex Technology each saw net outflows of more than 3.5 billion yuan.

Technology companies are selling stock at a pace reminiscent of the dot-com boom, raising concerns among some investors about what that could signal for bondholders, according to Bloomberg.

Apple is lobbying the Trump administration for approval to purchase memory chips from Chinese chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to ease financial pressure from rising memory-chip prices, according to Ming Pao, citing the Financial Times and six sources.
CXMT has been accused by the U.S. Department of Defense of links to the Chinese People's Liberation Army and has been placed on a blacklist.

Michael Saylor, founder and executive chairman of Bitcoin treasury company Strategy, posted another update related to the firm’s Bitcoin Tracker, writing, “We’re gonna need more charts.”
According to Odaily, based on prior patterns, Strategy typically discloses additional Bitcoin purchases the day after releasing similar messages.