Is Bitcoin-backed digital credit dead after MicroStrategy's STRC crash?
Digital credit faced its first real stress test this week when MicroStrategyās STRC preferred stock plummeted, and critics quickly declared Bitcoin-backed asset classes to be dead. Bitcoin (BTC) has seen similar death notices before. However, blockchain data tells a different story: network activity has surged to multi-year highs, even as the price drops. $STRC isn't Bitcoin. But it's the cash machine Saylor uses to buy more $BTC. Here's why STRC below $100 matters: What STRC Was Designed to Do ā Preferred stock, sits between shares and debt ā Pays high dividend (monthly, adjustable) ā Built to trade close to $100. If STRC fallsā¦
AI won't make you a good trader, but this is how professionals use it
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is shaking up trading in crypto and traditional markets, but according to four top analysts, it rewards skill rather than replacing it. In crypto trading, AI's edge still relies on pure data and human judgment. Charles Edwards from Capriole Investments and Julio Moreno from CryptoQuant describe AI as a research accelerator. Benjamin Cowen and Michael van de Poppe reached the same conclusion from a trader's perspective in a different panel. Four analysts, one conclusion
3 altcoins trading near all-time highs this weekend
Three altcoins are trading right near their all-time highs as the weekend kicks off. Rain (RAIN), Hyperliquid (HYPE), and ADI are all so close that one strong rally could push them to a new all-time high (ATH). Every token has its own unique story. RAIN is retesting its peak after a minor dip, while HYPE and ADI are recovering from deeper corrections. The strength of the situations varies, as the technical levels below indicate. Rain (RAIN) is just 3% off its all-time high
GameStop and eBay tensions rise after key shareholders' vote fails
eBay shareholders rejected a governance proposal during the company's virtual annual meeting that would have lowered the threshold for calling a special shareholder meeting from 20 percent to 10 percent. The decision directly impacts GameStop's CEO Ryan Cohen, who holds nearly 9 percent of eBay. If the threshold had been 10 percent, Cohen would have had the sole ability to call for a special shareholder meeting without a broader alliance. The dispute has spilled out of the boardroom. eBay froze Cohen's personal seller account shortly after his buyout offer. The ban has now been lifted, but the case has stirred public contention with the company.
Who needs a salary? X's Nikita Bier lures Meta talent with better snacks
Nikita Bier, X's product lead, launched a public recruitment blitz targeting Meta employees this week. He promised to match or exceed any snack budget offered by competing firms. Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth admitted in an internal call that employee morale is at an all-time low. The layoffs in May 2026 took out 8,000 jobs. Meta also forced around 7,000 employees to move to AI units, where they had little say in the transfer.
XRP has a connection to NVIDIA, but is it strong enough during this cycle?
XRP has spent years losing ground to NVIDIA, which is one of the strongest assets in the market. Now a widely shared analyst chart suggests that breaking through a long-term resistance level could trigger XRP's next big move. This setup looks promising for the bulls, but history doesn't back it up as strongly. BeInCrypto rebuilt the comparison between XRP and NVIDIA and tested previous resistance breakouts. Since 2021, these breakouts have typically signaled exhaustion, and XRP's price has dropped sharply afterward.
Why crypto exchanges are starting to resemble stock brokers
Crypto traders are increasingly seeking yields outside of crypto. They still want to stay on crypto-based platforms. That's why most exchanges are expanding into tokenized global stocks. Zoomex is one of them. Its ZoomexStocks product allows users to invest in top stocks and indices without having to move funds out of the crypto exchange environment. In a recent episode of the BeInCrypto Podcast, Zoomex's marketing director Fernando Lillo Aranda stated that the move reflects traders' behavior in a slower and sometimes stagnant market. Cryptocurrencies are still the core of the platform, but traders are looking for more places to recycle capital as volatility decreases.
Trump gave Intel's stock a 10% boost, but the markets are hedging.
Intel's stock jumped about 10% when President Trump announced that Apple was working on chips with the company. This surge pushed Intel (INTC) past a resistance level it had failed to break through twice before. The chart showed a promising breakout. However, the cash flows, crypto traders' activities, and the options market suggest a more cautious outlook. Why did Intel's stock skyrocket after Apple's news? Intel Corporation (INTC) opened trading with a strong surge on Thursday. President Trump announced on Truth Social that Apple (AAPL) had agreed to plan and manufacture chips in the United States.
MiCA License Chaos: Why German Companies Are a Step Ahead While the EU Lags Behind
The European Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation comes into full effect on July 1. Only under 60 companies have received licenses across the union, and many applicants are facing a long wait, leaving them in uncertainty. Germany has emerged as a clear outlier. BaFin has issued around 18 Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) licenses, covering about 36% of all granted licenses. Authorities in other countries have been progressing much more slowly. EU CRYPTO DEADLINE LOOMS ā You've got just 2 weeks to move your funds! Only 14 exchanges are licensed to offer trading in Europe after July 1, 2026. MiCA regulation is wrapping up the transitional period. Unlicensed platforms need to stop servicing EU clients. Check out what EU crypto users⦠pic.twitter.com/6YuzekS5kw
CryptoQuant CEO Reveals the Hidden Risk Behind Bitcoin's Future
Bitcoin's biggest threat might not come from a sudden sell-off, but from a prolonged stagnation, says Ki Young Ju, CEO of CryptoQuant. A warning is popping up as institutional adoption expands, but it's still tough to keep investors hyped. Bitcoin's biggest risk isn't a crash; it's boredom. Saylor's STRC structure becomes really risky not when Bitcoin just tanks, but when it spends years trading sideways and the bear market drags on. A sharp drawdown can be weathered if the market still believes inā¦
3 space stocks to watch if you missed the SpaceX IPO
SpaceX's IPO was the largest in market history, and it was hot from the get-go. But the float (available shares) was small, so most investors never got a piece. With the IPO out of reach, cash is circulating into other space stocks worth watching. That rotation is selective, lifting only a few names. So instead of chasing SpaceX, three of them are standing out today. Money's floating in space, not outside it
XRP down 5% as Israel's strikes jeopardize the Trump-Iran deal: what's next?
XRP plunged 5% to around $1.12 as the Israeli military's assaults in Southern Lebanon threaten the TrumpāIran deal. With new attacks, critical negotiations have been postponed, and fears of a wider regional conflict are rising. The renewed conflict has pushed crucial negotiations back, and the short-term sentiment for XRP has turned bearish as traders keep an eye on oil prices and other macroeconomic indicators. XRP's price is dropping as Israel's strikes weigh on market risk sentiment
Goldman Sachs downgraded gold price estimate for the end of 2026
Goldman Sachs has reduced its year-end gold price forecast by $500 to $4,900 per ounce. This adjusted forecast is a result of waning expectations for interest rate cuts in 2026. This revised target still points to a bullish trend in the second half of the year, even though the rally is expected to be smaller than the bank's earlier estimate. Analysts Lina Thomas and Daan Struyven outlined the change in their research memo. The decline is primarily due to a weaker outlook for investments in gold-backed ETFs. According to data from the World Gold Council, around $2 billion in investments exited global gold ETFs in May.
Senator Bernie Sanders wants to tax AI giants for a $7,000,000,000,000 public fund...
Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill that would impose a one-time tax on certain AI companies and funnel the tax revenue into a public fund worth approximately seven trillion dollars. This supports a broader effort to tax extreme wealth. The bill was released in the same week that enough signatures were gathered for the California Billionaire Tax Act to make it to the ballot in November. Wealth tax proposals are now advancing at both the federal and state levels.
The departure wave at the Ethereum Foundation takes down another deputy leader
Hsiao-Wei Wang is stepping down as CEO and board member of the Ethereum Foundation (EF), effective immediately. Heās the second big player to exit a top leadership position by 2026. After a long sabbatical, Wang mentioned that his time away from the organization made him reassess his priorities. He plans to stay involved in the broader Ethereum (ETH) ecosystem and push for its growth from outside the organization. Nine years at the core of the Foundation Wang joined the EF's research team in 2017 and became the second CEO in April 2025. He was involved in several major protocol upgrades for nearly a decade, including Beacon Chain, The Merge, Shapella, and Dencun.
MicroStrategy's STRC stock hits record lows as monthly decline exceeds 10%
MicroStrategy's STRC preferred stock dropped to all-time lows on Thursday, closing well below the hundred-dollar par value and weakening a key funding channel for the companyās Bitcoin (BTC) acquisitions. The price drop has raised concerns again that Strategy may have to short more Bitcoin to fund the stock's dividend. The company holds approximately 846,842 BTC. MicroStrategy's perpetual stock is hitting record lows. Market data indicates that STRC's closing price on Thursday was $88.59, marking a new low. The stock's internal bottom during trading was $82.50. Over the past month, the stock has fallen more than 10%.
Wall Street Analysts Pick Nvidia Over Micron: Here's Why
Wall Street is making a clear distinction between the two biggest AI stock winners. Analysts broadly support Nvidia at its current price and consider Micron Technology to be overpriced ahead of its earnings report set for June 24. Wall Street's price targets are making it clear. Nvidia is trading close to $210. Itās being followed by 69 analysts who estimate its true value to be $300, which is about 43% higher. Meanwhile, Micron is a mirror image. Its price is around $1,133, but 49 analysts estimate its true value to be only $949, which is about 16% lower than its current price.
DOT mirrors XRP's sentiment crash in June ā with one crucial exception.
Polkadot (DOT) sentiment has dropped to one of its lowest points in months, even though discussions about the token on social media are increasing, according to Santiment. The shift in sentiment has sparked a familiar question among traders. Does deep fear signal a bottom, or does it reinforce DOT's weakening position against faster-growing competitors? Why has the Polkadot sentiment turned negative? Santiment data shows that positive comments have dropped significantly over the last month. The ratio fell from 6.39 comments for each negative one on May 18 to 1.18 by June 18.
U.S. lawmakers may be banned from betting on the Kalshi and Polymarket platforms
Representative Bryan Steil introduced the Stop Lawmakers from Predicting Act on June 18. The bill prohibits members of Congress, their spouses, and dependents from placing bets on government policies or political outcomes in prediction markets. The Wisconsin Republican serves as the chair of the House Administration Committee. The bill is a response to growing concerns about insider trading on these platforms. Rep Steil is trying to prevent lawmakers from betting on the outcomes of U.S. politics.
Algorand aims for widespread quantum readiness by the end of 2027 with a new roadmap
Algorand Foundation confirms its blockchain's defense against quantum computer attacks by the end of 2027, anticipating the National Security Agency's deadline. The roadmap covers all layers of the network. It includes user wallets, developer tools, and consensus mechanisms. The schedule is built around Q-Day Algorand is gearing its efforts for the so-called Q-Day, the point when quantum computers could crack the cryptography currently used to secure most blockchains. The 2027 goal is set to be achieved before the National Institute of Standards and Technology phases out old RSA key sizes. This target also comes three years ahead of the NSA's national security systems deadline.