Bank of America: Shift from exiting risk assets to defensive positioning this summer; recommends focusing on long-dated Treasuries, high-yield stocks, and the U.S. dollar.
Bank of America chief investment strategist Michael Hartnett has issued a fresh warning, noting the bank’s proprietary Bull & Bear Indicator has surged to an extreme historical level of 9.6. The latest fund manager survey shows current investor optimism rests on four core assumptions: no hard economic landing, no Federal Reserve rate hikes, no cuts to AI capital expenditure, and no Democratic sweep in the congressional midterm elections. Hartnett dubs this combination “no landing, no hike, no cut, no sweep” — the root cause of the market’s near-total lack of short positions. The latest fund flow data confirms the market’s extreme exuberance: U.S. equities saw a net inflow of $55.8 billion, while money market funds recorded a massive net outflow of $119.6 billion, marking the largest weekly cash withdrawal since April 2026; tech sector inflows totaled $48.8 billion over three weeks, a historical record. Hartnett describes this as institutional-driven, reckless momentum chasing. Hartnett advises decisively exiting risk assets this summer and shifting to long-dated Treasuries, defensive sectors, high-dividend stocks, and the U.S. dollar. He names U.S. mega-cap ETF MAGS as a key watch indicator: a break below $65 will drag down the entire cyclical sector, while a breakout above $70 will signal a re-entry point. The biggest tail risk lies in a scenario where mega-cap tech firms announce cuts to AI capital expenditure yet fail to push the Magnificent 7 to new highs — the resulting sharp negative shocks to growth and asset prices would trigger massive short selling in banks, brokers, and industrial stocks.
9 minutes ago
Circle's CEO responds to the roughly 76% plunge in the company's stock price: Executing long-term plans such as Arc properly will naturally make the stock price take care of itself.
Circle CEO Heath Tarbert recently admitted in an interview with Fox Business that the company’s stock price has plunged roughly 76% from around $260 in June last year to approximately $62. He responded that if the company executes its long-term plans well—including the Arc blockchain infrastructure project—"the stock price will take care of itself," and stressed that "Circle is in it for the long haul."
However, analysts have grown cautious about Circle’s outlook. Mizuho cut its rating on CRCL from "Neutral" to "Underperform," slashing the target price from $85 to $50, implying roughly 21% downside potential. Mizuho noted that even if interest rates stay high through 2027, this will not offset pricing pressure and profit erosion from intensifying competition.
Retail investor sentiment on Stocktwits remains in "bullish" territory, while discussion volume stays elevated. Regarding the emerging stablecoin Open USD—backed by around 140 companies and planned to return reserve profits to partners and waive minting fees—Tarbert said Circle welcomes competition, adding that rival consortium models are extremely hard to sustain long-term. He emphasized USDC remains the world’s leading stablecoin, with its core moat built on scale advantages: roughly $73 billion in current circulating supply and native support for 34 blockchains.
Meanwhile, Circle is actively expanding its global payment footprint, having signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s JCB to explore USDC use cases in merchant payments and cross-border treasury management, including enabling overseas tourists to use stablecoins for in-person payments in Japan.
9 minutes ago
Updated predictions for NBA star LeBron James' next team: Miami Heat lead with 47% market support.
Latest data from prediction market platform Predict.fun shows that, as of press time, in forecasts for NBA star LeBron James’ next team, the Miami Heat lead with a 47% probability, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers (23%), Golden State Warriors (10%), Philadelphia 76ers (7%), and Minnesota Timberwolves (2%). Discussions surrounding James’ future destination have been heating up recently. The 41-year-old James told attendees at the July 17 Fanatics Fest event that he “won’t keep everyone waiting long,” adding that his decision on a new team is significant and he will not rush into it. Meanwhile, Miami Heat president Pat Riley publicly extended an olive branch to James, revealing he has held talks with James’ agent Rich Paul, describing the discussions as “very smooth.” Riley also cited Florida’s lack of state income tax, pleasant climate, and high-quality living environment as major draws for players, adding with a meaningful note: “We’ve successfully landed one plane, and now there’s another plane that needs to land.”
9 minutes ago
Trump confirms attendance at World Cup final; US activates highest-level security.
The final of the US-Canada-Mexico co-hosted World Cup will kick off at 3:00 AM on July 20 at New Jersey Stadium in the New York metropolitan area. US President Donald Trump has confirmed his attendance. The US has launched a "Level 1" special security operation for the event. Deployments at the venue include F-16 fighter jets, military snipers, and thousands of FBI agents, with temporary flight restrictions and no-fly zones implemented across New York and New Jersey. On match day, roads around the stadium will be under traffic control; fans are required to arrive at least four hours before kickoff, while media must complete check-in and security screening by 12:30 PM Eastern Time on July 19.
9 minutes ago
US and South Korean stock market price preview for Monday: SK Hynix and Samsung are expected to open slightly lower, while US stocks are set to edge higher in pre-market trading.
During the weekend when traditional markets are closed, on-chain Nasdaq Trade.xyz enables continuous trading and real-time price discovery unavailable in traditional finance via perpetual contracts, pricing in advance the upcoming Monday’s U.S. and South Korean stock market performance.
Most popular U.S. stocks on Trade.xyz saw minor gains compared to their Friday post-close levels, with an overall slight uptick expected ahead of Monday’s trading. Their weekend performance is as follows:
SpaceX is currently priced at $127.82, up from $124.14 at Friday’s U.S. market close;
Micron Technology (MU) is at $849.99, versus $844.00 post-Friday close;
SanDisk (SNDK) stands at $1368.9, compared to $1350 at Friday’s close;
NVIDIA is priced at $202.37, down slightly from $202.55 post-Friday close;
Marvell Technology (MRVL) is at $188.42, up from $186.76 Friday post-close;
Intel is at $94.3, versus $93.98 at Friday’s post-close level;
Google is at $346.5, up from $345.75 Friday post-close;
AMD is priced at $491.2, down from $492.10 at Friday’s post-close.
South Korean stocks were closed this past Friday. Over the three recent non-trading days, popular South Korean stocks on Trade.xyz have seen minor declines from their Thursday closing prices, with an expected 2-4% drop at Monday’s opening. Their weekend performance is as follows:
Samsung Electronics is currently priced at $168.9, down from $171.5 at Thursday’s close;
SK Hynix is at $1188.6, versus $1238 at Thursday’s close.
9 minutes ago
Viewpoint: 50% of BTC’s total circulating supply has changed hands above $59,000, and a bottom structure is currently forming.
Analyst Darkfost noted that Bitcoin is currently forming a key support zone between $59,000 and $70,000, one of the most heavily defended price ranges in Bitcoin’s history. Of greater note, 50% of Bitcoin’s total circulating supply has changed hands above $59,000; this figure would be even higher if excluding the millions of BTC widely believed to have been permanently lost. A tug-of-war between bulls and bears is unfolding in this zone. Currently, short-term holders are notably active, with their behavior splitting between capitulation and accumulation. Many Bitcoin metrics are now in extreme sell or pessimistic territory, making an absolute bottom price impossible to accurately determine, while a bottom structure is currently taking shape.
9 minutes ago