Battery technology firm Solidion to acquire SpaceX shares as strategic reserve assets.

Melius Research initiates coverage on Western Digital (WDC.O), assigning a "Buy" rating with a target price of $105.

Serenity published a report stating that General Motors (GM) has laid off roughly 1,000 employees and replaced some positions with around 50 robots. At the same time, there are reports that GM is in talks with NVIDIA over factory robot collaborations. This is regarded as an important signal that the robotics industry is moving toward large-scale commercial adoption, indicating that automation is expected to boost corporate operational efficiency and improve profit margins, especially in labor-intensive sectors such as automotive manufacturing and warehousing logistics. Serenity believes that robot and humanoid robot technologies have largely matured and are currently in the early phase of large-scale rollout. Although large enterprises generally categorize them as "auxiliary robots", their core goal remains replacing certain manual roles with automation, cutting labor costs including salaries and insurance, enabling round-the-clock operations, and enhancing profitability. While the widespread adoption of robots may bring employment pressure, the key inflection point for the industry’s development seems to have arrived.

Amid the Iran-related conflict that has battered European stock markets, JPMorgan analyst Mislav Matejka expects the selloff to be temporary. Now, he has doubled down on his bullish stance, emerging as the most optimistic bull among forecasters tracked by Bloomberg. Matejka and his team raised their year-end target for the Euro Stoxx 600 index from 630 to 680 points, implying roughly 7% upside from current levels. This new forecast surpasses the previous highest estimate of 670 points set by Barclays and HSBC earlier this month. The strategists wrote in a report: "After three years of stagnant growth, corporate earnings in the eurozone are accelerating this year." They project earnings per share (EPS) growth of 18% and 12% for 2026 and 2027, respectively. "If the market rally broadens in the second half of the year, European stocks could once again become a highly attractive investment."

According to Bitget market data, battery technology firm Solidion Technology’s U.S. pre-market shares rose 26.5% after the company announced it would purchase shares in SpaceX (SPCX.O) as strategic reserve assets.

According to a report by the Bangkok Post, the Bank of Thailand is advancing a stablecoin project backed 1:1 by the Thai baht, and is expected to launch a public consultation on the relevant plan before the end of this year.

According to Bitget market data, US-listed chip stocks rallied broadly in pre-market trading: Qualcomm (QCOM) rose 2.16%, Intel (INTC) gained 1.08%, AMD (AMD) increased 1.52%, and NVIDIA (NVDA) was up 1.08%.