After delivering an impressive Q2 earnings report that sent its share price soaring to an intraday high of $189, Circle (CRCL) staged a “roller-coaster” performance the very same day—sliding 6% after hours. Behind this move were two opposing forces: the long-term boost from strong business growth and the short-term drag from a new share offering. In this piece, we’ll break down everything from the earnings highlights and business model to its partner ecosystem and the real reasons behind the after-hours drop. Q2 Earnings Highlights Circle kept up its rapid growth in Q2 2025. USDC circulation jumped 90% year-over-year to $61.3 billion and climbed further to $65.2 billion by August 10, showing continued strong demand for stablecoins. Total revenue and reserve income rose 53% to $658 million,

Before the US market opened last night, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released July inflation data that drew plenty of market attention. Headline CPI (not seasonally adjusted) held steady at 2.7% year-on-year, below the 2.8% forecast. However, core CPI climbed to 3.1%—a five-month high—beating expectations of 3.0%. On a monthly basis, core CPI rose 0.3%, the fastest pace since January. This split performance highlights the complexity of the inflation picture and adds new challenges for the Fed’s upcoming policy decisions. Source: U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics Energy and Food Prices Fall, But Services Inflation Surges A closer look shows a clear structural pattern: energy and food prices are easing, but services inflation is still running hot. The Fed’s closely watched “supercore service

On August 6, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.6%, in line with market expectations. The decision was unanimously approved, marking the restart of the rate-cut cycle after last month’s unexpected pause. This is the third rate cut this year, bringing the total reduction to 75 basis points. While the move was expected, the set of economic forecasts released alongside the decision cast a shadow over Australia’s growth outlook. Source: RBA Productivity Growth Forecast Slashed In its latest quarterly Monetary Policy Statement, the RBA downgraded its medium-term productivity growth forecast from 1% to 0.7%—a 30% cut. This is the first downgrade of this key economic indicator since the COVID pandemic began. The bank even admitted that this new forecast

At the end of July, Firefly Aerospace $Firefly Aerospace Inc.(FLY)$ , the first private aerospace unicorn to land on the Moon, officially launched its IPO under the ticker FLY. Since debuting on Nasdaq last Thursday, the stock has been on a wild ride—soaring more than 60% in just two trading days before tumbling back close to its starting point. Source: Yahoo Finance Who is Firefly? Firefly Aerospace is a US-based private space company providing medium- and small-lift rocket launches and lunar lander services for both government and commercial clients. In March this year, its self-developed uncrewed spacecraft Blue Ghost successfully completed a NASA-contracted lunar mission, operating steadily on the Moon’s surface for 14 days. This achievement ma

Intel $Intel(INTC)$ is facing increasing financial pressure—now compounded by political heat. Just yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly demanded on Truth Social that Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan resign immediately, citing “serious conflicts of interest.” Trump pointed to Tan’s prior investment ties to China, declaring that “resignation is the only option.” The political attack led to Intel’s stock falling over 3% on the day. Source: Truth Social Why is Trump pushing for Tan’s resignation? The main reason behind Trump’s demand centers on Tan’s deep investment history in China. Before joining Intel, Lip-Bu Tan was the founder and CEO of venture capital firm Walden International, which has invested heavily in China’s tech sector. Public records sh

After the U.S. market closed on Tuesday, Super Micro Computer $SUPER MICRO COMPUTER INC(SMCI)$ released its fiscal Q4 2025 earnings report — and it seriously disappointed investors. The company missed on all key metrics: revenue came in at $5.76 billion, short of the $6.01 billion analysts were expecting; gross margin was 9.6%, below the projected 10%; and adjusted EPS landed at $0.41, missing the $0.44 consensus. The market didn’t take it well. The stock plunged over 18% in the first trading session after the report, wiping out more than $5 billion in market value — erasing a big chunk of the gains it had built up earlier this year. Source: Google Finance Q4 Results + Slashed FY26 Guidance Super Micro’s $SUP

Palantir $Palantir Technologies Inc.(PLTR)$ released its latest Q2 earnings yesterday, and the stock surged nearly 8% after the report. Over the past 12 months, Palantir's share price has skyrocketed more than 600%, making it one of the top-performing stocks in the entire U.S. market. So what exactly did this latest earnings report reveal? Why has the stock been on such a tear? And more importantly—has the valuation already priced in too much? Source: Google Finance Palantir’s Journey: From Covert Ops to AI Platform Powerhouse Palantir Technologies $Palantir Technologies Inc.(PLTR)$ is a U.S.-based software company that helps clients integrate data, decision-making, and operations at scale. Its software p

The U.S. July nonfarm payrolls report came in way weaker than expected, potentially marking a turning point for Federal Reserve policy. Only 73K jobs were added—far below forecasts of 110K and the slowest pace since October 2023. On top of that, May and June numbers were revised down by a whopping 258K jobs, a much bigger revision than usual. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Markets reacted quickly. Traders boosted the odds of a 25-basis-point Fed rate cut in September from 40% to over 80%, and are now fully pricing in two cuts by year-end. U.S. Economy Looks Resilient on the Surface, But Cracks Are Appearing The Q2 GDP numbers released earlier painted a mixed picture: inflation-adjusted GDP grew 3% annualized, bouncing back from a weak 0.5% in Q1. But the headline strength was mostly dr

At its July 31st meeting, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at 4.25%–4.5%, but something unusual happened: two Fed governors—Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, both Trump appointees—broke ranks and voted for an immediate rate cut. It’s the first time in over 30 years that two FOMC members have simultaneously dissented in favor of easing. In its statement, the Fed acknowledged that economic growth has "moderated," though it continued to describe the labor market as “strong” and inflation as “slightly above target.” The central bank also warned that the economic outlook remains “highly uncertain.” This mixed messaging reflects a growing dilemma for policymakers: on one hand, tariffs could keep inflation elevated, arguing for staying higher for longer; on the other, job m

Design software unicorn Figma $Figma(FIG)$ has officially announced its plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker symbol FIG. The IPO closes for subscription today and is set to begin trading tomorrow. Investor enthusiasm has been overwhelming — the IPO was reportedly over 30 times oversubscribed, and pricing has been raised significantly in the past week. So what exactly is Figma? And how should we view its prospects as it goes public? Company Overview: Redefining Design for the Cloud Era Founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, Figma $Figma(FIG)$ set out to build the future of digital design and collaboration. It was the first browser-based UI/UX design tool — breaki

On Sunday, Trump met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and finalized a major trade deal with the EU—just ahead of his self-declared August 1st “tariff deadline.” This came right after the U.S. also wrapped up its deal with Japan last week. With these two agreements in place, the U.S. has now locked in trade deals with almost all major economies—except China. So while Trump’s aggressive tariff campaign may seem to have paused for now, the ripple effects and longer-term risks are far from over. What's in the Deals? In the EU $Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF(VGK)$ deal, the U.S. agreed to impose a flat 15% tariff on goods imported from the EU—including most vehicles—which is much lower than the previously threatened 30%. But there’s st

Since 2024, gold prices have repeatedly reached new highs, showcasing its strong safe-haven appeal and long-term appreciation potential amid global macroeconomic volatility and geopolitical uncertainty. As of 2025, gold has risen over 29% cumulatively, making it one of the best-performing assets in recent years. This trend underscores the strategic value of gold as a long-term investment tool—it not only offers stability during market turbulence but also benefits from an environment of high inflation and rising expectations for monetary easing. For investors, gold maintains an irreplaceable position in diversified portfolios, acting as ballast in turbulent times. The continued accumulation of gold by central banks and the growing interest from individual investors seeking risk hedging have

After the U.S. market closed today, Tesla $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ released its latest Q2 earnings report — and the results were undeniably dismal. Both revenue and profits saw significant year-over-year declines, marking the company's steepest quarterly drop in years. However, the stock initially rose slightly in after-hours trading, only to reverse course and fall 4% after Elon Musk issued a rare “pessimistic warning” during the earnings call. Tesla’s $Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ Q2 Financial Performance Tesla's total revenue for the second quarter declined by 12% year-over-year — the company’s biggest quarterly drop since 2012. Key details include: Automotive revenue fell 16% YoY, the second straight quarter of do

JP Morgan Chase $摩根大通(JPM)$ kicked off Q2 earnings season with a bang on July 15, reminding the market why it's still the heavyweight champion of U.S. banking. Despite ongoing challenges from high interest rates and geopolitical volatility, the bank flexed its muscles in capital markets—and delivered a clear message: it's not just weathering the storm, it's navigating it with precision. The Numbers: More Than Just a Beat Let’s cut through the noise—yes, net income dropped 17% YoY to $14.99 billion. But that decline? It’s mainly optics. The previous year’s quarter was inflated by a one-off $7.9 billion gain from a Visa $Visa(V)$ equity swap. Strip that out, and JPM’s core profitability looks robust. EPS came i

NVIDIA’s stock $NVIDIA(NVDA)$ has recently continued to soar, once again rewriting Wall Street history. The company has officially become the world’s first publicly listed company to surpass a $4 trillion market capitalization, reclaiming the top spot globally by overtaking both Microsoft and Apple. From a news-driven perspective, the core catalyst behind this latest surge lies in the positive signals released during NVIDIA’s shareholder meeting at the end of June, which reinvigorated investor confidence in the AI market outlook. In addition, the company recently announced the resumption of H20 chip exports to China, and CEO Jensen Huang’s renewed visit to China further reinforced optimism about NVIDIA’s growth prospects in the region. Source: CNB

The moderate increase in the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June may mark the beginning of inflationary pressure triggered by tariffs, as long expected by the market. However, the strength and persistence of this trend remain uncertain. According to the latest data, the CPI rose by 0.3% month-over-month in June — the largest gain since January — while the year-over-year increase accelerated from 2.4% in May to 2.7%. The core CPI (excluding food and energy) rose 0.2% month-over-month, with the annual rate coming in at 2.9%, slightly below the expected 3.0%. Despite the overall uptick in inflation, the divergence between goods and services inflation — along with core CPI coming in below expectations for the fifth consecutive month — has placed the Federal Reserve in a dilemma over its m

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump once again postponed the long-anticipated tariff announcement originally scheduled for July 9, pushing the new deadline to August 1. However, in parallel, he escalated his tariff rhetoric, issuing warning letters to numerous countries. This “delay + threat” strategy has further strengthened the market’s belief in the “TACO” logic — Trump Always Chickens Out. Yet at the same time, it also deepens the uncertainty surrounding future tariff actions. Are these moves signs of negotiation compromise, or part of a larger, calculated strategy? Opinions are now sharply divided. Tariff Delays Accompanied by Aggressive Letters As the July 9 deadline approached, Trump announced the new tariff implementation date would be delayed to August 1 — despite repeated clai

As global competition over strategic resources intensifies, rare earth elements—vital to high-tech and defense industries—have become a key battleground in the race for geopolitical dominance. Recently, MP Materials’ stock $MP Materials Corp.(MP)$ surged following a strategic investment by the U.S. Department of Defense. Behind this rally lies not only improved company fundamentals, but also a broader battle to reshape global rare earth supply chains. As the U.S. pushes to reduce reliance on foreign sources, resource exporters like Australia are also benefiting, signaling a quiet shift in the global rare earth landscape. Why Did MP Materials $MP Materials Corp.(MP)$ Surge? The U.S. Department of Defense's Str

On July 6, OPEC+ made a major decision in a brief ten-minute virtual meeting, announcing it would raise crude oil production by 548,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August. This increase significantly exceeds the previous three months' hike of 411,000 bpd and also surpasses market expectations. The unexpected move triggered an immediate reaction in the oil market, causing Chinese oil futures to open sharply lower on July 8, with key contracts like SC crude and fuel oil both dropping over 2%. Background and Details of the Output Hike This marks the fourth time OPEC+ has accelerated production increases since April 2025. Here's a quick recap: April saw a 138,000 bpd increase; from May to July, monthly hikes were 411,000 bpd; and now August’s jump to 548,000 bpd raises the pace further. At the ne