Bitcoin

• Major U.S. indices declined, with the Nasdaq falling 1.68%, the S&P 500 dropping 0.81%, and the Dow Jones slipping 0.09% as semiconductor and tech stocks tumbled. • Market volatility was driven by a poor earnings forecast from Netflix and rising geopolitical tensions following a speech by Donald Trump regarding Iran. • Brent crude oil surged over 3% to $86.91 per barrel, fueling inflation concerns, while Bitcoin climbed above $63,309.06 and precious metals attempted a recovery.

• Editors from major media outlets, including Forbes, Digiday, and Business Insider, convened at the Cannes Lions festival to debate the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism. • The roundtable focused on the significant loss of web traffic caused by AI-generated summaries and the evolving strategies needed to combat this decline. • The discussion highlights a critical tension in the industry as media giants struggle to maintain audience reach and revenue while AI tools increasingly bypass traditional news sites.

• Asian stock markets declined following U.S. military strikes against Iran, which triggered a surge in global oil prices. • Key indices were negatively impacted, with South Korea's Kospi index dropping 1.6% and Japan's Nikkei 225 falling 0.2%. • The geopolitical tension caused a broader market ripple, leading to price drops in gold and Bitcoin.

• U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced a record $4.5 billion in net outflows during June 2026, marking the worst monthly performance since their January 2024 launch. • The downturn was driven by a capital rotation into AI stocks, contributing to Bitcoin's price drop from over $93,000 at the start of the year to $58,190 by July 1. • This shift represents a year-to-date loss exceeding 33% for the cryptocurrency, contrasting sharply with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching new all-time highs.

Exclusive: Finance experts warn against investing in bitcoin treasury companies after Stack BTC assets plungeA bitcoin company that Nigel Farage has advertised lost more than 15% of its asset value, prompting finance experts to warn investors against those types of firms.The Reform UK leader has invested £215,000 in a bitcoin treasury company named Stack BTC. A bitcoin treasury buys the cryptocurrency on behalf of its shareholders, and Stack aims to purchase other companies with the increase in value it gets from holding bitcoin. Continue reading...

• US stock markets ended the session mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging while the Nasdaq slipped due to price drops in tech giants Apple and Microsoft. • Gains in the financials, industrials, and healthcare sectors—led by Caterpillar, JPMorgan Chase, and UnitedHealth—helped offset losses in the technology sector. • Investors remain cautious due to inflation concerns, rising natural gas prices, and shifts in electric vehicle policy, though optimism persists regarding overall economic growth.

• Asian economies, particularly South Korea and Taiwan, are experiencing extreme market volatility and rapid growth driven by the global AI trade. • Taiwan's stock market has surged to become the world's fifth largest, surpassing India and trailing only the U.S., China, Japan, and Hong Kong. • In South Korea, Lee’s Democratic Party is considering a "people's dividend" funded by AI profits to combat inequality, though critics view this as a temporary fix.