US, Europe See Biggest Drop in CEO Confidence: Report
Confidence among CEOs in Europe has plummeted, according to a new report by the Conference Board, which says pessimism is likely being driven by geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainty. Maria Demertzis, The Conference Board Economy, Strategy, and Finance Center Europe Leader joined Francine Lacqua on "The Pulse".
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11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Got $1,000? Here's 1 More Reason to Buy XRP and Hold It for at Least 3 Years
XRP treasury companies are emerging and already absorbing millions of tokens, adding steady demand. Even a few new treasury companies can materially tighten the supply. There are other bullish factors in play right now too. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is about to experience an interesting tug of war over its supply. On one side are the predictable monthly coin supply releases from escrow by XRP's issuer, a company called Ripple. On the other side are the world's first XRP treasury companies, which are start-ups whose sole purpose is to stockpile the coin and sit on it to capture its price appreciation over time. That second force is small today. But the very fact it now exists when it didn't before creates incremental, structural demand for a coin whose floating supply is otherwise set to expand. If you can handle a three-year holding window and an investment as small as $1,000, the odds are thus very favorable that demand will win out in your favor if you buy the coin. Let's explore why. A crypto treasury company is a publicly traded business that raises capital, buys a digital asset like XRP, and thereby offers its shareholders levered exposure to the underlying asset's price. This approach was first used by Strategy with Bitcoin, and now the same model is being attempted by a few enterprising companies with XRP. In late May, the solar power and storage business VivoPower pivoted to become the world's first XRP-focused treasury company, closing a $121 million private placement-funding round and then in early June specifically allocating $100 million to purchase XRP in an over-the-counter (OTC) deal. And it isn't alone in picking XRP as its treasury asset, at least not any more. Within 24 hours of VivoPower's announcement, two other small companies, Ault Capital Group and an Asia-based logistics holding business, disclosed plans to buy XRP as a strategic reserve asset. Why bother with holding coins when there are other ways to make money that don't rely on the vagaries of the market to generate a return? Although it's yet to be proven successful, except in the case of Strategy, generally crypto treasury companies argue they can outperform just holding their underlying assets directly by issuing equity or convertible debt, buying coins, and capturing any upside on behalf of shareholders. Those shareholders are effectively making a leveraged bet on the crypto by buying the company's stock, so it's true that their returns could be higher than just holding the coins directly. How much impact will these new treasury companies have on XRP's supply relative to what's being released from escrow each month? If the answer is "close to zero," then the coin's critics can retain one of their arguments against buying it. On the other hand, if the treasurers are taking a large amount of supply off the table, it would be another argument in favor of buying and holding the coin. Ripple still controls about 36.5 billion XRP in escrow and, by design, unlocks about 1 billion tokens on the first day of each month. Historically, roughly 800 million of that haul are relocked, leaving a net 200 million XRP that can hit the market and boost supply and depress prices. So there's an inflationary element of XRP that is relatively minor in the big scheme of things. Compare that with VivoPower's initial $100 million purchasing goal for the asset. At today's XRP price of about $2.25, it can buy roughly 44 million XRP. In other words, a single new treasury entrant can sop up roughly 20% of a typical month's net supply increase. Layer in similar moves telegraphed by other aspiring crypto treasury companies, and supply can start to tighten rather quickly, at least for as long as there's a steady drumbeat of new entrants making big purchases. Critics counter that treasury companies are leveraged, thinly capitalized, and prone to dumping if XRP's price plunges, which is a fair point. It's also the case that Ripple could decide to sell more of each month's escrow if prices surge. Nonetheless, the key is that demand pressure from buyers now has a persistent, deep-pocketed corporate source instead of relying solely on retail traders and banks. And that's bullish. Assuming the XRP treasury club grows, three tailwinds could reinforce the thesis for buying $1,000 of the coin and holding it for at least three years. First, the approval of a U.S. exchange-traded fund (ETF) application is widely expected sometime in 2025. An approval would ignite institutional demand the way Bitcoin ETFs did. It's not guaranteed, but it's no secret that the new administration's leaders are very friendly toward crypto. Second, the supply unlock schedule itself is finite and not very scary at all. If the unlocking pace persists as it has, Ripple's remaining stash of XRP will eventually run dry. The monthly supply drip could then end entirely, leaving crypto treasurers, remittance banks, and everyone else to fight over a fixed supply. That would drive prices up. Finally, competition among treasurers is now accelerating. Corporate executives hunting for their own version of Strategy's moment of popularity may decide XRP's utility for making payments are safer than an all-Bitcoin bet. Of course, none of this insulates investors from volatility. That's why a $1,000 starting stake is worthwhile; it keeps your exposure modest while still letting you participate in the upside if demand outruns new supply. Patience is the key here. Give the tug-of-war three years to play out, and the coin's price will likely be a lot higher than it is right now. Before you buy stock in XRP, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and XRP wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $868,615!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Alex Carchidi has positions in Bitcoin. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Got $1,000? Here's 1 More Reason to Buy XRP and Hold It for at Least 3 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Crypto Currents: Strategy buys more bitcoin
As bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies get increasing attention from investors, Wall Street and its traditional banks continue to adjust to the shift. Catch up on this week's top stories highlighting the intersection of these old guard and new school areas of finance with this recap compiled by The Fly. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter STRATEGY BUYS MORE BITCOIN: Strategy (MSTR) announced updates on Monday with respect to its at-the-market offering programs and bitcoin holdings. The company purchased 705 bitcoin during the period of May 26 to June 1 at an aggregate purchase price of $75.1M. Strategy now holds 580,955 bitcoin. TRUMP MEDIA FILES REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR BITCOIN ETF: On Thursday, Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT) announced the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of the initial registration statement on Form S-1 for the Truth Social Bitcoin ETF. The ETF will hold bitcoin directly and offer its shares to investors, aiming to reflect bitcoin's price performance. will act as the ETF's exclusive bitcoin custodian, prime execution agent and liquidity provider. The launch of the Truth Social Bitcoin ETF is pending effectiveness of the Registration Statement as well as approval of a Form 19b-4 filing with the SEC. Upon launch, the Shares will be listed on NYSE Arca. Yorkville America Digital acts as the sponsor of the ETF. Additionally on Thursday, Trump Media announced it has filed a registration statement on form S-3 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to debt and equity subscription agreements recently entered into with approximately fifty investors that yielded approximately $2.3B in total proceeds. The proceeds will be used for the company's creation of a bitcoin treasury and for general corporate purposes. In accordance with registration obligations in the previously-disclosed agreements, the Registration Statement seeks to register for resale by the investors approximately 56M shares of equity and 29M shares underlying convertible notes. Additionally, having recently become form S-3 eligible, Trump Media is taking the customary step of including within the Registration Statement a universal shelf. CEO Devin Nunes said, 'These activities will provide the company with the capital, assets, independence, flexibility, and security we need to fulfill our goals of rapid expansion, guaranteeing a wide array of ways to access the capital markets when it's most advantageous to do so. We're systematically putting in place all the elements we need to grow the company according to our plans, acquire crown jewel assets, and draw more customers and users into the patriot economy.' MAWSON INFRASTRUCTURE APPOINTS INTERIM CEO: In a Thursday regulatory filing, Mawson Infrastructure Group (MIGI) reported it had provided Rahul Mewawalla with notice that termination of his employment as CEO and President of the company for 'Cause', based on conduct specified in the notice, will be considered at a future meeting of the company's Board of Directors, at which the Board will determine whether his conduct constitutes Cause sufficient to terminate Mewawalla in accordance with the terms of his employment agreement. Mewawalla's employment agreement with the company provides for a cure period, which will end on June 14. On June 2, the Board determined to place Mewawalla on administrative leave from his position as CEO and President and appointed Kaliste Saloom to serve as Interim CEO. Saloom has served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since July 1, 2024. HUT 8 INITIATED WITH BUY: On Thursday, Roth Capital initiated coverage of Hut 8 (HUT) with a Buy rating and $25 price target. Hut 8 is transforming into a power-first digital infrastructure platform, with 1.0GW energized, 2.6GW under exclusivity, and long-term growth visibility from bitcoin hosting and high-performance computing colocation, the analyst said. The firm added three HPC sites position the company to benefit from artificial intelligence demand, offering 60%-plus adjusted EBITDA margins. The combination of highly visible colocation agreements in bitcoin and HPC provides Hut 8 a strategic advantage, leading to margin expansion and re-rating potential with strategic execution, contended Roth. ANALYST CALLS GAMESTOP, STRATEGY VALUATION DISPARITY 'BAFFLING': On Thursday, Wedbush reiterated an Underperform rating on GameStop (GME) with a $13.50 price target after the company last week disclosed that it purchased 4,710 bitcoin, 'following the MicroStrategy playbook.' However, Strategy currently trades 1.75-times its bitcoin holdings, while GameStop trades at 2.4-times cash value, suggesting that investors value GameStop's entry into bitcoin at the same premium they assign to Strategy shares, but value GameStop's core operations at $8 per share, the analyst said. The firm added that while it is likely GameStop will convert more of its cash into bitcoin, the disparity in valuation between company and Strategy 'is baffling.' Both companies provide bitcoin investors the ability to use margin to invest in crypto, but GameStop's holdings 'are literally 1% as great as MSTR's,' according to Wedbush. The firm believes GameStop's entry into the trading card business has delivered 'modest success,' but it sees no potential for a rebound in the company's core business. OTHER CRYPTO NEWS: Bitcoin Depot (BTM) price target raised to $6 from $5 at Northland Riot Platforms (RIOT) hires Jonathan Gibbs as Chief Data Center Officer Trump's USD1 (JPM) to offer clients financing against crypto ETFs World Liberty Financial reportedly sends cease-and-desist over memecoin CRYPTO STOCK PLAYS: Publicly traded companies in the space include Bit Digital (BTBT), Coinbase (COIN), Core Scientific (CORZ), Greenidge Generation (GREE), Mara Holdings (MARA), Strategy, Riot Platforms and TeraWulf (WULF). PRICE ACTION: As of time of writing, bitcoin dropped roughly 1% this week to $104,449 in U.S. dollars, according to CoinDesk. Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See the top stocks recommended by analysts >> Read More on MSTR: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Strategy Announces Underwriting Agreement with Barclays World Liberty Financial sends cease-and-desist over memecoin, Bloomberg reports GameStop and Strategy valuation disparity 'baffling,' says Wedbush Stablecoin Issuer Circle (CRCL) Soars 235% in Market Debut JPMorgan to offer clients financing against crypto ETFs, Bloomberg reports
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Crypto Currents: Strategy buys more bitcoin
As bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies get increasing attention from investors, Wall Street and its traditional banks continue to adjust to the shift. Catch up on this week's top stories highlighting the intersection of these old guard and new school areas of finance with this recap compiled by The Fly. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter STRATEGY BUYS MORE BITCOIN: Strategy (MSTR) announced updates on Monday with respect to its at-the-market offering programs and bitcoin holdings. The company purchased 705 bitcoin during the period of May 26 to June 1 at an aggregate purchase price of $75.1M. Strategy now holds 580,955 bitcoin. TRUMP MEDIA FILES REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR BITCOIN ETF: On Thursday, Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT) announced the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of the initial registration statement on Form S-1 for the Truth Social Bitcoin ETF. The ETF will hold bitcoin directly and offer its shares to investors, aiming to reflect bitcoin's price performance. will act as the ETF's exclusive bitcoin custodian, prime execution agent and liquidity provider. The launch of the Truth Social Bitcoin ETF is pending effectiveness of the Registration Statement as well as approval of a Form 19b-4 filing with the SEC. Upon launch, the Shares will be listed on NYSE Arca. Yorkville America Digital acts as the sponsor of the ETF. Additionally on Thursday, Trump Media announced it has filed a registration statement on form S-3 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to debt and equity subscription agreements recently entered into with approximately fifty investors that yielded approximately $2.3B in total proceeds. The proceeds will be used for the company's creation of a bitcoin treasury and for general corporate purposes. In accordance with registration obligations in the previously-disclosed agreements, the Registration Statement seeks to register for resale by the investors approximately 56M shares of equity and 29M shares underlying convertible notes. Additionally, having recently become form S-3 eligible, Trump Media is taking the customary step of including within the Registration Statement a universal shelf. CEO Devin Nunes said, 'These activities will provide the company with the capital, assets, independence, flexibility, and security we need to fulfill our goals of rapid expansion, guaranteeing a wide array of ways to access the capital markets when it's most advantageous to do so. We're systematically putting in place all the elements we need to grow the company according to our plans, acquire crown jewel assets, and draw more customers and users into the patriot economy.' MAWSON INFRASTRUCTURE APPOINTS INTERIM CEO: In a Thursday regulatory filing, Mawson Infrastructure Group (MIGI) reported it had provided Rahul Mewawalla with notice that termination of his employment as CEO and President of the company for 'Cause', based on conduct specified in the notice, will be considered at a future meeting of the company's Board of Directors, at which the Board will determine whether his conduct constitutes Cause sufficient to terminate Mewawalla in accordance with the terms of his employment agreement. Mewawalla's employment agreement with the company provides for a cure period, which will end on June 14. On June 2, the Board determined to place Mewawalla on administrative leave from his position as CEO and President and appointed Kaliste Saloom to serve as Interim CEO. Saloom has served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since July 1, 2024. HUT 8 INITIATED WITH BUY: On Thursday, Roth Capital initiated coverage of Hut 8 (HUT) with a Buy rating and $25 price target. Hut 8 is transforming into a power-first digital infrastructure platform, with 1.0GW energized, 2.6GW under exclusivity, and long-term growth visibility from bitcoin hosting and high-performance computing colocation, the analyst said. The firm added three HPC sites position the company to benefit from artificial intelligence demand, offering 60%-plus adjusted EBITDA margins. The combination of highly visible colocation agreements in bitcoin and HPC provides Hut 8 a strategic advantage, leading to margin expansion and re-rating potential with strategic execution, contended Roth. ANALYST CALLS GAMESTOP, STRATEGY VALUATION DISPARITY 'BAFFLING': On Thursday, Wedbush reiterated an Underperform rating on GameStop (GME) with a $13.50 price target after the company last week disclosed that it purchased 4,710 bitcoin, 'following the MicroStrategy playbook.' However, Strategy currently trades 1.75-times its bitcoin holdings, while GameStop trades at 2.4-times cash value, suggesting that investors value GameStop's entry into bitcoin at the same premium they assign to Strategy shares, but value GameStop's core operations at $8 per share, the analyst said. The firm added that while it is likely GameStop will convert more of its cash into bitcoin, the disparity in valuation between company and Strategy 'is baffling.' Both companies provide bitcoin investors the ability to use margin to invest in crypto, but GameStop's holdings 'are literally 1% as great as MSTR's,' according to Wedbush. The firm believes GameStop's entry into the trading card business has delivered 'modest success,' but it sees no potential for a rebound in the company's core business. OTHER CRYPTO NEWS: Bitcoin Depot (BTM) price target raised to $6 from $5 at Northland Riot Platforms (RIOT) hires Jonathan Gibbs as Chief Data Center Officer Trump's USD1 (JPM) to offer clients financing against crypto ETFs World Liberty Financial reportedly sends cease-and-desist over memecoin CRYPTO STOCK PLAYS: Publicly traded companies in the space include Bit Digital (BTBT), Coinbase (COIN), Core Scientific (CORZ), Greenidge Generation (GREE), Mara Holdings (MARA), Strategy, Riot Platforms and TeraWulf (WULF). PRICE ACTION: As of time of writing, bitcoin dropped roughly 1% this week to $104,449 in U.S. dollars, according to CoinDesk. Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See the top stocks recommended by analysts >> Read More on MSTR: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Strategy Announces Underwriting Agreement with Barclays World Liberty Financial sends cease-and-desist over memecoin, Bloomberg reports GameStop and Strategy valuation disparity 'baffling,' says Wedbush Stablecoin Issuer Circle (CRCL) Soars 235% in Market Debut JPMorgan to offer clients financing against crypto ETFs, Bloomberg reports Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
