Is The Oil Crisis Over? Or Is It Just Beginning?

Oil prices have dropped to ~$70/barrel despite predictions of $200 oil following the Strait of Hormuz closure. Strategic petroleum reserve releases, reduced Chinese demand, and potential pipeline circumvention projects have mitigated the crisis. However, sustainability beyond six months remains uncertain. Additionally, the new OpenUSD stablecoin backed by major institutions may entrench existing payment processors rather than disrupt them. Nike reported mixed earnings with tariff-driven gains masking underlying sales declines, particularly in China, raising questions about its turnaround prospects.

07/13/2026, 12:06 AM • The Motley Fool

Is the "Solana Summer" Finally Here?

Solana is experiencing a surge in network activity with over 1 billion weekly transactions and active wallet addresses jumping to 29.7 million. The launch of Open USD (OUSD) stablecoin backed by 140+ financial institutions including BlackRock on Solana could bring billions in capital inflows. However, Solana's inflationary tokenomics with minimal coin burning limit upside for holders despite strong on-chain activity.

07/12/2026, 6:15 PM • The Motley Fool

How Circle Internet Group Stock Lost 45% Last Month

Circle Internet Group stock plummeted 44.6% in June 2026 due to Bitcoin's decline and the announcement of a new competitor, Open USD stablecoin backed by major companies like Visa, BlackRock, and Alphabet. Additionally, Strategy's sale of Bitcoin holdings spooked crypto investors, and Circle's removal from Russell indexes reduced passive fund demand. While Circle's USD Coin remains the second-largest stablecoin, its competitive moat is weakening.

07/07/2026, 8:01 PM • The Motley Fool

Circle Internet Group Has a Brand-New Stablecoin Rival. What Does That Mean For Circle Stock?

A coalition of 140+ major companies including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, Coinbase, Google, and Shopify launched Open USD (OUSD), a competing stablecoin that threatens Circle's USDC business model. OUSD offers decentralized governance, shared reserve income, zero-cost minting, and no volume limits, making it more attractive to institutional users. Circle's stock initially dropped on the announcement, and the threat intensifies if Coinbase—a key USDC partner—switches to OUSD when its revenue-sharing agreement expires in August.

07/06/2026, 12:26 PM • The Motley Fool

Alcoa’s $4.1 Billion South32 Deal: Opportunity Behind the 9% Drop

Alcoa announced a $4.1 billion acquisition of South32's bauxite, alumina, and aluminum assets, causing its stock to plummet 9% due to immediate financing concerns and equity dilution. However, the deal strategically positions Alcoa to control the full pipeline from raw materials to finished aluminum, with projected $900 million in net present value savings and $50 million in direct run-rate cost savings within 12 months, positioning the company to capitalize on anticipated global supply deficits in 2026-2027.

07/06/2026, 10:12 AM • Investing

Congress Is Trying to Ban the Digital Dollar. What Does That Mean for Crypto Stocks?

Congress passed legislation to prevent the Federal Reserve from issuing a digital dollar before 2030, but digital dollar development had already stalled. The real competition in on-chain money is between stablecoin issuers, banks, and payment providers rather than government CBDCs. Circle faces growing competition from a new Open USD stablecoin consortium backed by major firms like Visa, Mastercard, and BlackRock.

07/05/2026, 4:24 AM • The Motley Fool

BlackRock Isn't Just an ETF Giant Anymore. Its Private Markets Pivot Is the Real Growth Story Now.

BlackRock is shifting its growth strategy from low-margin ETFs (40% of business) to higher-margin private markets investments. The company's organic net fee growth reached 8% year-over-year, the highest in five years, driven by private markets expansion. Future growth could accelerate if private market investments become available in retirement accounts like 401(k)s, opening a new revenue opportunity.

07/04/2026, 2:15 AM • The Motley Fool

Umicore - Déclaration de transparence par BlackRock, Inc.

BlackRock, Inc. has notified Umicore that it crossed below the 5% voting rights threshold on June 30, 2026. BlackRock's total voting rights (direct and equivalent financial instruments) now stand at 5.65%, comprising 4.97% direct voting rights and 0.68% in equivalent financial instruments.

07/03/2026, 12:30 PM • GlobeNewswire

Umicore - Transparantieverklaring van BlackRock, Inc.

BlackRock, Inc. has fallen below the 5% statutory threshold for direct voting rights in Umicore as of June 30, 2026. The company now holds 4.97% direct voting rights and 0.68% in equivalent financial instruments, totaling 5.65% of voting rights. The notification was made on July 1, 2026.

07/03/2026, 12:30 PM • GlobeNewswire

Umicore - Transparency notification by BlackRock, Inc.

BlackRock, Inc. has notified Umicore that it crossed the 5% legal threshold for direct voting rights downwards on 30 June 2026. BlackRock's total holding of direct voting rights and equivalent financial instruments stands at 5.65%, comprising 4.97% in direct voting rights and 0.68% in equivalent financial instruments.

07/03/2026, 12:30 PM • GlobeNewswire

Syensqo - Participation notification by BlackRock Inc.

BlackRock Inc. has notified Syensqo that it crossed the 3% threshold for direct voting rights on June 19, 2026, holding 3.07% in direct voting rights and 0.97% in equivalent financial instruments, for a total of 4.04%. The notification was made in accordance with Belgian transparency legislation.

06/30/2026, 2:45 AM • GlobeNewswire

BlackRock® Canada Announces Final June Cash Distributions for the iShares® Premium Money Market ETF

BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited announced the final June 2026 cash distribution for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF (CMR) at $0.113 per unit, payable on June 30, 2026 to unitholders of record on June 25, 2026.

06/24/2026, 5:30 PM • GlobeNewswire

Bitcoin Income Revolution: From BlackRock’s Monthly ETF to AIXAlpha’s Daily AI Strategy Contracts

Bitcoin volatility has intensified with BTC/USD falling to $63,000-$64,000 levels. AIXAlpha has launched AI-powered automated BTC strategy contracts with daily settlement cycles as an alternative to traditional investment vehicles like BlackRock's Bitcoin income ETF, which operates on a monthly distribution model. The platform offers automated trading across multiple cryptocurrencies without requiring manual trading experience.

06/20/2026, 11:45 AM • GlobeNewswire

BlackRockᴹᴰ Canada annonce des modifications du niveau de risque de certains FNB iShares et le changement du nom du iShares Core Canadian Short-Mid Term Universe Bond Index ETF

BlackRock Canada announced updates to risk levels for three iShares ETFs effective June 19, 2026: iShares India Index ETF (XIDM) downgraded from medium-high to medium risk, iShares 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Bond Index ETF (XTLT in CAD) downgraded from medium-high to medium risk, and iShares Global Electric and Autonomous Vehicles Index ETF (XDRV) upgraded from medium-high to high risk. Additionally, the iShares Core Canadian Short-Mid Term Universe Bond Index ETF will be renamed to iShares Core Canadian 1-10 Year Bond Index ETF effective June 30, 2026.

06/19/2026, 8:48 PM • GlobeNewswire

BlackRock® Canada Announces June Cash Distributions for the iShares® ETFs

BlackRock Canada announced June 2026 cash distributions for numerous iShares ETFs listed on TSX or Cboe Canada, with distributions payable on June 30, 2026 to unitholders of record as of June 25, 2026. The announcement includes per-unit distribution amounts for over 200 ETFs across various asset classes including bonds, equities, and balanced portfolios.

06/18/2026, 5:00 AM • GlobeNewswire