Fed Holds Rates Steady, Nasdaq Slightly Up
The major averages finished the day mostly unchanged, with the Nasdaq marginally higher after the Federal Reserve left the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75%, as was expected. In a statement on the move, the Fed cited unemployment stabilization as a reason to hold rates steady, noting that Fed governors Miran and Waller wanted to cut rates. Meanwhile, investors are positioning ahead of after-hours earnings releases from big tech names including Meta, Microsoft and Tesla, which could set the tone for risk appetite once those reports start rolling in.Looking to commodities, gold continued to surge to record highs, while oil was also on the rise.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Seagatereportedand provided guidance for Q3Texas Instrumentsreportedbut provided an upbeat outlook for Q1AT&Treportedand issued its outlook for 2026-2028Amazonannounced plans toamid "organizational changes"The Federal Reserve left the federal funds rate2. WALL STREET CALLS:Visato Buy from Neutral at Rothschild & Co RedburnKorro Bioto Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald and to Outperform at OppenheimerCircle Internetto Neutral at Mizuho with Polymarket as a "looming catalyst"PayPalto Sell at Rothschild & Co RedburnBJ's Wholesaleto Hold at Jefferies3. AROUND THE WEB:Blackstoneis mulling a debt investment in Oracle'sdata center project in Michigan, Bloomberg reportsC3 AIis in talks to merge with startup Automation Anywhere, The Information saysTeslaCEO Elon Musk is targeting mid-June for the timing of SpaceX's initial public offering, IPO, FT reportsSoftBankis in talks to invest up to an additional $30B in OpenAI, WSJ saysDeutsche Bank'soffices in Frankfurt and Berlin have been raided by German authorities as part of a money laundering probe that is looking at past dealings by staff with firms linked to the now-sanctioned Roman Abramovich, Bloomberg reports4. MOVERS:Palladynehigher after being awarded a contract by theStrideincreases afterand providing guidance for Q3 and FY26Nextpowerrises afterand raising its guidance for FY26Regenxbiofalls after the FDA placed aRichtech Roboticslower after announcing a5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Starbucksreportedand provided guidance for FY26Corning, with EPS and revenue beating consensusExtreme Networksand provided guidance for Q3 and FY26Scotts Miracle-Gro, with EPS beating consensusBrinkerand raised its guidance for FY26INDEXES:The Dow rose 12.19, or 0.025%, to 49,015.60, the Nasdaq gained 40.35, or 0.17%, to 23,857.45, and the S&P 500 declined 0.57, or 0.0082%, to 6,978.03.
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Mastercard Launches 85+ Partner Program to Integrate Blockchain with Payments
- Partner Program Launch: Mastercard has initiated the 85+ Partner Program, which aims to unite crypto exchanges, blockchain developers, fintech firms, and banks to explore how blockchain systems can connect with traditional payment rails, thereby driving practical applications of digital assets.
- Collaborative Product Development: Participants will work alongside Mastercard teams to develop products that combine on-chain tools with established payment systems, focusing on practical use cases such as cross-border transfers, B2B payments, and global payouts to meet the growing market demand.
- Market Integration Strategy: Mastercard emphasizes that collaboration is foundational for the next phase of on-chain payments, planning to translate technical innovations into scalable, compliant use cases that enhance integration into everyday commerce and global infrastructure.
- Stock Price Decline Risk: Mastercard's stock has fallen nearly 16% from its January 2026 peak of $595, currently approaching the psychological support level of $500; if it fails to break above $520, it may face further declines towards the $470-$480 range.
Mastercard Launches Crypto Partner Program to Foster Collaboration
- Crypto Partner Program: Mastercard has launched its Crypto Partner Program to create a dialogue and collaboration platform for 85 partners, including SoFi, PayPal, and Binance, aiming to enhance its influence in the rapidly evolving fintech landscape.
- Digital Asset Applications: The program highlights the transition of digital assets from a parallel system with existing financial frameworks to real-world applications, particularly in cross-border remittances and B2B money transfers, showcasing their potential value in global money movement.
- Growth in Enterprise Use Cases: Mastercard noted that enterprise and institutional use cases such as payouts, settlements, and cross-border money movement are beginning to take hold, creating new opportunities to add value to global money flows, reflecting an increasing market acceptance of digital assets.
- Stock Market Decline: Despite the launch of the new program, Mastercard's stock fell 1.0% in Wednesday morning trading, indicating a backdrop of overall weakness in financial equities and concerns that stablecoin technology and AI may reduce the need for traditional payment systems.
NASDAQ 100 Pre-Market Activity Overview
- Market Performance: The NASDAQ 100 Pre-Market Indicator is down 35.8 points to 24,920.67, indicating cautious market sentiment that may influence short-term investor decisions.
- Active Stocks: Oracle Corporation (ORCL) is up 15.34 points to $164.74 with a trading volume of 2,986,117 shares, reflecting strong buying interest and a current analyst recommendation in the 'buy range'.
- NIO Stock Dynamics: NIO Inc. (NIO) is down 0.1213 points to $5.58 with a trading volume of 2,825,931 shares, currently at 89.26% of its target price of $6.25, indicating cautious market sentiment regarding its future performance.
- Circle Internet Group: Circle Internet Group, Inc. (CRCL) is up 1.99 points to $120.08 with a trading volume of 730,861 shares, having had three upward revisions in earnings forecasts over the past four weeks, suggesting optimistic market expectations for its future profitability.
COIN Shares Decline as CRCL Soars Following Monness Crespi's Criticism of Trump's 'Saber Rattling' Regarding the CLARITY Act
Stock Performance: Circle's stock surged by 5.59%, while Coinbase's shares dropped by 1.64% after analyst Monness Crespi reiterated a 'Sell' rating for Coinbase and a 'Buy' rating for Circle, with price targets of $120 and $125, respectively.
Market Sentiment: Retail sentiment around Circle improved to 'bullish', while sentiment for Coinbase dipped to 'bearish', indicating a shift in investor confidence.
Analyst Predictions: Analysts predict that Circle could reach profitability this year, despite current losses, and highlighted the potential for Circle's stock to outperform in the market.
Regulatory Context: The article discusses President Trump's support for the cryptocurrency industry and criticizes banks for hindering progress, emphasizing the need for stablecoin adoption and regulatory clarity.
US Cryptocurrency-Related Stocks Surge, CRCL Exceeds $120
US Stock Cryptocurrency Concepts: US stock cryptocurrency concepts saw an overall increase, with notable rises in several stocks.
MicroStrategy (MSTR): MicroStrategy's stock rose by 1.86%, now trading at $141.54.
Circle (CRCL): Circle's stock experienced a significant increase of 8.05%, currently trading at $120.73.
Riot Blockchain (RIOT) and Bit Digital Inc. (BTBT): Riot Blockchain's stock rose by 1.29% to $14.89, while Bit Digital Inc. increased by 2.95%, trading at $21.315.
Stablecoin Market Continues to Grow
- Stablecoin Supply Growth: The supply of USDC has reached approximately $78 billion in circulation, demonstrating strong demand despite Bitcoin trading significantly below its previous peak, highlighting the resilience and independence of stablecoins in the digital currency market.
- Surge in Transaction Volume: Total stablecoin transaction volume hit $55 trillion in 2025, up 98% year-over-year, with an adjusted figure of $11 trillion, growing 91%, indicating a rapid expansion of stablecoins in payment applications.
- Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure: Visa now supports over 130 stablecoin-linked cards across 50 countries, processing an annualized settlement volume of about $4.6 billion, while Circle is expanding its infrastructure through the Circle Payments Network, enabling USDC transfers with an annualized volume of $5.7 billion, underscoring the importance of stablecoins in global payment networks.
- AI Payment Opportunities: Bernstein analysts highlighted emerging opportunities for machine-to-machine payments relying on stablecoins for micropayments, with Circle positioned as a long-term winner due to its regulatory advantages, exchange partnerships, and expanding global payments network.
Mastercard Launches 85+ Partner Program to Integrate Blockchain with Payments
- Partner Program Launch: Mastercard has initiated the 85+ Partner Program, which aims to unite crypto exchanges, blockchain developers, fintech firms, and banks to explore how blockchain systems can connect with traditional payment rails, thereby driving practical applications of digital assets.
- Collaborative Product Development: Participants will work alongside Mastercard teams to develop products that combine on-chain tools with established payment systems, focusing on practical use cases such as cross-border transfers, B2B payments, and global payouts to meet the growing market demand.
- Market Integration Strategy: Mastercard emphasizes that collaboration is foundational for the next phase of on-chain payments, planning to translate technical innovations into scalable, compliant use cases that enhance integration into everyday commerce and global infrastructure.
- Stock Price Decline Risk: Mastercard's stock has fallen nearly 16% from its January 2026 peak of $595, currently approaching the psychological support level of $500; if it fails to break above $520, it may face further declines towards the $470-$480 range.
Mastercard Launches Crypto Partner Program to Foster Collaboration
- Crypto Partner Program: Mastercard has launched its Crypto Partner Program to create a dialogue and collaboration platform for 85 partners, including SoFi, PayPal, and Binance, aiming to enhance its influence in the rapidly evolving fintech landscape.
- Digital Asset Applications: The program highlights the transition of digital assets from a parallel system with existing financial frameworks to real-world applications, particularly in cross-border remittances and B2B money transfers, showcasing their potential value in global money movement.
- Growth in Enterprise Use Cases: Mastercard noted that enterprise and institutional use cases such as payouts, settlements, and cross-border money movement are beginning to take hold, creating new opportunities to add value to global money flows, reflecting an increasing market acceptance of digital assets.
- Stock Market Decline: Despite the launch of the new program, Mastercard's stock fell 1.0% in Wednesday morning trading, indicating a backdrop of overall weakness in financial equities and concerns that stablecoin technology and AI may reduce the need for traditional payment systems.
NASDAQ 100 Pre-Market Activity Overview
- Market Performance: The NASDAQ 100 Pre-Market Indicator is down 35.8 points to 24,920.67, indicating cautious market sentiment that may influence short-term investor decisions.
- Active Stocks: Oracle Corporation (ORCL) is up 15.34 points to $164.74 with a trading volume of 2,986,117 shares, reflecting strong buying interest and a current analyst recommendation in the 'buy range'.
- NIO Stock Dynamics: NIO Inc. (NIO) is down 0.1213 points to $5.58 with a trading volume of 2,825,931 shares, currently at 89.26% of its target price of $6.25, indicating cautious market sentiment regarding its future performance.
- Circle Internet Group: Circle Internet Group, Inc. (CRCL) is up 1.99 points to $120.08 with a trading volume of 730,861 shares, having had three upward revisions in earnings forecasts over the past four weeks, suggesting optimistic market expectations for its future profitability.
COIN Shares Decline as CRCL Soars Following Monness Crespi's Criticism of Trump's 'Saber Rattling' Regarding the CLARITY Act
Stock Performance: Circle's stock surged by 5.59%, while Coinbase's shares dropped by 1.64% after analyst Monness Crespi reiterated a 'Sell' rating for Coinbase and a 'Buy' rating for Circle, with price targets of $120 and $125, respectively.
Market Sentiment: Retail sentiment around Circle improved to 'bullish', while sentiment for Coinbase dipped to 'bearish', indicating a shift in investor confidence.
Analyst Predictions: Analysts predict that Circle could reach profitability this year, despite current losses, and highlighted the potential for Circle's stock to outperform in the market.
Regulatory Context: The article discusses President Trump's support for the cryptocurrency industry and criticizes banks for hindering progress, emphasizing the need for stablecoin adoption and regulatory clarity.
US Cryptocurrency-Related Stocks Surge, CRCL Exceeds $120
US Stock Cryptocurrency Concepts: US stock cryptocurrency concepts saw an overall increase, with notable rises in several stocks.
MicroStrategy (MSTR): MicroStrategy's stock rose by 1.86%, now trading at $141.54.
Circle (CRCL): Circle's stock experienced a significant increase of 8.05%, currently trading at $120.73.
Riot Blockchain (RIOT) and Bit Digital Inc. (BTBT): Riot Blockchain's stock rose by 1.29% to $14.89, while Bit Digital Inc. increased by 2.95%, trading at $21.315.
Stablecoin Market Continues to Grow
- Stablecoin Supply Growth: The supply of USDC has reached approximately $78 billion in circulation, demonstrating strong demand despite Bitcoin trading significantly below its previous peak, highlighting the resilience and independence of stablecoins in the digital currency market.
- Surge in Transaction Volume: Total stablecoin transaction volume hit $55 trillion in 2025, up 98% year-over-year, with an adjusted figure of $11 trillion, growing 91%, indicating a rapid expansion of stablecoins in payment applications.
- Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure: Visa now supports over 130 stablecoin-linked cards across 50 countries, processing an annualized settlement volume of about $4.6 billion, while Circle is expanding its infrastructure through the Circle Payments Network, enabling USDC transfers with an annualized volume of $5.7 billion, underscoring the importance of stablecoins in global payment networks.
- AI Payment Opportunities: Bernstein analysts highlighted emerging opportunities for machine-to-machine payments relying on stablecoins for micropayments, with Circle positioned as a long-term winner due to its regulatory advantages, exchange partnerships, and expanding global payments network.
