U.S. stock futures were swinging between gains and losses on Thursday after ending higher on Wednesday. Futures of major benchmark indices were mixed.



Reports that President Donald Trump might be <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/macro-economic-events/25/07/46454852/trump-fed-powell-odds-inflation-markets">getting ready to remove</a> Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from his position have sparked fears about the Fed&#8217;s independence. These concerns led to a widespread rush into gold and a sell-off of the U.S. dollar.



Investors await Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NFLX#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>) earnings and June&#8217;s retail sales data, scheduled to be released later today.



Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.47% and the two-year bond was at 3.91%. The CME Group's FedWatch <a href="https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html">tool</a>&#8216;s projections show markets pricing a 97.4% likelihood of the Federal Reserve keeping the current interest rates unchanged in its July meeting. 



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>Futures</td><td>Change (+/-)</td></tr><tr><td>Dow Jones</td><td>-0.12%</td></tr><tr><td>S&amp;P 500</td><td>0.02%</td></tr><tr><td>Nasdaq 100</td><td>0.09%</td></tr><tr><td>Russell 2000</td><td>-0.23%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPY#NYSE">SPY</a>) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QQQ#NASDAQ">QQQ</a>), which track the S&amp;P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, were slightly higher in premarket on Thursday. The SPY was up 0.075% at $624.69, while the QQQ advanced 0.17% to $558.23, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a> data.



Cues From Last Session:



Financial, real estate, and healthcare sectors led gains on Wednesday, contributing to a higher close for U.S. stocks. However, energy and communication services bucked the trend, finishing lower.



Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GS#NYSE">GS</a>) reported better-than-expected second-quarter results, driven by robust gains in its global banking and trading divisions. Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BAC#NYSE">BAC</a>) also posted strong second-quarter financial earnings.



On the economic data front, the Producer Price Index was flat in June, down from a 0.3% gain in May and below the 0.2% consensus forecast. On a year-over-year basis, producer prices rose 2.3%, the slowest pace since September 2024 and softer than the 2.5% economists had expected.



The Dow Jones index ended 231 points or 0.53% higher at 44,254.78, whereas the S&amp;P 500 index rose 0.32% to 6,263.70. Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.25% to 20,730.49, and the small-cap gauge, Russell 2000, also gained 0.99% to end at 2,226.98.



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-stripes"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>Index</td><td>Performance (+/-)</td><td>Value</td></tr><tr><td>Nasdaq Composite</td><td>0.25%</td><td>20,730.49</td></tr><tr><td>S&amp;P 500</td><td>0.32%</td><td>6,263.70</td></tr><tr><td>Dow Jones</td><td>0.53%</td><td>44,254.78</td></tr><tr><td>Russell 2000</td><td>0.99%</td><td>2,226.98</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



Insights From Analysts:



While the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/economic-data/25/07/46461053/federal-reserves-beige-book-reveals-tariff-driven-profit-squeeze-as-businesses-avoid-price-hikes-what-it-means-for-consumers">Fed&#8217;s Beige Book</a>, released Wednesday, stated that businesses that did not raise prices or pass on the impact of tariffs to their customers are likely to take a hit on their profit margins.



Jeffrey Roach, the chief economist at LPL Financial, told <a href="https://www.benzinga.com">Benzinga</a> that "Investors should expect margin compression as businesses held off raising prices because of customers' growing price sensitivity."



Roach's macro quicktake was that Beige Book reveals "heavier margin compression" in the coming months, cautioning the investors and consumers.



&#8220;We&#8217;re hearing from a lot of businesses that a lot of companies are going to absorb tariffs in their margins over time, maybe three to five years in some cases, and slowly pass the costs along,&#8221; said Alex Coffey, senior trading and derivatives strategist at Schwab.



Meanwhile, Louis Navellier of Navellier &amp; Associates supported Trump calling out Powell and said &#8220;Obviously, President Trump will continue to bash Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and push for multiple key interest rate cuts, since higher rates are hindering real estate and other major sectors of the U.S. economy.&#8221;



Angelo Kourkafas, of Edward Jones, stated that earnings growth for the S&amp;P 500 is expected to slow in the second quarter to around 5% from the more than 10% in the prior two quarters.



However, he said that for the full year, estimates call for 8.5% growth, which, if realized, would be above the index&#8217;s long-term average of 6.5%.



&#8220;Lingering uncertainties suggest that there could be some more volatility around these expectations, but next year&#8217;s backdrop appears to be more favorable, as corporate profits may reaccelerate amid lower rates and modest fiscal stimulus from the tax bill,&#8221; he added.



See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/how-to-trade-futures">How to Trade Futures </a>



Upcoming Economic Data



Here&#8217;s what investors will keep an eye on Thursday:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The initial jobless claims data for the week ended July 5, June retail sales, import price index, and Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey will all be out by 8:30 a.m. ET.</li>



<li>May&#8217;s business inventories data and July&#8217;s home builder confidence index data will be out by 10:00 a.m. ET.</li>



<li>Fed Governor Adriana Kugler will speak at 10:00 a.m., San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly will speak at 12:45 p.m., Fed Governor Lisa Cook will speak at 1:30 p.m., and Fed Governor Christopher Waller will speak at 6:30 p.m. ET.</li>
</ul>



Stocks In Focus:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NFLX#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>) was up 0.36% in premarket on Thursday as analysts expect it to report earnings of $7.06 per share on revenue of $11.04 billion after the closing bell.</li>



<li>PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PEP#NASDAQ">PEP</a>) was 0.33% above the flatline as it is expected to report earnings before the opening bell. Analysts estimate earnings of $2.03 per share on revenue of $22.29 billion.</li>



<li>Kopin Corp. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/KOPN#NASDAQ">KOPN</a>) jumped 7.73% following the establishment of its comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework.</li>



<li>Crown LNG Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CGBS#NASDAQ">CGBS</a>) plummeted 55.26% after it received a letter from NASDAQ on Tuesday, notifying the company of its noncompliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules 5250(c)(1) and 5550(a)(2), according to a SEC Filing.</li>



<li>22nd Century Group Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XXII#NASDAQ">XXII</a>) surged 172.27% following the company's announcement of expanding partnerships for its VLN-based reduced nicotine content products, according to a company statement.</li>



<li>Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (YSE: TSM) advanced 4.50% net revenue in the June quarter, rising 38.65% from a year ago to NT$933.80 billion or $31.7 billion, beating estimates.</li>



<li>AAR Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AIR#NYSE">AIR</a>) gained 4.17% after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter. The quarterly earnings of $1.16 per share exceeded the analyst consensus estimate of $1.01 per share.</li>



<li>United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UAL#NASDAQ">UAL</a>) declined 2.94% despite posting better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter, but it lowered its full-year 2025 earnings outlook. Also, the company&#8217;s sales missed market expectations.</li>



<li>General Electric Co. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GE#NYSE">GE</a>) was 1.06% higher as analysts expect it to report earnings of $1.41 per share on revenue of $9.52 billion before the opening bell.</li>
</ul>



Commodities, Gold, And Global Equity Markets:



Crude oil futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 0.41% to hover around $66.65 per barrel.



Gold Spot US Dollar fell 0.48% to hover around $3,331.59 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $3,500.33 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was higher by 0.24% at the 98.6320 level.



Asian markets ended mostly higher on Thursday except India's S&amp;P BSE Sensex and Hong Kong's Hang Seng indices. Japan's Nikkei 225, Australia's ASX 200, China&#8217;s CSI 300, and South Korea's Kospi indices rose. European markets were mostly higher in early trade.



Read Next:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/25/07/46435899/trumps-pharma-tariffs-can-hit-novo-nordisk-says-barclays-expert-but-its-difficult-to-predict-as-drugmakers-have-complex-supply-chains">Trump&#8217;s Pharma Tariffs Can Hit Novo Nordisk, Says Barclays Expert, But It&#8217;s &#8216;Difficult&#8217; To Predict As Drugmakers Have &#8216;Complex Supply Chains&#8217;</a></li>
</ul>



Photo courtesy: godongphoto / Shutterstock.com

Equities

CGBS

KOPN

NFLX

XXII

US Stocks Likely To Open On A Mixed Note: Netflix, PepsiCo, TSM Earnings In Focus

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/USB#NYSE">USB</a>) edged past earnings estimates in the second quarter but fell short of revenue expectations, causing its shares to decline<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/movers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> in Thursday&#8217;s premarket trade.</a>



The company <a target="_blank" href="https://s203.q4cdn.com/711684571/files/doc_financials/2025/q2/2Q25-Earnings-Release.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.11, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $1.07.



Quarterly sales of $7.004 billion (+2% year over year) missed the Street view of $7.052 billion.



Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/earnings/25/07/46419465/bny-mellons-strong-q2-profit-drives-higher-2025-guidance" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bank Of New York Mellon&#8217;s Strong Q2 Profit Drives Higher 2025 Guidance</a>



On a GAAP basis, U.S. Bancorp registered revenues of $6.975 billion, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $7.052 billion.



&#8220;Year-over-year top-line revenue growth, coupled with our continued expense discipline, resulted in 250 basis points of positive operating leverage, as adjusted, and an efficiency ratio of 59.2% for the quarter,&#8221; said the company&#8217;s CEO Gunjan Kedia.



Net interest income edged up by 0.7% year over year to $4.051 billion. Non-interest income soared 3.9% to $2.924 billion.



The company reported a net income of $1.815 billion, representing a 13.2% year-over-year increase.



U.S. Bancorp achieved a return on tangible common equity of 18.0%, a return on average assets of 1.08%, and maintained an efficiency ratio of 59.2%.



Average total loans increased 1.0% on a year-over-year basis and decreased 0.1% on a linked quarter basis, reflecting the impact of loan portfolio sales during the second quarter of 2025.



Total average loans and loans held for sale increased 1.7% on a year-over-year basis and 0.7% on a linked-quarter basis.



Provision for credit losses in the quarter under review decreased by 11.8% to $501 million from $568 million in the year-ago period.



&#8220;As we look ahead, we remain committed to executing on our strategic priorities and making disciplined progress towards achieving our medium-term financial targets,&#8221; Kedia added.



The company had a common equity tier 1 capital ratio of 10.7% as of June 30, 2025.



Outlook: U.S. Bancorp anticipates its full-year 2025 taxable-equivalent revenue will increase by 3%–5% compared to 2024.



For the third quarter, the company expects net interest income to be between $4.1 billion and $4.2 billion.



Price Action: USB shares are trading lower by 3.7% to $43.99 premarket at last check Thursday.



Read Next:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/earnings/25/07/46463845/pepsico-delivers-the-fizz-in-q2-sweetens-outlook-on-subdued-dollar-headwind" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PepsiCo Delivers The Fizz In Q2, Sweetens Outlook On Subdued Dollar Headwind</a></li>
</ul>



Photo: Shutterstock

News

Markets

Movers

General

U.S. Bancorp Nails Q2 Profits But Stock Dips On Revenue Miss

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/semiconductors" rel="noreferrer noopener">stock soared</a> Thursday after the contract chipmaker delivered <a target="_blank" href="https://investor.tsmc.com/english/quarterly-results/2025/q2" rel="noreferrer noopener">second-quarter results</a> that blew past analyst expectations, driven by insatiable global demand for its advanced processor technologies essential for artificial intelligence applications.



As a key supplier to tech giants like Nvidia (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>) for its graphics processing units (GPUs) and Apple (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) for its smartphones, the company&#8217;s strong results underscore its critical role in the global technology ecosystem. The company also provided an optimistic revenue forecast for the third quarter, further boosting investor confidence.



Taiwan Semiconductor reported quarterly net sales of $30.07 billion (933.79 billion New Taiwanese dollars), up 38.6% year-over-year (Y/Y), topping the analyst consensus estimate of $30.04 billion. Net sales grew&nbsp;11.3% quarter over quarter (Q/Q).



Also Read: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46426323/what-to-expect-from-taiwan-semiconductor-q2-performance" rel="noreferrer noopener">What To Expect From Taiwan Semiconductor Q2 Performance?</a>



Net income and earnings per share were $398.27 billion New Taiwanese dollars and 15.36 New Taiwanese dollars per share (or $2.47), up by 60.7% Y/Y, topping the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/calendars/earnings" rel="noreferrer noopener">analyst consensus estimate</a> of $2.37.



In U.S. dollar terms, revenue growth was 44.4% Y/Y and up by 17.8% Q/Q.&nbsp;The top-line performance&nbsp;topped <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/25/04/44857887/taiwan-semiconductor-q1-surges-41-in-sales-boosted-by-ai-chip-demand-expanded-margins" rel="noreferrer noopener">the&nbsp;company&#8217;s guidance</a> of&nbsp;$28.4 billion-$29.2 billion.



The company said 3-nm accounted for 24% of the total revenue, 5-nm accounted for 36%, and 7-nm technologies accounted for 14%. Advanced technologies (7nm and below) accounted for 74% of total wafer revenue.



By platform, High-Performance Computing&nbsp;(HPC) and Smartphone represented 60% and 27% of net revenue, respectively, while IoT, Automotive, DCE, and Others each represented 5%, 5%, 1%, and 2%.



From a geographic perspective, revenue from customers based in North America accounted for 75% of total net revenue in 2Q25, while revenue from China, Asia Pacific, Japan, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) accounted for 9%, 9%, 4%, and 3% of total net revenue, respectively.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Margin Profile</h2>



Taiwan Semiconductor&#8217;s AI technology moat helped it expand its quarterly gross margins by 540 bps to 58.6%. The operating margin expanded by 710 bps to 49.6%.



CFO Wendell Huang expects its business to be supported by strong demand for its leading-edge process technologies for the third quarter.



During the second quarter, net cash generated from operating activities totaled 497.07 billion New Taiwanese dollars ($17.05 billion). Capital expenditures for the company on a consolidated basis totaled $9.63 billion in the second quarter of 2025. The company&#8217;s cash and marketable securities stood at $90.36 billion at the end of the quarter.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Outlook</h2>



Taiwan Semiconductor&nbsp;guided third-quarter&nbsp;2025 revenue of $31.8 billion to $33.0 billion versus the $32.7&nbsp;billion <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/calendars/guidance" rel="noreferrer noopener">analyst consensus estimate</a>. It expects a gross margin of 55.5% to 57.5% and operating profit margins of 45.5% to 47.5%.



In a notable development, Taiwan Semiconductor&#8217;s Chairman, C.C. Wei, announced a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46283410/taiwan-semiconductor-shifts-focus-100-billion-usa-expansion" rel="noreferrer noopener">significant increase</a> in the company&#8217;s investment in U.S. chip manufacturing in March. This new commitment of $100 billion came in addition to the $65 billion previously pledged in April 2024 for three fabrication plants in Arizona, one of which was already operational.



Taiwan Semiconductor stock gained over 20% year-to-date and 57% in the last three months. During the same periods, the PHLX Semiconductor Index (which includes Taiwan Semiconductor) gained over 14% and 48%.



The stock also got a boost from this week&#8217;s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46412125/trumps-latest-move-on-ai-and-china-propels-chip-stocks" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports indicating the</a> Trump administration&#8217;s plans to announce roughly $70 billion in AI and energy investments in Pennsylvania, and the U.S. government&#8217;s move to ease certain chip export restrictions to China.



However, the company acknowledged in June <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/06/45739051/tsmc-ceo-admits-trump-tariffs-have-some-impact-on-chipmaker-but-demand-consistently-outpacing-supply-thanks-to-ai" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential future headwinds</a> due to President Donald Trump&#8217;s trade policies, particularly his threats of &#8220;reciprocal tariffs&#8221; on Taiwan. Taiwan is currently subject to 32% tariffs imposed in April and is engaged in trade discussions with the U.S. Furthermore, Trump previously indicated the possibility of additional tariffs on semiconductors.



According to Reuters, the company noted that key client Nvidia had recently been allowed by the U.S. government to&nbsp;resume sales&nbsp;to China of its H20 AI chip. Taiwan Semiconductor Chief Executive C.C. Wei told a press conference, &#8220;China is a big market, and my customer can continue to supply the chip to the big market, and it&#8217;s very positive news for them and in return it&#8217;s very positive news for Taiwan Semiconductor.&#8221;



However, Wei indicated that the momentum for fourth-quarter earnings might differ. &#8220;We are taking into consideration the possible impact of tariffs and a lot of other uncertainties, so we are becoming more conservative,&#8221; he said, though he added that Taiwan Semiconductor had yet to see any changes in customer behavior so far.



Price Action:&nbsp;TSM stock is trading higher by 4.10% to $247.30 premarket at last check Thursday.



Read Next:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46387337/taiwan-semiconductors-top-supply-chain-executive-exits" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taiwan Semiconductor&#8217;s Top Supply Chain Executive Exits</a></li>
</ul>



Photo by Jack Hong via Shutterstock

Earnings

Guidance

Tech

Media

AAPL

NVDA

Nvidia-Supplier Taiwan Semiconductor On A Roll, Profit Explodes With Strong Margin Growth

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) and Amazon Web Services are launching a $6 million initiative to attract 30 U.S. startups to build AI applications using Meta&#8217;s open-source Llama model, positioning the partnership as a strategic counter to OpenAI&#8216;s closed-source dominance.



What Happened: The program offers each selected startup $200,000 in AWS cloud computing credits and six months of technical support from both companies&#8217; engineers. AWS Vice President Jon Jones <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/16/tech/meta-aws-llama-ai-startups-partnership">told</a> CNN the initiative aims to &#8220;empower founders to build transformative AI using Llama models,&#8221; with applications opening this summer.



For Meta, the collaboration comes as CEO Mark Zuckerberg pours billions into AI development, recently creating a superintelligence team and offering compensation packages up to $300 million <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/03/37926522/mark-zuckerbergs-shiny-new-300m-diesel-powered-mega-yacht-casts-a-big-question-mark-on-his-climate-h">over four years to poach top researchers</a> from competitors, including OpenAI. 



The company hired OpenAI researchers Jason Wei and Hyung Won Chung for its AI lab, following Zuckerberg&#8217;s strategy to make Llama the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46434602/mark-zuckerbergs-meta-poaches-top-openai-researchers-jason-wei-and-hyung-won-chung-for-its-superintelligence-lab-report">industry standard for AI development</a>.



See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46460070/elon-musks-xai-faces-industry-backlash-over-reckless-ai-safety-practices-as-regulatory-scrutiny-intensifies">Elon Musk&#8217;s xAI Faces Industry Backlash Over &#8216;Reckless&#8217; AI Safety Practices As Regulatory Scrutiny Intensifies</a>



The partnership highlights the industry&#8217;s fundamental divide between open-source and closed-source AI models. While OpenAI&#8217;s ChatGPT and Anthropic&#8217;s Claude remain proprietary, Meta&#8217;s Llama provides free access to its underlying code. Zuckerberg argues open-source AI is &#8220;necessary for a positive AI future&#8221; and will democratize the technology&#8217;s benefits.



Why It Matters: AWS customers already use Llama for financial technology tools and customer relationship management systems for auto dealerships. The initiative could generate long-term revenue for Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) if startups continue using AWS services beyond the six-month program.



The timing coincides with Meta facing an $8 billion <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/legal/25/07/46458910/meta-shareholders-sue-mark-zuckerberg-peter-thiel-for-8-billion-over-privacy-violations-linked-to-cambridge-analytica-scandal">shareholder lawsuit over</a> Cambridge Analytica privacy violations and intense competition from ByteDance&#8217;s Swan mixed reality goggles. Meta has invested $16 billion in Reality Labs and plans additional data center <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46425393/metas-metaverse-dreams-tested-by-new-bytedance-swan-goggles">investments to support its AI ambitions.</a>



&#8220;Startups are some of the most creative forces in tech,&#8221; said Ash Jhaveri, Meta&#8217;s vice president of AI partnerships. The program will select participants based on their technical capabilities and potential solution impact.



Read Next:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/large-cap/25/07/46458652/tim-cooks-new-job-is-keeping-trump-happy-says-economist-justin-wolfers-innovation-takes-a-back-seat-to-political-favoritism" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tim Cook's New Job Is Keeping Trump ‘Happy,' Says Economist Justin Wolfers: ‘Innovation Takes A Back Seat To Political Favoritism'</a></li>
</ul>



Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.



Photo Courtesy: Skorzewiak on Shutterstock.com

AMZN

Meta, AWS Roll Out $6 Million Startup Program To Counter OpenAI, Make Llama The Go-To AI Model For Builders

On Thursday, South Korea's Supreme Court cleared Samsung Electronics (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SSNLF#OTC">SSNLF</a>) chairman Jay Y. Lee of stock <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/management/25/02/43440540/samsungs-jay-y-lee-acquitted-shifting-focus-to-business-challenges">manipulation and accounting fraud charges</a> related to a 2015 merger, ending a nearly decade-long legal battle.



What Happened: The ruling upholds a lower court decision that dismissed all charges against Lee involving the $8 billion merger between Samsung C&amp;T and Cheil Industries, reported Reuters.



Prosecutors had alleged the deal was orchestrated to solidify Lee's control over Samsung Group following his father's incapacitation in 2014.



Lee's legal team welcomed the outcome, stating that the court confirmed the legality of the merger. The Korea Enterprises Federation also praised the verdict, calling it a stabilizing move for South Korea's economy, the report added.



See Also:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/education/25/06/45983347/jensen-huang-gave-12-6-million-to-charity-then-nvidias-stock-made-it-billions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jensen Huang Gave $12.6 Million To Charity, Then Nvidia&#8217;s Stock Made It Billions</a>



"The Supreme Court ruling clears a layer of legal uncertainty, which could be a long-term positive for Samsung," said Ryu Young-ho, senior analyst at NH Investment &amp; Securities. "It remains to be seen how directly and proactively he will engage going forward."



Samsung Electronics shares jumped 3.1% following the decision, outperforming the broader KOSPI index. Analysts also cited a downgrade of rival SK Hynix by Goldman Sachs as a factor in the stock movement, the report added.



Why It's Important: Samsung, which warned of a <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46288786/us-export-bans-and-nvidia-supply-issues-crush-samsung-chip-profits-hopes-rest-on-ultra-thin-foldables-smartwatches-and-possible-xr-debut-at-galaxy-unpacked-event">56% drop in the second-quarter</a> operating profit, is under pressure to regain momentum in AI chip development and revive its struggling semiconductor division.



In 2024, during his two-week trip to the U.S., Lee held meetings with Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Inc.'s (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) Andy Jassy and Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/QCOM#NASDAQ">QCOM</a>) CEO Cristiano Amon.



Their discussions focused on collaboration opportunities in artificial intelligence, cloud services, and semiconductors.



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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.



Photo courtesy: Sybillla / Shutterstock.com

QCOM

SSNLF

Samsung Chairman Jay Y. Lee Acquitted Of Stock Manipulation By South Korea's Supreme Court

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the &#8220;Greed&#8221; zone on Wednesday.



U.S. stocks settled higher on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones index gaining more than 200 points during the session.



Reports circulated that President Donald Trump may be preparing to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from his post. The rumors sparked fears over the Fed&#8217;s independence, triggering a broad flight to gold and a sell-off in the U.S. dollar.



Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GS#NYSE">GS</a>) reported second-quarter results that beat analyst expectations, boosted by robust gains in its global banking and trading divisions. Bank of America Corp (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BAC#NYSE">BAC</a>) posted better-than-expected second-quarter financial earnings.



On the economic data front, the Producer Price Index was flat in June, down from a 0.3% gain in May and below the 0.2% consensus forecast. On a year-over-year basis, producer prices rose 2.3%, the slowest pace since September 2024 and softer than the 2.5% economists had expected.



Most sectors on the S&amp;P 500 closed on a positive note, with financial, real estate and health care stocks recording the biggest gains on Wednesday. However, energy and communication services stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.



The Dow Jones closed higher by 231 points to 44,254.78 on Wednesday. The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.32% to 6,263.70, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.25% to 20,730.49 during Wednesday's session.



Investors are awaiting earnings results from PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PEP#NASDAQ">PEP</a>), GE Aerospace (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GE#NYSE">GE</a>) and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NFLX#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>) today.



What is CNN Business Fear &amp; Greed Index?



At a current reading of 73.9, the index remained in the &#8220;Greed&#8221; zone on Wednesday, versus a prior reading of 73.7.



The Fear &amp; Greed Index is a measure of the current market sentiment. It is based on the premise that higher fear exerts pressure on stock prices, while higher greed has the opposite effect. The index is calculated based on seven equal-weighted indicators. The index ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 represents maximum fear and 100 signals maximum greediness.



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Photo via Shutterstock

Pre-Market Outlook

Dow Gains Over 200 Points Amid Upbeat Earnings: Investor Sentiment Improves, Fear Index Remains In 'Greed' Zone

Leading cryptocurrencies rose alongside stocks on Wednesday as President Donald Trump denied that he plans to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Cryptocurrency</th><th>Gains +/-</th><th>Price (Recorded at 10:50 p.m. ET)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bitcoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>)</td><td>+0.85%</td><td>$118,233.42</td></tr><tr><td>Ethereum (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/eth/usd">ETH</a>) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>+7.29%</td><td>$3,346.01</td></tr><tr><td>Dogecoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/doge/usd">DOGE</a>)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>+8.82%</td><td>$0.2139</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



What Happened: Bitcoin topped $120,000 in the evening before plummeting to a low of $117,255.02 overnight, even as trading volume dipped 21% in the last 24 hours.



The so-called ‘Crypto Week' continued to hit roadblocks due to disagreements among GOP lawmakers<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/07/46458679/trump-backed-crypto-bills-stalled-again-in-house-of-representatives-marjorie-taylor-greene-holds-out-on-cbdc-ban-will-not-vote-for-this"> regarding key cryptocurrency bills</a>.



Ethereum recorded a steeper spike, surging past the $3,000–$3,400 resistance zone. Institutional flows supported the rally, with Cathie Wood's Ark Invest <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/25/07/46458290/cathie-woods-ethereum-double-down-ark-bets-7-9-million-on-eth-staking-etf-buy-while-selling-coinbase-at-highs">scooping a significant number of shares</a> of 3iQ Ether Staking ETF (ETHQ.U).&nbsp;



The rally hit bearish traders, with nearly $300 million in short positions getting erased in the last 24 hours.



Bitcoin's open interest rose marginally by 0.58% in the last 24 hours, while funds locked in Ethereum's derivatives jumped 4%. Meanwhile, the majority of Binance traders with open BTC positions were short as of this writing.



Top Gainers (24 Hours)



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Cryptocurrency</th><th>Gains +/-</th><th>Price (Recorded at 10:50 p.m. ET)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Floki (FLOKI)</td><td>+32.40%</td><td>$0.0001301</td></tr><tr><td>Bonk (BONK)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>+21.24%</td><td>$0.00003755</td></tr><tr><td>Curve DAO Token (CRV)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td>+20.24%</td><td>$0.9476 </td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $3.79 trillion, following a jump of 2.24% in the last 24 hours.



Stocks bounced back sharply on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lifted 231.49 points, or 0.53%, to end at 44,254.78. The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.32% to end at 6,263.70. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite added 0.18% to clock yet another record close of 20,640.33.



Drama unfolded after a senior White House official hinted that Trump is planning to remove Fed Chair Powell. However, Trump <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46449521/donald-trump-to-fire-jerome-powell-polymarket-traders-say-no-but">quickly downplayed the reports</a>, saying it is "highly unlikely" he will do so in the near future.



Interestingly, the odds of a 25 basis point rate cut at the Federal Reserve&#8217;s September meeting increased from 54.5% to 56.3%, <a href="https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html">according </a>to the CME FedWatch tool.&nbsp;



See More: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/best-crypto-scanners">Best Cryptocurrency Scanners</a>



Analyst Notes: In a note to Benzinga, the analytics team at Bitcoin yield protocol TeraHash said that if <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/07/46441190/600m-in-1-day-why-are-bitcoin-ethereum-etf-suddenly-so-bullish">exchange-traded flows</a> persist and cryptocurrency bills pass through, Bitcoin could see a $3 trillion valuation by year-end.



"We see this as Bitcoin's transition from ‘digital gold' to monetary infrastructure," the analysts said.



Widely followed cryptocurrency analyst Ali Martinez flagged $3,980 as a key resistance for Ethereum, breaking which could "ignite a major bull rally."



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">A key resistance level ahead for Ethereum <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24ETH&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$ETH</a> is $3,980. Breaking above it could ignite a major bull rally! <a href="https://t.co/11v2ytwIIs">pic.twitter.com/11v2ytwIIs</a>&mdash; Ali (@ali_charts) <a href="https://twitter.com/ali_charts/status/1945543454295011714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



Photo Courtesy: oekka.k on Shutterstock.com



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Cryptocurrency

$BTC

$DOGE

$ETH

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin Climb Amid Trump-Powell Turbulence: Analyst Says BTC Could Reach $3 Trillion Market Cap By Year-End If This Happens

Seven &amp; i Holdings (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SVNDY#OTC">SVNDY</a>) shares tumbled 9% on Thursday on the Tokyo exchange to a low of 2,000 Japanese Yen ($13.50) after Canada&#8217;s Alimentation Couche-Tard (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ANCTF#OTC">ANCTF</a>) withdrew its $47 billion takeover bid, citing &#8220;persistent lack of good faith engagement.&#8221; Trading resumed at 10:16 a.m. local time following a halt.



Couche-Tard pulled its enhanced $18.19 per share offer, valuing the 7-Eleven operator at 7 trillion yen. The Canadian retailer had raised its bid 22% from August&#8217;s initial $14.86 proposal, which Seven &amp; i rejected as undervalued.



Seven &amp; i disputed Couche-Tard&#8217;s withdrawal rationale, calling the termination &#8220;unilateral.&#8221; The Japanese convenience store giant replaced CEO Ryuichi Isaka with Stephen Dacus in May.



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Disclaimer:&nbsp;This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.



Image Via Shutterstock

ANCTF

SVNDY

Seven & i Crashes 9% After Couche-Tard Yanks $47 Billion Takeover Bid, Slams 'Lack of Good Faith' Talks — Tokyo Retail Giant Calls Move 'Unilateral'

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