Hi there, this is your daily ☕️ Finpresso.
In today's newsletter:
🚀 ₿ Bitcoin leads crypto back above $3 trillion
🤖 OpenAI unveils cheaper GPT-6 Sol and Luna
💰 Anthropic launches Claude Opus 5.5 at 40% lower cost
📈 Nasdaq closes at a record high as AI stocks rally
💳 Airtel Money nears $9B London IPO
Plus: 🌍 11 macro news, 🏢 10 corporate news, and 📑 6 research & reports.
| 🚀 ₿ Bitcoin leads crypto back above $3 trillion LINK |
- Digital assets have climbed back above $3 trillion in total market value for the first time since January, driven by a sharp Bitcoin rally that has also pulled altcoins including Zcash and Hyperliquid's HYPE token higher.
- The advance is being amplified by leverage in perpetual futures, with more than $920 million in bearish bets liquidated Monday as prices surged, while rising open interest signals fresh speculative positions replacing the shorts being squeezed out.
- Analysts warn the setup cuts both ways: with leverage running ahead of actual buying, a modest reversal could trigger forced selling of long positions, and US spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $999 million Monday, the biggest inflow since October 6.
| 🤖 OpenAI unveils cheaper GPT-6 Sol and Luna LINK |
- OpenAI launched two new models, GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, priced at least 50% below the GPT-5.6 versions they replace, as developers increasingly pick AI systems on cost-per-task rather than benchmark scores.
- Sol now costs $2 per million input tokens and $10 for output, half the prior rates, while Luna drops to $0.10 and $0.50; OpenAI credits cheaper processing and says, unlike GPT-5.6's promotional pricing, these rates are permanent.
- The cuts landed the same day Anthropic trimmed Claude Opus 5.5 by 20% to $4 per million input tokens, though Gartner warns cheaper tokens may still raise total AI bills as more complex workflows consume far more of them.
| 💰 Anthropic launches Claude Opus 5.5 at 40% lower cost LINK |
- Anthropic rolled out Claude Opus 5.5 on Tuesday, saying its new flagship model costs 40% less to run than Opus 5 on typical workloads, a pricing move aimed at customers weighing cheaper alternatives.
- The cost cut lands as software firms increasingly turn to open-weight models, including Chinese ones, to escape the expense of proprietary US systems, with the model now available across Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
- The launch comes as Anthropic prepares an initial public offering reportedly slated for November, later than the October debut some investors expected, timed partly to showcase strong third-quarter results and counter OpenAI's momentum from its GPT-Astra release.
| 📈 Nasdaq closes at a record high as AI stocks rally LINK |
- The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.45% to a record close of 27,243.24 on Tuesday, driven by Micron and other AI-linked chip stocks, while the S&P 500 slipped a fraction to 7,764.27, just shy of a record.
- The rally traced back to strong demand for Meta's new AI assistant, Muse, which can send emails and complete transactions for users, though the same tool dented consumer software shares on fears it could displace retailers, brokerages and insurers.
- The moves came with oil trading near $100 a barrel and the 10-year Treasury yield around 4.94%, as investors weighed Trump's UN threat over the Middle East and a US-China summit on Thursday that could extend the trade truce.
| 💳 Airtel Money nears $9B London IPO LINK |
- Airtel Money, the African mobile payments arm of Airtel Africa, is preparing to file for a London IPO that could raise at least $800 million at a $9 billion valuation, with paperwork possible this week.
- The targeted raise is well below the $2 billion previously reported, and London won out over a Middle East listing partly because of regional unrest, drawing on a customer base of more than 56 million across Africa.
- The debut would rank among London's biggest in years, offering relief to the LSE after a stretch in which firms, including fintechs, favored New York for their listings.
🌍 Macro News
- Six Canadian banks explore tokenized deposits for faster, programmable payments nationwide. LINK
- CFTC chair warns mass tokenization will transform markets over the next decade. LINK
- European shares rose as easing oil prices reduced supply concerns. LINK
- Boston Fed's Collins said persistent inflation justified last week's rate hike. LINK
- Ineos idled three Hull chemical plants as gas costs destroyed competitiveness. LINK
- IMF urges advanced economies to cut borrowing and impose spending discipline. LINK
- India's Russian crude imports fell 16.5% in August, with further declines expected. LINK
- Copper nears record as shrinking Chinese inventories heighten scarcity concerns. LINK
- European central banks oppose stablecoin reserve deposits, citing risks to lenders. LINK
- Armed group cut Libya's Sharara oilfield output by roughly two-thirds. LINK
- Kalshi seeks approval for leveraged event-contract trading to attract institutions. LINK
🏢 Corporate News
- Binance bought $100 million Circle stake, strengthening ties to USDC. LINK
- SoFi moved all card settlements onto its own stablecoin through Mastercard. LINK
- Snorkel AI raised $350 million at a $3.5 billion valuation. LINK
- DoorDash will pay $131.5 million to settle New York labor violations. LINK
- Google will fund upgrades at Georgia Power nuclear plants supporting AI expansion. LINK
- Berkshire built nearly 10% Lennar stake, lifting the homebuilder's shares. LINK
- BitMEX ended trading and deposits after 11 years, allowing withdrawals. LINK
- Verda surpassed $1 billion valuation after raising €164.8 million for expansion. LINK
- Alibaba will open Finnish, Dutch and Turkish cloud regions within 12 months. LINK
- PayPal will enable purchases through Meta's Muse AI assistant at merchants. LINK
📈 Stocks
| ▲ Biggest winners |
| Rambus rose 9% after strong Q2 FY2026 results with revenue of $207.38 million up 20.4% year over year and non-GAAP EPS of $0.77 beating estimates by 7.69%. LINK |
| Dick's Sporting Goods rose 8% after directors purchased shares on the open market. LINK |
| Monolithic Power Systems rose 8% after StoneX initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $1,800 price target. LINK |
| ▼ Biggest losers |
| Bending Spoons fell 7% after announcing a $1.4 billion acquisition of Miro. LINK |
| Charles Schwab Corporation (The fell 6% after Vanguard-backed AI threat to brokerage business. LINK |
📑 Research & Reports
- Bernstein projects prediction markets reaching $10 trillion annual volume by 2035. LINK
- BlackRock says stablecoins could enable AI agents' autonomous machine payments. LINK
- OECD cut Britain's 2027 growth forecast to 1%, citing higher fuel prices. LINK
- Goldman says $100 oil will limit China's purchases and ease price pressures. LINK
- Treasury trading increasingly concentrates around index pricing times, especially month-end rebalancing. LINK
- Fed review linked SVB's collapse to balance-sheet weaknesses, not social-media panic. LINK